 The head is up to 2 cm ( 0 @.@ 8 in ) in diameter and typically nearly round , although in some populations , it is visibly oval and may be slightly smaller or larger . The internal structure of the head is complex , sometimes described as an exoperidium and endoperidium that each possess <unk> , and sometimes as distinct layers . The outermost is a yellowish , translucent coating of jelly @-@ like material 4 to 9 millimetres ( 0 @.@ 2 to 0 @.@ 4 in ) thick , somewhat similar to a gelatinous universal veil . Below this coating is a thin , cinnabar @-@ red membrane . As the mushroom ages , these outer layers break down and fall away from the head . Pieces of the red membrane become embedded in the remaining gelatinous material , giving them the appearance of small red seeds . This process reveals the endoperidium , a tough , non @-@ gelatinous layer that does not break apart . When first revealed , it has a powdery , bright red surface that weathers to orange or pale yellow as the powder wears away . Bright red apical ridges or rays form a peristome . North American specimens typically have four to five such ridges , but Asian populations have been described with as many as seven . Contained inside the endoperidium is the gleba , or spore mass , which is white when young but buff or yellow in older specimens . 
