The Toxic Amanita spp:

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A. bisporigera

This mushroom is one of a few species known commonly as "Destroying Angels" (A. virosa A. ocreata A. suballiacea A. tenuifolia ). It is smaller than A. virosa , but just as deadly. The only sure way to tell these Destroying Angels apart is by examination of their spores. Their similarity is also a good way to identify mushrooms to avoid: WHITE cap, WHITE gills, WHITE spores, ring and volva = DON'T EAT!! The toxins of this mushroom cause liver and kidney damage and death.
Identification:
• CAP:
  • white, but may discolor at center with age
  • 1-4" (0.30-10cm) diameter
  • convex to nearly flat
  • tacky when wet
  • smooth
• GILLS:
  • white
  • free to just reaching stem
  • crowded
• STALK:
  • white
  • solid
  • 1.5-3.5" by 1/4-3/4" (60-140mm by 7-18mm)
  • ring and volva present
• VEILS:
  • white universal veil (volva), forming cup at base of stem
  • When young, the Destroying Angels have a marked similarity to puffballs and edible Agaricus mushrooms, so when harvesting Agaricus and puffballs, be sure to check for a volva or its remnants and cut all puffballs in half before eating!
  • white partial veil, often leaving a torn ring at the top of the stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • July-October
• RANGE:
  • found in hardwoods east of the Mississippi

A. cothurnata

This mushroom is also known as the Booted Amanita. It is a smaller variety of A. pantherina with a more whitish cap,but similarly poisonous. This mushroom may also be known as A. pantherina var. multisquamosa
Identification:
• CAP:
  • white, often with yellowish center and white patches
  • 1-4" (2.5-10cm) diameter
  • hemispherical to convex, becoming flat to somewhat sunken
  • sticky and smooth
• GILLS:
  • white
  • free
  • crowded
• STALK:
  • oval to round basal bulb
  • whitish
  • 2-5" (5-12.5cm) by 1/8-5/8" (0.3-1.5cm)
• VEILS:
  • white universal veil leaving patches on cap, with either bandlike, rolled margin or free rim at tip of stalk
  • white partial vail leaving pendant ring on mid to upper stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • July-October
• RANGE:
  • found on the ground in oak, oak-pine, and pine woods from New York to Florida and west to Michigan

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A. muscaria var.formosa

This mushroom, the Yellow-orange Fly Agaric is closely related to A. muscaria var. muscaria. Its toxins are not fatal, but can cause sweating, deep sleep and disorientation.
Identification:
• CAP:
  • orange-red to yellowish
  • 2-6" (5-15cm) diameter
  • tacky when wet
  • smooth
  • loose cottony patches
• GILLS:
  • whitish
  • free or nearly attached
  • crowded
• STALK:
  • white, buff, or pale yellow orange
  • 2-6" (5-15cm) by 1/4-11/4" (0.5-3cm)
  • sometimes enlargin below to nearly round or slightly rooting basal bulb
• VEILS:
  • universal veil yellowish-buff to tan, leaving patches on cap and concentric bands on lower stalk or rim at tip of bulb
  • partial veil pinkish-buff, leaving pendant, fragile ring on upper stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • late June - November; November - February in California
• RANGE:
  • found on the ground under spruce, pine, eastern hemlock, birch, poplar, and oak - common, especially in the east

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A. muscaria var.muscaria

1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.

Photo 1 courtesy of Dan Brown

Photo 4 courtesy of Nathan Wilson;

nathan@d2.com

Photo 5 courtesy of Dr. Dennis Desjardin

Photo 6 courtesy of Tom Volk

This mushroom, the Fly Agaric is closely related to A. muscaria var. formosa . Its toxins are not fatal, but can cause extreme sweating, delerium and raving. Don't be tricked into drinking the urine of someone who has eaten this mushroom to experience visions- it does not produce the same hallucinogenic effects that its Russian relative does!
Identification:
• CAP:
  • blood red to reddish orange with pyramidal white patches
  • 2-10" (5-25 cm) diameter
  • convex to flat, or somewhat sunken
• GILLS:
  • whitish
  • free or slightly attached
  • crowded
• STALK:
  • 2-7" (5-18 cm) by 1/8-11/4" (0.3-3 cm)
  • white to cream
  • sometimes enlarging to a rounded basal bulb
• VEILS:
  • white universal veil, leaving conical to flat patches on cap and concentric bands on lower stalk, sometimes as rim at tip of bulb
  • white partial veil, leaving fragile ring on upper stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • July-October, winter in California
• RANGE:
  • on the ground under pine, spruce, birch, and live oak in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Coast; rare in east, but reported in New York, Connecticut, and Maine

