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Amanita Mushroom Information
The most deadly of the poisonous mushrooms are in the genus Amanita.They also happen to be the most attractive and edible appearing. One way to be sure a mushroom is NOT an Amanita is to make a spore print. Lay the cap gills down on a piece of paper. If you suspect the spores are white use a colored paper. In about an hour the spores will drop from the gills leaving radiating white lines on the paper. This is called a spore print. Amanitas have WHITE spores. So do some other edible mushrooms. The common mushroom Agaricus campestris which is edible has BROWN spores. Making a spore print of an unknown specimen is one way of narrowing the search as there are five colors of spores, white, pink, brown, purple and black. At least if the print is NOT white you know that it is NOT an Amanita. dadada
The following is a comparison between the Amanita phaloides and the common mushroom Agaricus campestris.
Amanita phaloides-death angel:
- * Spore print--WHITE
- * Cap--bell shaped or almost globular when young becoming nearly plane when mature; color varying from pure white to yellow, yellowish green, smaky-olive, gray, brown or blackish. (pure white cap is A. verna). 1 1/2 to 5 inches broad.
- * Gills--white; free from stem; broad; bellied,sometimes adnexed.
- * Stem--usually white; sharply bulbus at the base; with a wide ring near the upper end; usually white; smooth or slightly scaly; stuffed or hollow; 2 1/2 to 6 inches long; 1 1/2 times the dia. of the cap;with a cup or volva at the bottom.
- * Spores--WHITE
* * * * Agaricus campestris-common mushroom
- * Spore print--BROWN
- * Cap--silky or with scales; in very young plants the cap is almost globular and the gills are concealed (buttons); when older the cap expands and the veil separates from the margin revealing the delecate-tinted pinkish gills; when mature the cap is broadly expanded or nearly flat; flesh white or with a tendency to become pinkish when cut; taste mild and pleasant; may be peeled; 1 1/2 to 3 inches wide.
- * Gills--near together; pink when young, turning brown and then black with age; free from stem.
- * Stem--smooth;white or whitish; short, less than the dia. of the cap;with a ring when young; stuffed; cylindric; 2 to 3 in. lg.
- * Spores==BROWN
The above information was copied from "Field Book of Common Mushrooms" by William Thomas M.D. One of Putnam's Nature Field Books and was first published in 1928. This was my first field book on mushrooms and is still my favorite in spite of the fact that they have changed some of the scientific names since this book was written.
In closing, I would like to add that Amanitas prefer to grow in forest areas and the so-called Common Mushrooms prefer lawns but this is not 100% always the case. After reading about the death do to mushroom poisoning of some experienced expert, I have often wondered how this could have happened? The only thing I could think of is that there was a group of mature mushrooms that could be easily identified and among them were some mushrooms still in the button (unopened)stage and they were assumed to have the same identity as the mature ones and just by chance they were un-opened Amanitss. It only takes one. The worst part is that you don't know you have been poisoned until at least 12 hours later and then its too late. Its a very painful death. I have eaten quite a few differnt kinds but I stick to the edible ones that don't have look-alikes or that are so unusual looking (like Morels) that there is no trouble with identification. I hope you find the foregoing helpful.
Bright blessings,
Grandfather. (be careful out there)