volva

[vol-vuh]

noun Mycology.

the membranous envelope that encloses the base of various mushrooms formed when the velum ruptures.

Origin of volva

1745–55; < Latin: covering, akin to volvere to roll, wrap

Related formsvol·vate

[vol-vit, -veyt] /ˈvɒl vɪt, -veɪt/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for volva

Historical Examples of volva

The genus has neither a volva nor a ring and the spores are white.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
In Lepiota naucinoides, as in all the Lepiotas, the volva is wanting.
Student's Hand-book of Mushrooms of America, Edible and Poisonous
Thomas Taylor
The volva and ring, or annulus, are not always present in mushrooms.
Among the Mushrooms
Ellen M. Dallas and Caroline A. Burgin
A part of the volva 145 remains as a sheath at the base of the stem.
Among the Mushrooms
Ellen M. Dallas and Caroline A. Burgin
In the brown variety the stem and ring are often tinged with brown, as also the volva.
Student's Hand-book of Mushrooms of America, Edible and Poisonous
Thomas Taylor

British Dictionary definitions for volva

volva

noun plural -vae (-viː) or -vas

botany a cup-shaped structure that sheathes the base of the stalk of certain mushrooms

Derived Formsvolvate (ˈvɒlvɪt, -veɪt), adjective

Word Origin for volva

C18: from Latin: a covering, from volvere to wrap

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

volva in Science

volva

[vŏl′və, vôl′-]

A cuplike structure around the base of the stalk of certain basidiomycete fungi.