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Amanitas

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Amanita (various species)
Family: 
Amanitaceae
Description: 

There are about 600 species in the genus Amanita worldwide. Each amanita starts as an egg-shaped button that can resemble a small puffball. This breaks open as the mushroom grows. Fully developed amanitas are gilled mushrooms with parasol-shaped caps that may be white, yellow, red, or brown. They also have the following characteristics: 1. A saclike cub surrounding the base of the stem. This often is buried just beneath the soil surface and may not be obvious. 2. A ring on the stem. 3. White gills. 4. A white spore print. Both the ring and the bulb may be destroyed by rain or other disturbance. For this reason, beginning mushroom hunters should avoid all parasol-shaped mushrooms with white gills.

Size: 
Size varies, depending on species and growing conditions.
Habitat and conservation: 
Amanitas are usually found on the ground in woodlands in summer and fall, but be on the lookout for them elsewhere, and whenever you hunt for mushrooms. Though they are toxic to humans, their presence in the wild should be tolerated as they are part of a healthy ecosystem.
Distribution in Missouri: 
Statewide.
Status: 
Common. This is a large group of mushrooms, many of which are difficult to tell apart. Some amanitas with memorable names include the "destroying angel," the "fly agaric," "yellow patches," the "blusher," the "grisette," the "ringless panther," the "death cap" and "fool's mushroom."
Life cycle: 
Mushrooms exist most of the time underground or within rotting logs as a network of cells (mycelium) connected to tree roots, rotting material, and the soil. When ready to reproduce, the mycelium sends up the mushroom or “toadstool” aboveground; these are reproductive structures. Spores are produced in the gills and are released to begin new mycelia elsewhere. The mycelium of a mushroom can live for decades.
Human connections: 
This group of poisonous mushrooms accounts for 90 percent of mushroom-related deaths, so every mushroom hunter should be familiar with amanitas. They contain amanitin, one of the deadliest poisons found in nature. Ingesting one cap of a destroying angel can kill a man.
Ecosystem connections: 
Fungi are vitally important for a healthy ecosystem. Many form symbiotic relationships with roots of many trees, helping them to survive. Fungi also feed off of decomposing materials, such as fallen leaves and logs, cleaning the forest and helping nutrients to cycle back into the soil.

External Links

  • Missouri Mycological Society

    The Missouri Mycological Society (MOMS) is an organization of individuals and families dedicated to the study and enjoyment of mushrooms.

Other Content You May Like

  • Yellow Patches

    The cap of this mushroom ranges from orange to yellow, with yellowish patches. The stalk has crumbling patches and a ring. It grows on the ground in mixed woods.

  • Onusta Amanita

    The onusta amanita has a grayish white cap with grayish brown warts that are often erect, and a long stalk with grayish brown warts. It grows on the ground in mixed woods.

  • Blusher

    The blusher has a reddish to brownish cap with pinkish brown patches and a ring on the stalk; the entire mushroom bruises reddish. It grows on the ground in oak woods and under white pines.

  • Grisette

    The grisette has a gray cap with white patches and a radially grooved margin, and a stalk with a large, white, saclike cup around the base. It's found on the ground in open woods and in grass near trees.

  • Destroying Angel

    The destroying angel is all white, with a ring on the stalk and a large, saclike cup around the base of the stalk. This deadly poisonous mushroom is very common, growing on the ground in mixed woods and in grass near trees.

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