Amanita on chalk

Possible, Adam – but Saproamanita vittadinii (syn Amanita vittadini) seems to be an exceptional rarity.

Only five UK records on FRDBI. – With only two of those being within the last 100 years, and none within the last 50 years.

Whereas, Amanita Echinocephala has over 300 records on FRDBI. And whilst some books suggest that it is only found with Fagus, several books do mention that it can also be found with other deciduous tree species. (And quite a few of the FRDBI records would substantiate that).

Also, several books indicate white or creamy white for the gills, occasionally pale green or even a very pale coffee colour.

(Although what bits can be seen here do look white-ish, I wouldn’t like to hazard a guess on this example as the partial veil is almost intact, and very little of the gills are showing).

Also, Annie says the find was from Surrey, which would tie in, along with the find being on calcareous soil. – Most of the A. echinocephala records have been made in southern parts of the UK

My original thoughts looking at the first photo and photos 3 & 4, were that the stem on this example, although broken, does look to be swollen/bulbous towards the base.

Although, at the end of the day, I go back to my earlier comment that I wouldn’t be confident one way or the other on this one without the microscopy.

I think Amanita solitaria (= A. echinocephala) is a safe bet. It is actually common in the Mickleham/Box Hill area – even i have seen it nearby at Sheep Leas, years ago – whereas the rare A. vittadini has never (as far as I know) been recorded from Surrey. Amanita solitaria is very much a species of calcareous soil and associates with a wide range of trees. Russ Tulloch’s impressive Amanitaceae website specifically mentions records with lime (Tilia), but I can only see one such UK record on FRDBI. It is more frequently found with beech, as noted above – but then, beech is the commoner tree.