 The death cap has a large and imposing epigeous ( aboveground ) fruiting body ( basidiocarp ) , usually with a pileus ( cap ) from 5 to 15 cm ( 2 to 6 in ) across , initially rounded and hemispherical , but flattening with age . The color of the cap can be pale- , yellowish- , or olive @-@ green , often paler toward the margins and often paler after rain . The cap surface is sticky when wet and easily peeled , a troublesome feature , as that is allegedly a feature of edible fungi . The remains of the partial veil are seen as a skirtlike , floppy annulus usually about 1 @.@ 0 to 1 @.@ 5 cm ( 0 @.@ 39 to 0 @.@ 59 in ) below the cap . The crowded white lamellae ( gills ) are free . The stipe is white with a scattering of grayish @-@ olive scales and is 8 to 15 cm ( 3 to 6 in ) long and 1 to 2 centimetres ( 3 ⁄ 8 to 3 ⁄ 4 in ) thick , with a swollen , ragged , sac @-@ like white volva ( base ) . As the volva , which may be hidden by leaf litter , is a distinctive and diagnostic feature , it is important to remove some debris to check for it . 
