Читать книгу Appalachian Mushrooms - Walter E. Sturgeon - Страница 14
ОглавлениеAMANITA
MUSHROOMS IN THIS mostly mycorrhizal, white-spored genus are characterized by being at first enveloped by a universal veil of tissue called a volva. Sometimes the volva is membranous and breaks cleanly, leaving a sack-like structure at the bottom of the stem and no warts or patches on the cap (rarely with a single patch). In some species the universal veil is friable, leaving warts on the cap, on the stem base, or in the surrounding soil. These warts may wash off the cap in rainy weather. There are a few species where the volva is powdery and may not leave much of a trace. Some have a partial veil that may form a ring on the stem. Others lack a partial veil and do not have a ring. These are generally long-legged mushrooms that usually have stems longer than the width of the caps. As considered in the key, small refers to caps 3 in. wide or less. Medium caps are 3–5 in. in diameter. Large caps are over 5 in. wide. Keep in mind that these are general guidelines and that there will be some variation.
There are many poisonous species in this genus. Three species have caused many serious and sometimes fatal poisonings. The white Destroying Angel complex, or Amanita bisporigera, is the common one in Appalachia. Less common is Amanita sturgeonii, which is known to have caused one fatal poisoning. The greenish Death Cap, or Amanita phalloides, is rare in the region, but its range has been expanding and may someday become common. Poisoning from these species usually follows a six- to twenty-four-hour delay between ingestion and the onset of symptoms. Liver failure or at least liver damage is caused by the toxins in these mushrooms. Other serious poisonings have been caused by several Amanita species with different toxins, including Amanita velatipes (p. 15) and Amanita muscaria (p. 14).
The species illustrated here show examples of both membranous and friable universal veils. The gray species illustrated here (p. 2) with universal veil warts is undescribed and is related to Amanita velatipes (p. 15) and Amanita pantherina (not illustrated). The orange mushroom with yellow universal veil fragments is Amanita flavoconia (p. 2). Examples of species with a membranous, sack-like volva are the orange Amanita banningiana (not illustrated) and the whitish Amanita sturgeonii (p. 2).
Amanita pantherina complex
Amanita sturgeonii
Amanita banningiana
Amanita flavoconia
Key to Amanita
No ring on the stem
1. Cap bright red to orangish red with whitish warts: Amanita parcivolvata (p. 7)
2. Cap gray with a powdery dusting: Amanita farinosa (p. 6)
3. Cap gray to brownish; bald: Amanita vaginata (p. 5)
4. Cap orange, brownish orange to yellowish brown: Amanita amerifulva (p. 4)
With a skirt-like ring on the stem and a sack-like volva; lacking cap warts
1. Cap white; common: Amanita bisporigera (p. 9)
2. Cap white with brownish or olivaceous tints in age; uncommon: Amanita sturgeonii (p. 2)
3. Cap red to orange: Amanita jacksonii (p. 8)
With a skirt-like ring on the stem and warts or patches on the cap
1. Cap small to medium, yellowish orange; striate; stem with a collared bulb: Amanita frostiana (p. 13)
2. Cap small to medium; yellowish orange; not striate; stem lacking a collar: Amanita flavoconia (p. 2)
3. Cap medium to large; yellowish orange; stem base usually with 2–3 rings of tissue: Amanita muscaria (p. 14)
4. Cap medium to large; cream to tan or whitish; stem base with a collar: Amanita velatipes (p. 15)
5. Cap medium to large; brown or white; stem with a prominent bulb that often has a vertical cleft; crushed flesh smells similar to raw potatoes: Amanita brunnescens (p. 16)
6. Cap medium to large; brownish to whitish; stem bulb inconspicuous; crushed flesh smells sweet or fruity: Amanita submaculata (p. 17)
7. Cap medium to large; with sordid reddish brown stains; odor not distinctive: Amanita rubescens (p. 18)
8. Cap small to medium; white with numerous warts; stem bulb prominent: Amanita abrupta (p. 19)
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita amerifulva Tulloss nom. prov.
MISAPPLIED NAMES: Amanita fulva Fr., Amanitopsis fulva (Fr.) W. G. Sm.