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A. ocreata

This mushroom is another of the "Destroying Angels" (A. tenuifolia , A. suballiacea , A. virosa , A. bisporigera . It is just as deadly as the rest of them. The only sure way to tell these Destroying Angels apart is by examination of their spores. Their similarity is also a good way to identify mushrooms to avoid: WHITE cap, WHITE gills, WHITE spores, ring and volva = DON'T EAT IT!! The toxins of this mushroom cause liver and kidney damage, and death.
Identification:
• CAP:
  • white, but may become buff-colored at center with age
  • smooth
• GILLS:
  • white
• STALK:
  • white
  • ring and volva present
• VEILS:
  • white universal veil (volva), forming cup at base of stem
  • When young, the Destroying Angels have a marked similarity to puffballs and edible Agaricus mushrooms, so when harvesting Agaricus and puffballs, be sure to check for a volva or its remnants and cut all puffballs in half before eating!
  • white partial veil, often leaving a torn ring at the top of the stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • winter and early spring
• RANGE:
  • found under oaks in the southwest

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A. pantherina

This mushroom is commonly known as the Panther. It is related to A. cothurnata and its toxin causes comalike sleep, delerium and raving. Identification:
• CAP:
  • brownish with white patches
  • 1-6" (2.5-15 cm) diameter
  • tacky when wet
  • smooth
• GILLS:
  • whitish
  • free to slightly attached
  • crowded
• STALK:
  • whitish
  • 2-7" (5-17.5 cm) by 3/8-1" (1-2.5 cm)
  • sometimes enlarged to a roundish basal bulb
• VEILS:
  • white universal veil leaving patches on cap and bandlike margin at tip of stalk bulb, typically rolled into stalk, but occasionally free
  • white partial veil which leaves a persistent ring on upper or mid stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • June; September-October; November-February in California
• RANGE:
  • found on the ground under conifers from the Rocky Mountains to the West Coast; rare in the east

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A. phalloides

This mushroom is the famous Death Cap. The first of the Amanita toxins, phalloidin, was discovered in this mushroom by Lynen and Ulrich Wieland in 1938. This is not to say that it is not possessed of the truly dangerous amatoxins found in the Destroying Angels. The white Death Cap is a rare variety of A. phalloides, known as A. phalloides var. alba (also referred to as A. phalloides var. verna or A. verna ). Besides being nauseating in odor, these are both very deadly mushrooms, quite capable of causing death through liver and kidney failure. Identification:
• CAP:
  • yellowish-green to greenish brown and darkest at center
  • 2 1/2-6" (6.5-15 cm) diameter
  • slightly sticky
  • smooth
• GILLS:
  • white
  • more or less free
  • close
• STALK:
  • whitish to dull greenish yellow
  • 3-5" (7.5-12.5 cm) by 1/2-3/4" (1.5-2 cm)
  • enlarging to a basal bulb
• VEILS:
  • universal veil with large, membranous volva
  • partial veil leaving a membranous, persistent white ring at top of stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • late September-November in Northeast; November-January in West
• RANGE:
  • found on the ground under conifers and hardwoods from Massachusetts to Virginia, west to Ohio, Pacific Northwest to California, and spreading

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A. phalloides var. alba

This mushroom is commonly known as the Death Cap. This white Death Cap is a rare variety of A. phalloides. Besides being nauseating in odor, these are both very deadly mushrooms, quite capable of causing death through liver and kidney failure due to the bicyclic octapeptide, alpha amanitin. Identification:
• CAP:
  • white with occasional paleyellowish-tan disk
  • 2 1/2-6" (6.5-15 cm) diameter
  • slightly sticky
  • smooth
• GILLS:
  • white
  • more or less free
  • crowded
• STALK:
  • whitish to dull greenish yellow
  • 3-5" (7.5-12.5 cm) by 1/2-3/4" (1.5-2 cm)
  • enlarging to a basal bulb
• VEILS:
  • universal veil with large, membranous volva
  • partial veil leaving a membranous, persistent white ring at top of stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • late September-November in Northeast; November-January in West
• RANGE:
  • found on the ground under conifers and hardwoods mostly in the Northeast

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A. suballiacea

Identification:

The description for this mushroom is just about the same as that of A. tenuifolia. It is another white mushroom that falls into the Destroying Angel family (A. virosa , A. bisporigera , A. ocreata , A. tenuifolia ). Not much is known about it, but I wouldn't eat it.

