Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) Identification

Death cap / Summer /Autumn / Deadly

Prepare yourself for a chilling exploration as we dive into the treacherous world of the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides).

Within the serene beauty of forests lies a silent assassin, one of the most poisonous mushrooms known to mankind. Join us on this cautionary journey as we unravel the secrets of this deceptively alluring fungus. From its elegant appearance to its sinister potency, the Death Cap strikes fear into the hearts of foragers and mushroom enthusiasts. Learn to distinguish its telltale characteristics, discover the deadly toxins it harbors, and understand the grave consequences of even the slightest misstep.

Through this knowledge, we hope to protect and empower, arming you with the understanding necessary to navigate the natural world’s perilous edges. Brace yourself as we unveil the truth about the Death Cap, reminding us all of the importance of caution, awareness, and respect for nature’s hidden dangers.

Common Name

Death Cap


None Edible

Deadly Toxic!!


Botanical Name

Amanita phalloides


Meaning of Botanical Name

Phalloides refers to the shape of the young mushroom emerging from its egg sack.


Family

Amanitaceae


Known Hazards

DEADLY, this mushroom contains amotoxin, which in the first 6-12 hours after eating cause severe gastric upsets, those symptoms pass and the consumer is fine until day 3-4 when the severe liver and kidney damage has been done which leads to coma and death. (half a cap is enough to kill a human)


Could be confused with

The Fase Death Cap (Amanita Citrina) this mushroom smells strongly of raw potato and often has veil ( egg sack) reminants on the cap.
Field mushrooms (Agaricus Campestris) These mushrooms have pink to brown black gills not white and don’t have a bulbous base or egg sack remnants at the base of the stem


Distribution

The Death Cap occurs throughout Britain and Ireland and can also be found in other mainland European countries at low altitudes, the death cap is found also in northern Africa, many parts of Asia,  and the USA . Other parts of the world, including Australia and South America, now contain the death cap due tree imports.


Habitat

The death cap is mycorhizal with  Oak trees


Physical Characteristics  


Volva

Like all amanita this mushroom grows from a volva (egg sack)

GLJIVARSKO DRUSTVO NIS from Serbia, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Cap

The cap is olive-brown and quite shiny, it doesnt have any warts or spots but does look fibrous towards the edge of the cap. Its often darker in the centre of the cap. Dome shaped when young and flattening with age, the edge is prone to splitting when dry.

Krzysztof Slusarczyk, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Gills

The gills are crowded and white, they are adnexed (narrowly joined to the stem) with age the gills begin to turn more of a creamy colour.

Michel Langeveld, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Stem & Skirt

The tall stem is creamy coloured with zig-zag like scales, it has a large striped veil (skirt).

The base is surrounded by the white volva (egg sack)

Repina Tatyana, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Smell

Slight sweet floral smell, becoming sickly as it matures


Spores

White


Edible Use

None- Do Not Eat This Mushroom!


Folklore, Tall Tales and not so Folklore

The roman Emperor Claudius was believed to of been poisoned by his wife with the death cap, she made him a meal of Caesar’s mushrooms and added some death caps. Also Emperor Charles the VI died due to death cap poisoning. The death cap has been the weapon of many poisoners through the centuries especially by ancient Greeks and Romans.

This image was created by user Justin Pierce (JPierce) at Mushroom Observer, a source for mycological images.You can contact this user here.English | español | français | italiano | македонски | മലയാളം | português | +/−, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

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