COMMON NAME: Tawny Grisette
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 4 in. wide; deep orangish brown at first, becoming yellowish brown, paler to whitish near the prominently striate margin, remaining brownish over the broadly umbonate disc; convex to broadly convex, becoming nearly flat; surface bald; viscid when wet
FLESH: White, sometimes tinted orange near the cap cuticle, unchanging when bruised; thin; soft; odor and taste not distinctive
GILLS: Whitish; free or barely reaching the stem; close; edges even; no partial veil
STEM: Up to 5 in. long; whitish to pale brownish; equal or enlarged downward; base with a whitish to tawny-brown sack-like volval surface bald to slightly hairy; no ring
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal on soil, humus, moss, or on very rotten wood in a variety of habitats from bogs to upland forests; associated trees include hemlock, pines, and beech; summer and fall; common
EDIBILITY: Although edible, consuming any Amanita is discouraged until one has much experience identifying mushrooms. Its flavor is mild and rather uninteresting
COMMENTS: Technically our Tawny Grisette does not have an official name. It has been provisionally named Amanita amerifulva by North American Amanita expert, Rodham Tulloss. For years it and other look-alike species have been called Amanita fulva, which is a name belonging to a similar European species. As with so many mushrooms, there are closely related yet different species that have been lumped together in the past. Until officially described and published, the current name for the species shown here is temporary until a description and new name is proposed and accepted.
Amanita amerifulva
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita vaginata (Bull.) Lam.
SYNONYM: Amanitopsis vaginata (Bull.) Roze
COMMON NAME: Grisette
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
Cap: Up to 4 in. wide; gray to grayish brown; convex to flat; umbonate; surface viscid when wet, bald; margin prominently striate
FLESH: White; thin, soft; not discoloring when damaged; odor and taste not distinctive
GILLS: White; free; close, becoming more distant in age; narrow; edges even; no partial veil
STEM: Up to 7 in. long; white; tapering upward from a white sack-like volva; solid; surface dry, smooth, or with flattened hairs; no ring
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal with oaks and other broadleaf trees and conifers; summer and fall; common in humus, moss, and lawns in parks and wood edges
EDIBILITY: Edible but not recommended owing to possible confusion with poisonous species
COMMENTS: This is actually an apparently large group of many species previously lumped under this name. Much work is needed to sort out this complex. The likelihood is that the species illustrated may someday have a new name with many similar look-alikes. The mushrooms haven’t changed, just our knowledge of them.
Amanita vaginata
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita farinosa Schwein.
SYNONYM: None
COMMON NAME: Powdery Amanita
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 3 in. wide; dark gray to whitish gray, at times brownish over the disc; convex to flat; surface dry; center covered with brownish-gray powder becoming thinner at the usually striate margin, which is whitish at times
FLESH: White; thin; soft; unchanging when exposed; odor not distinctive; taste unknown
GILLS: White; barely reaching the stem or free; close; edges flocculose; no partial veil
STEM: Up to 3 in. long; white to gray; equal down to a small basal bulb that is decorated with gray powder; solid; surface bald, smooth to powdery, or flocculose; no ring present
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; found in association with oaks, hickories, and beech, occasionally under conifers; solitary to scattered in soil, humus, and moss in broadleaf forests, parks, and wood edges; summer and early fall; common
EDIBILITY: Unknown
COMMENTS: This is a small, common Amanita that could be mistaken for a Russula; the gills of Russula species are broadly attached to the stem, whereas the Powdery Amanita has gills barely reaching the stem or free from it.
Amanita farinosa
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita parcivolvata (Peck) E.-J. Gilbert
SYNONYM: Amanitopsis parcivolvata Peck
COMMON NAMES: False Caesar’s Mushroom, False Fly Agaric
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 4 in. wide; bright red to orangish red or orange, paler toward the margin; convex to broadly convex, then flat in age with a central depression; surface smooth, striate, and bald under a scattering of white to yellow warts or powdery patches; viscid when fresh
FLESH: White to pale yellow, unchanging when cut; firm; odor not distinctive; taste unknown
GILLS: White to yellow; frequently fringed on the edge and dusted with yellow powder; free or barely reaching the stem; close or crowded; broad; no partial veil
STEM: Up to 4-1/2 in. long; pale yellow, equal or tapering slightly upward from a small basal bulb; surface dry and powdery; no ring is present
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal, associated with oaks and pines; solitary, scattered to gregarious in broadleaf and mixed woods; summer and early fall; fairly common
EDIBILITY: Poisonous
COMMENTS: The lack of a ring and the yellow powdery stem will distinguish this species from Amanita muscaria (p. 14) and Amanita flavoconia (p. 12). It is probably more common in the oak woods of Appalachia than anywhere else.
