Stubble Rosegill

The cap of V. gloiocephalus is between 5 and 15 cm (2 and 6 in) in diameter, more or less ovate or conical when young, then expands to convex or flat, sometimes with a slight central depression in old specimens. The surface is markedly viscid in fresh basidiocarps; the color ranges from pure white to grey or greyish brown. The gills are crowded, free from the stipe, ventricose (swollen in the middle), and up to 2 cm (0.8 in) broad; they are white when young but turn pink with age. The stipe is 5–22.5 cm (2–9 in) long and 0.7–2.5 cm (0.3–1.0 in) wide, cylindrical, broadening towards the base; the surface is white, smooth or slightly pruinose (covered with fine white powdery granules). The volva is 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) high, sacciform (pouch-like), white and has a smooth surface. The flesh is white on stipe and cap and it does not change when bruised or exposed to air. Smell and taste vary from indistinct to raphanoid (radish-like) or similar to raw peeled potatoes. The spore print is pinkish brown. The basidiospores are ellipsoid and measure 12–16 by 8–9.5 μm. Basidia are 20–35 by 7–15 μm and usually four-spored, but sometimes two-spored basidia can occur. Pleurocystidia are 60–90 by 20–50 μm with variable morphology: club-shaped, fusiform, ovoid, and sometimes with a small apical papilla. …

Volvopluteus gloiocephalus is a saprotrophic mushroom that grows on the ground in gardens, grassy fields, both in and outside forest areas, and on accumulations of vegetable matter like compost or woodchip piles. It has also been reported fruiting in greenhouses. In China, it grows in bamboo thickets. It usually fruits in groups of several basidiocarps but it can also be found growing solitary. It is not unusual for a season of "spectacular" fruiting to be followed by several years with no appearance of the mushroom. This species has been reported from all continents except Antarctica, usually under names such as Volvariella gloiocephala or V. speciosa. Molecular data have so far corroborated its occurrence in Europe and North America but records from other continents remain unconfirmed.

Volvopluteus gloiocephalus is edible, although considered watery and poor in quality. It was once sold in markets in Perth, Australia. Mature fruit bodies, collected in sufficient quantity, can be used to prepare soup, or added to dishes where wild mushrooms are used, such as stews and casseroles. The mushrooms are best used fresh as they do not preserve well. Young specimens of V. gloiocephalus have white gills so it is possible to mistake them for an Amanita and vice versa. In the United States, there have been several cases of Asian immigrants collecting and eating death caps (Amanita phalloides), under the mistaken assumption that they were Volvariella. A Greek study determined the nutritional composition of fruit bodies: protein 1.49 g/100 g fresh weight (fw), 18.36 g/100 g dry weight (dw); fat 0.54 g/100 g fw, 6.65 g/100g dw; carbohydrates 5.33 g/100g fw, 65.64 g/100 g dw.