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A. tenuifolia

This mushroom is one of a few species known commonly as "Destroying Angels" (A. virosa , A. suballiacea , A. bisporigera , A. ocreata ). The only sure way to tell these Destroying Angels apart is by examination of their spores. Their similarity is also a good way to identify mushrooms to avoid: WHITE cap, WHITE gills, WHITE spores, ring and volva = DON'T EAT!! The toxins of this mushroom cause liver and kidney damage and death. Identification:
• CAP:
  • white, but may discolor at center with age
  • 2-3" (6-8cm) diameter
  • convex to nearly flat
  • tacky when wet
  • smooth
• GILLS:
  • white
  • free to just reaching stem
  • crowded
• STALK:
  • white
  • solid
  • 1.5-3.5" by 1/4-3/4" (70 mm by 7-13 mm)
  • ring and volva present
• VEILS:
  • white universal veil (volva), forming cup at base of stem
  • When young, the Destroying Angels have a marked similarity to puffballs and edible Agaricus mushrooms, so when harvesting Agaricus and puffballs, be sure to check for a volva or its remnants and cut all puffballs in half before eating!
  • white partial veil, often leaving a torn ring at the top of the stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • ?
• RANGE:
  • found on the ground mostly under oak in Florida

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A. verna



Photos courtesy of Dan Brown

This mushroom is one of a few species known commonly as "Destroying Angels" (A. tenuifolia , A. virosa A. suballiacea , A. bisporigera , A. ocreata ). The only sure way to tell these Destroying Angels apart is by examination of their spores. Their similarity is also a good way to identify mushrooms to avoid: WHITE cap, WHITE gills, WHITE spores, ring and volva = DON'T EAT!! The toxins of this mushroom cause liver and kidney damage and death. Identification:
• CAP:
  • white, but may discolor at center with age
  • 2-5" (5-12.5 cm) diameter
  • convex to nearly flat
  • tacky when wet
  • smooth
• GILLS:
  • white
  • free or attached
  • crowded
• STALK:
  • white
  • solid
  • 3-8" (7.5-20 cm) by 1/4-3/4" (0.5-2 cm)
  • ring and volva present
• VEILS:
  • white universal veil that leaves a large membranous, persistent volva
  • When young, the Destroying Angels have a marked similarity to puffballs and edible Agaricus mushrooms, so when harvesting Agaricus and puffballs, be sure to check for a volva or its remnants and cut all puffballs in half before eating!
  • white partial veil, often leaving a large torn ring at the top of the stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • late June-early November
• RANGE:
  • found on the ground in mixed woods or in grass near trees throughout North America

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A. virosa

This mushroom is another of a few species known commonly as "Destroying Angels" (A. tenuifolia , A. suballiacea , A. verna , A. bisporigera , A. ocreata ). The only sure way to tell these Destroying Angels apart is by examination of their spores. Their similarity is also a good way to identify mushrooms to avoid: WHITE cap, WHITE gills, WHITE spores, ring and volva = DON'T EAT!! The toxins of this mushroom cause liver and kidney damage and death. Identification:
• CAP:
  • white, but may discolor at center with age
  • 2-5" (5-12.5 cm) diameter
  • convex to nearly flat
  • tacky when wet
  • smooth
• GILLS:
  • white
  • free or attached
  • crowded
• STALK:
  • white
  • solid
  • 3-8" (7.5-20 cm) by 1/4-3/4" (0.5-2 cm)
  • ring and volva present
• VEILS:
  • white universal veil that leaves a large membranous, persistent volva
  • When young, the Destroying Angels have a marked similarity to puffballs and edible Agaricus mushrooms, so when harvesting Agaricus and puffballs, be sure to check for a volva or its remnants and cut all puffballs in half before eating!
  • white partial veil, often leaving a large torn ring at the top of the stalk
• SPORE PRINT:
  • white
• SEASON:
  • late June-early November
• RANGE:
  • found on the ground in mixed woods or in grass near trees throughout North America

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