Amanita parcivolvata
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita jacksonii Pomerl.
SYNONYM: Amanita umbonata Pomerl.
COMMON NAME: American Caesar’s Mushroom
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 6 in. wide; brilliant red, becoming orange to yellowish at the margin; oval becoming convex and finally nearly flat; broadly umbonate in age; surface bald, viscid, and striate
FLESH: Whitish to pale yellow, unchanging when bruised; odor and taste not distinctive
GILLS: Yellow to orangish yellow; free or barely attached to the stem; edges even; covered at first with a yellowish-orange, membranous partial veil
STEM: Up to 6 in. long; yellow with orange to reddish fibers, often in zones; equal or tapering upward; slender; dry, with an apical, skirt-like, yellowish-orange ring; base with a large, white, sack-like volva
VOLVA: White; encases the entire mushroom at first like a chicken egg, then ruptures, leaving a free-limbed sack-like structure at the bottom of the stem; often almost completely buried in the soil; can be appressed against the stipe; contrasts with the yellowish-orange stem
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal with oaks, hemlock, and pines; scattered to gregarious; summer and early fall; occasional
EDIBILITY: Edible but not recommended; there are several similar species
COMMENTS: This stunning species is very similar to the European Amanita caesarea, which is a choice edible. Amanita jacksonii differs in having a broad umbo. Although edible, it is not rated as highly as its European cousin. It could be argued that this is the most beautiful mushroom in the Appalachians. Amanita banningiana (not illustrated) is similar but is much less robust and its cap is orange to yellowish.
Amanita jacksonii
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita bisporigera G. F. Atk.
MISAPPLIED NAMES: Amanita virosa, Amanita verna; while not actually synonyms, these names have been given to the North American Amanita bisporigera in older field guides
COMMON NAMES: Destroying Angel, Eastern Destroying Angel, Death Angel
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 5 in. wide; white, although in age may show some tan at the cap center; nearly oval, becoming convex then flat at maturity; surface dry or slightly tacky; bald, not striate
FLESH: White, unchanging when cut or bruised; odor not distinctive; taste unknown
GILLS: White; free or nearly reaching the stem; close; edges even; covered at first by a membranous, white partial veil
STEM: Up to 6 in. long; white; usually tapers upward slightly from the volva; solid or stuffed with white pith; surface smooth or somewhat floccose, with a delicate skirt-like ring at the apex that may be missing in aged fruitings
VOLVA: White; encasing the entire mushroom at first like an egg, then when the cap emerges it leaves a free-limbed sack-like structure at the bottom of the stem; usually almost completely buried in the soil; at times it can be appressed against the stem
Amanita bisporigera
SPORE PRINT: White
EDIBILITY: Deadly poisonous
ECOLOGY: This species is mycorrhizal with oaks and other broadleaf trees but can also be found in mixed woods, often associating with hemlock; summer and fall; it is a common mushroom in soil, humus, moss, and lawns
COMMENTS: Amanita bisporigera has been confused with Amanita virosa and Amanita verna, which are European Destroying Angels. The taxonomy of the North American species needs work, and there are likely more than one species included under the Amanita bisporigera name. In the author’s experience the common summer Destroying Angel is a thinner, less robust “species.” It is common under oaks. In the late summer and fall there is a much more substantial “species” that occurs under conifers. All of these are white in all parts and all are deadly poisonous. Care must be taken when collecting puffballs for the table so as not to mistake an Amanita in the egg stage for a puffball. When cut in half, the Destroying Angel button will have the immature cap and gills visible. This species has caused more fatal poisonings in Appalachia than any other species. The first symptoms of poisoning usually do not occur until several hours after ingestion. The toxins attack the liver and kidneys. It is a prime example of why one should not test the edibility of a mushroom by eating even just one. Consuming a single cap could be a fatal mistake.
Amanita bisporigera
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita sturgeonii Tulloss, Q. Cai, and L.V. Kudzma nom. prov.
