Amanita citrina

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Amanita citrina
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species:
A. citrina
Binomial name
Amanita citrina
(Schaeff.) Pers., 1797
Synonyms

Amanita mappa (Batsch) Bertill.

Amanita citrina
View the Mycomorphbox template that generates the following list
Gills on hymenium
Cap is flat
Hymenium is free
Stipe has a ring and volva
Spore print is white
Ecology is mycorrhizal
Edibility is not recommended or poisonous

Amanita citrina (synonym Amanita mappa), commonly known as the false death cap or citron amanita,[1] is a basidiomycotic mushroom, one of many in the genus Amanita. It grows in silicate soil in the summer and autumn months. It bears a pale yellow or sometimes white cap, with white stem, ring and volva. It is an inedible mushroom due to its toxicity, but is more pertinently often confused for the lethal death cap.

Description[edit]

This mushroom has a fleshy pale yellow, or sometimes white, cap from 4–10 centimetres (1+12–4 inches) across, covered in irregular patches. The gills and flesh are white. There is a large volva at the base of the 6–8 cm (2+12–3 in) tall stem, which has a clear ring.

The mushroom has a smell of rapeseed or potato.[2]

Similar species[edit]

It is often confused with the related Amanita phalloides, the death cap, hence the common name.[2]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

The false death cap is found in deciduous and coniferous woodlands in autumn in Europe.[2] It is also found in North American oak and pine forests.

Toxicity[edit]

This mushroom contains the alpha-amanitin toxin,[citation needed] but possibly in small enough amounts that would not cause adverse effects unless ingested at high quantity.[citation needed] It also contains the toxin bufotenin.[3] Although it is considered inedible, the biggest danger with this species is its marked similarity to the death cap.[4]

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Standardized Common Names for Wild Species in Canada". National General Status Working Group. 2020.
  2. ^ a b c P. Jordan & S. Wheeler (2001). The Ultimate Mushroom Book. Hermes House.
  3. ^ Miller Jr., Orson K.; Miller, Hope H. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, CN: FalconGuide. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-7627-3109-1.
  4. ^ Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-55407-651-2.

External links[edit]