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Ring (veil)

Present

Present — mushrooms with the trait «Present»

The description "ring present" in mycological guides indicates that for this mushroom species, remnants of the partial veil on the stem are a stable, genetically built-in norm. It is the first trait foragers look at when examining a find.

0 species in the database.

No mushrooms with this trait yet.

What does a ring tell you?

According to M.Ya. Zerova in her "Key to the Fungi of Ukraine," a clearly visible ring instantly narrows the search when identifying an unknown mushroom. It means the mushroom has a hemiangiocarpic (semi-enclosed) type of development, in which the gills were protected by a membrane when young.

David Arora and Roger Phillips list the best-known families and genera for which "ring present" is a required trait:

1. Genus Agaricus: All true Agaricus mushrooms (both the store-bought button mushrooms and wild woodland ones) have a ring. It is usually white, dense and sometimes double-layered.

2. Genus Amanita: Most species in this genus, including the deadly death cap and the destroying angel, have a distinct skirt-like ring that hangs downward.

3. Genus Suillus: Among boletes a ring is a rarity, but slippery jacks (in particular the slippery jack and the larch bolete) have a very distinct, often sticky or membranous ring.

Double-checking

The presence of a ring is never used in isolation from other traits. For example, if there is a ring, but the hymenophore is gilled, the gills are white and there is a sac (volva) at the base of the stem — you are looking at a deadly poisonous mushroom. If there is a ring and the gills are pink or chocolate brown — it is an edible Agaricus mushroom.

Questions and answers

If a mushroom's description says "ring present," can it actually be missing?
Yes, and this is the main trap in mycology! The ring is a very delicate structure. Insects can eat it, heavy rain can wash it off, or heat can dry it onto the stem so that it becomes unnoticeable. That is why the absence of a ring on an adult mushroom does not guarantee it wasn't there from the start.
Do porcini ever have a ring?
No. The true porcini (Boletus edulis), like all members of the genus Boletus, never has a ring on its stem. If a bolete has a ring, it is most likely a slippery jack.
What does the ring do after the cap opens?
After the cap opens, the ring no longer protects the spores. It becomes a vestige (a remnant). However, in some species ripe spores settle on the ring and color it (for example, brown or purple), which further helps mycologists determine the spore print color.

Sources

  1. 1.Зерова М.Я. та ін. Визначник грибів України. 1979
  2. 2.Roger Phillips. Mushrooms (Roger Phillips)
  3. 3.David Arora. Mushrooms Demystified
  4. 4.Index Fungorum