SYNONYM: None
COMMON NAME: Cemetery Amanita
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 4-1/2 in. wide; white, developing brownish or olivaceous stains in age; convex, becoming flat in age; surface bald or rarely with faint brownish universal veil remnants, viscid when wet; margin with veil remnants at times
FLESH: White, unchanging when cut; fairly thick; odor mild to slightly unpleasant; taste unknown
GILLS: White; free from the stem or barely reaching it; close; edges even; covered at first with a white partial veil that may break to form a skirt-like ring or may form remnants on the cap margin
STEM: Up to 3-1/2 in. long; white; surface smooth or with floccose bands; equal or tapering upward from a basal bulb; emerging from a white to buff or brownish sack-like volva
VOLVA: White to brownish; encasing the entire mushroom at first like a chicken egg, then leaving a sack-like structure with a free limb at the bottom of the stem; mid to bottom portions are thicker than the thin opening; often almost completely buried in the soil and can be appressed against the stipe
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; scattered to gregarious or in small clusters under oaks, especially red oak, often in lawns; summer and fall; uncommon but locally abundant
EDIBILITY: Deadly poisonous
COMMENTS: This species caused a fatal poisoning in New Jersey. It resembles robust fruitings of the Destroying Angel, Amanita bisporigera (p. 10). Its thick volva, cap with brownish or olivaceous tints, robust stature, and usually gregarious habit will help distinguish it.
Amanita sturgeonii
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita flavoconia G. F. Atk.
SYNONYM: None
COMMON NAME: Yellow Patches
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
Cap: Up to 3-1/2 in. wide; orange to yellowish orange; ovoid to convex, becoming flat at maturity; surface sticky when wet; not striate or barely so in age; surface covered at first with bright-yellow patches, remnants of the top of the universal veil, which are easily removed or washed off, leaving a bald cap
FLESH: White, buff near the cap; thin; firm; odor mild; taste unknown
GILLS: White; margins may have a yellow dusting from veil remnants; close; barely free; edges even; covered by a yellow partial veil in the button stage
STEM: Up to 4 in. long; yellow, white, or a combination of the two; usually there is yellow near the apex; solid; equal or tapering slightly upward; surface smooth or scurfy, with a yellow, skirt-like ring near the apex; a small bulb at the base may show yellow patches from the universal veil, or these patches may also be on the soil surrounding the stem
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; solitary, scattered to gregarious in humus, moss, or lawns under hemlock, red spruce, and other conifers as well as under oaks, beech, and in mixed woods; summer and fall; very common
EDIBILITY: Unknown, probably toxic
COMMENTS: This is a beautiful species when seen with the bright-yellow patches decorating the orange cap. It is abundant and can be found throughout the region. Several species have a similar aspect. Amanita frostiana (p. 13) has a striate cap and a more prominent bulb rimmed with yellow material from the universal veil. It is much less common. Amanita muscaria (p. 14) is larger and has whitish warts.
Amanita flavoconia
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita frostiana (Peck) Sacc.
SYNONYM: None
COMMON NAME: Frost’s Amanita
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 3-1/2 in. wide; orange to yellowish orange, usually persistently reddish over the disc; surface moist, tacky, bald, with separable yellowish patches of the universal veil; striate.
FLESH: White; thin; odor mild; taste unknown
GILLS: Cream; close; free; edges flocculose; covered at first with a fragile partial veil
STEM: Up to 3-1/2 in. long; white to pale yellowish, with a pale yellow evanescent ring near the apex or midway down the stem; solid; equal down to a distinct white bulb whose top is decorated with yellow remnants of the universal veil; surface dry; bald to flocculose
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; solitary to gregarious in humus and moss; associated with pines and oaks; summer and fall; uncommon
EDIBILITY: Unknown, possibly toxic
COMMENTS: This species is uncommon in Appalachian forests, and some reports of it are probably misidentifications of Amanita flavoconia (p. 12), which lacks the prominent striations and the collared bulb with the yellow rings around the top.
Amanita frostiana
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita muscaria (L.) Lam.
SYNONYM: None (See Comments for nomenclature issues)
COMMON NAME: Fly Agaric
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 8 in. wide; orange, reddish orange to yellow; deepest color in the center, fading from sunlight or in age; roundish, becoming convex to broadly convex and eventually nearly flat; surface viscid when wet, covered with a scattering of white cottony warts that may wash off in rainy weather; margin not usually striate, or only faintly so, and may have patches of the universal veil
FLESH: White, thick, unchanging when exposed; odor and taste not distinctive
GILLS: White to cream; free or barely reaching the stem; crowded; broad; edges are minutely hairy; covered at first with a white partial veil
STEM: Up to 8 in. long; white to pale cream or pale yellowish; tapering upward from a white to buff basal bulb; the base usually with two or three rings of tissue; surface dry, finely hairy to cottony scaly, with an apical to mid-stem, skirt-like, white, flaring ring, at times edged in yellow
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; solitary, scattered to gregarious in humus, moss, or grass, usually under conifers such as Norway spruce but also under broadleaf trees such as aspens and birches
EDIBILITY: Poisonous and hallucinogenic.
