Amanitaceae
Amanitaceae holds the mushrooms behind most fatal poisonings on earth. Until you can read the family cold, treat every member as dangerous.
Booted Amanita
Amanita multisquamosaBooted amanita is a pale eastern North American Amanita with a darker cap center, white veil patches, a…
Caesar's Mushroom
Amanita caesareaCaesar's mushroom is the exception people quote at anybody who says never eat an Amanita, and the exception…
Death Cap
Amanita phalloidesA possible death cap ingestion is an emergency before the species is certain. For prevention, inspect the…
Destroying Angel
Amanita bisporigeraA destroying angel is white from cap to spore print, which is exactly why it gets picked. Check for free…
False Death Cap
Amanita citrinaThe name is a warning about your eyes rather than a rating of the mushroom. A false death cap is called that…
Fly Agaric
Amanita muscariaEurasian fly agaric is the scarlet Amanita with loose white veil patches, white free gills, a hanging ring…
Gemmed Amanita
Amanita gemmataThe gemmed amanita is a pale yellow woodland mushroom that is poisonous, and that is the easy part. The hard…
Panther Cap
Amanita pantherinaEuropean panther cap combines a brown, white-warted cap with white free gills, a fragile ring, and a bulb…
The Blusher
Amanita rubescensThe blusher is eaten across Europe and sits in the genus that kills people. An edible reputation does not…
Fool's Mushroom
Amanita vernaFool's mushroom, *Amanita verna*, is a deadly white amanita associated with European broadleaf woodland in…
Western Destroying Angel
Amanita ocreataWestern destroying angel is California's native white amatoxin-producing *Amanita*. Its free white gills…
What defines Amanitaceae
Amanitas grow from an egg-like universal veil. As the mushroom expands it tears that veil, and the remains are the family's signature.
- A volva, a cup or sac around the swollen stem base
- Often a ring, or skirt, left on the upper stem
- Free gills that do not touch the stem
- A white spore print in most species
The deadly members
The death cap and the destroying angels carry amatoxins. A few grams can destroy the liver, and there is no antidote you can rely on.
The cruelty is the timing. Symptoms often wait 6 to 12 hours, then fade, then the organ damage sets in.
How to read an Amanita in the field
The single most missed feature is the base, because people snap the stem instead of digging. Lift the whole mushroom and look for the sac.
Warning
If a pale gilled mushroom has a sac at its base and a white spore print, assume Amanita and do not eat it. Beginners should skip this family entirely.
Not every Amanita is deadly
Some Amanitas are edible and even prized, but they sit beside lethal relatives that fool experienced foragers. The risk to reward here is worse than in almost any other family.