COMMENTS: This mushroom has a long history of use as an intoxicant. It also has caused nausea, dizziness, and digestive issues. It reportedly has been used to kill flies. There are many species and varieties, some with a bright red cap. It is a beautiful and iconic mushroom and can be found on postcards, artwork, children’s book covers, and so forth. The orange or yellowish orange variety is the common one in most of the Appalachians. Occasionally a white variety can be found. Compare Amanita parcivolvata (p. 7), which is smaller and lacks a ring, and Amanita flavoconia (p. 12), which is less robust and has yellow cap warts. The common Appalachian variety has been called Amanita muscaria var. formosa and Amanita muscaria var. guessowii. A red- to pinkish-peach-colored species, Amanita persicina (not illustrated) is found in southern areas. Faded specimens can resemble Amanita velatipes (p. 15), which is never orange and often has an upturned ring and a collared bulb.
Amanita muscaria
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita velatipes G. F. Atkinson
SYNONYM: Amanita pantherina var. velatipes (G. F. Atkinson) D. T. Jenkins
COMMON NAME: Booted Amanita
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 8 in. wide; yellow when young, becoming cream to white toward the margin in age, at times cream, buff, or tan all over; may have light brown stains; ovate to bell shaped becoming convex to flat and rarely depressed in the center; surface viscid; obscurely striate, bald, with numerous white, buff, or tan warts that can be washed off in wet weather
FLESH: White; not staining when damaged; odor mild; taste unknown
GILLS: White to pale cream; free; crowded; edges even; covered at first by a membranous partial veil
STEM: Up to 8 in. long; whitish; solid; equal or tapering up slightly from a prominent basal bulb that often has universal veil remnants, sometimes forming bands but terminating at the top with a collar-like rim; with a prominent ring that is unusual in that it is often pulled upward, funnel-like, usually near the middle of the stem; surface bald to silky above the ring, finely hairy to shaggy below
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal with conifers and broadleaf trees; often in parks and cemeteries; spruce and oak are two frequently observed host trees; scattered to gregarious; at times in arcs or rings; summer and fall; locally common
EDIBILITY: Poisonous
COMMENTS: This large, striking mushroom is set off from the similar Amanita cothurnata (not illustrated) by its yellow colors and generally larger size. Pale forms of Amanita muscaria (p. 14) are similar but lack the collared bulb and median, upward flaring ring.
Amanita velatipes
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita brunnescens G. F. Atk.
SYNONYMS: Amanita brunnescens var. brunnescens G. F. Atk., Amanita brunnescens var. pallida L. Krieg
COMMON NAME: Cleft-Foot Amanita
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 5 in. wide; dark brown to tan, or whitish with brown stains, often streaked brown; rounded, becoming convex then flat; surface slightly tacky when wet, with white, cottony patches from the universal veil; faintly striate
FLESH: White to brownish, with reddish-brown stains; thin; odor of raw potatoes; taste not recorded
GILLS: White, sometimes with brown stains; close to crowded, free, or just reaching the stem; broad; edges even or flocculose; covered at first with a white partial veil
STEM: Up to 6 in. long; white with brown stains toward the base; equal or narrowing upward; solid, with a white, persistent, skirt-like, apical ring, the edge of which may be brownish; surface smooth to scurfy, flocculose; brown, stained bulb at the base that may have patches of the universal veil along the upper rim; bulb is often prominent and usually has one or more wedge-like vertical clefts
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; solitary or gregarious in soil or humus under conifers and broadleaf trees, especially oaks; summer and early fall; common
EDIBILITY: Not recommended; possibly poisonous, and there are similar toxic species
COMMENTS: Whitish forms have been called Amanita aestivalis (not illustrated), which may be a distinct species. Amanita brunnescens caps can be white and have been described as a variety, namely, as Amanita brunnescens var. pallida. Collections from the same site can have both brown and whitish caps. Compare with Amanita submaculata (p. 17), which has a sweet odor and lacks a prominent basal bulb on the stem.
Amanita brunnescens
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita submaculata Peck
SYNONYM: None
COMMON NAME: None
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 4 in. wide; gray or dark grayish brown, remaining dark at the center and gray toward the margin; convex becoming almost flat; surface tacky when wet, bald, or with a single tissue patch or a few warts toward the cap center, at times with small, longitudinal, whitish spots, most commonly near the margin
FLESH: White to grayish, thin, unchanging when damaged; odor sweet, fruitlike, at times resembling that of Pleurotus pulmonarius (p. 116); taste unknown
GILLS: White, free or barely reaching the stem; close to crowded, edges even; covered at first with a whitish partial veil
STEM: Up to 6 in. long; whitish with brown to dark brown fibrils; solid; tapering slightly upward from a small basal bulb that may have a few universal veil warts; surface fibrillose, may show orangish-brown stains, especially after handling; partial veil forms an apical skirt-like ring
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal with oaks; solitary to scattered in broadleaf woods and mixed woods of oaks and pines; summer and fall; occasional
EDIBILITY: Unknown
COMMENTS: The sweet odor is unusual in the genus Amanita. The cap resembles that of Amanita brunnescens (p. 16), a species with a prominent bulb and raw potato odor. Remnants of the universal veil may be visible in the soil around the base of the stem.
Amanita submaculata
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita rubescens Pers.
SYNONYM: Provisional name: Amanita amerirubescens Tulloss
COMMON NAMES: Blusher, American Blusher
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 5-1/2 in. wide; pale tan or yellowish at first, becoming brown with sordid reddish areas; bell shaped at first then convex, becoming flat in age; surface dry or slightly sticky in wet weather; bald, adorned with yellow to gray warts, which are remnants of the universal veil
FLESH: White, staining pinkish red to reddish brown when damaged, this discoloration can often be observed around larvae tunnels; thick; odor and taste mild
GILLS: White or slightly pinkish, staining slowly reddish brown when damaged; free or barely reaching the stem; close; edges even; covered at first by a thin partial veil
STEM: Up to 7 in. long; whitish or with ruddy staining especially near the base; solid; equal or tapering up from a turnip-shaped bulb; smooth or slightly hairy, with a persistent skirt-like ring near the apex
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; on soil, litter, and moss in forests and lawns under oaks and pines and in mixed woods; gregarious to scattered; summer and fall; very common
EDIBILITY: Edible but not recommended owing to possible confusion with poisonous look-alikes
COMMENTS: The American cluster of Blusher species differs from the European mushroom originally given this name. As of this writing no new names have been given to several of these variants, including this one, which is a common species in the Appalachians. Historically Amanita rubescens was considered a very variable species. Now it is known that several—possibly many—species have been lumped under this name. There is a white form with less prominent, sordid, reddish staining. Similar seriously poisonous species include Amanita velatipes (p. 15) and Amanita pantherina (not illustrated).
Amanita rubescens
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita abrupta Peck
SYNONYM: Lepidella abrupta (Peck) E.-J. Gilbert
COMMON NAME: American Abrupt-bulb Lepidella
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
CAP: Up to 3-1/2 in. wide; white, at times tan at the center; surface dry with white or tan pointed or cone-shaped warts that are separable patches of the universal veil; the warts may be washed off in wet weather and on aged caps; convex, becoming flat; surface floccose; margin is not striate and may become cottony
FLESH: White; firm, not staining; odor mild at first becoming unpleasant, resembling spoiled meat in age; taste unknown
GILLS: Whitish or at times with a pale orange cast; close to subdistant; free or barely reaching the stem; edges even or flocculose; covered at first by a white partial veil
STEM: Up to 5 in. long; white; solid with a flimsy skirt-like ring that is smooth on top and often shaggy underneath; nearly equal or slightly tapering upward, with an abrupt white or brown stained bulb at the stem base, which often has a cleft-like depression; surface bald to floccose
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; found throughout the Appalachians; it is found on soil and litter in conifer, broadleaf, and mixed forests; summer and fall; fairly common
EDIBILITY: Possibly poisonous
COMMENTS: Amanita abrupta is a member of the Lepidella section of Amanita. Members of this common section are often large and white with numerous warts or a powdery covering on the caps. Compare with Amanita cokeri (not illustrated). The abrupt nonrooting bulb is a key identification feature. Amanita cokeri is a more robust species.
Amanita abrupta
