death cap (Amanita phalloides)
Amanita phalloides has an olive to yellow-green cap, white gills, a ring and a skinned volva at the bulbous stem base. It is the most dangerous poisonous mushroom in Europe.
Scientific name: Amanita phalloides
Features
The cap is 5 to 15 cm wide, olive green, yellow green to almost white, with ingrown, radial fibers and usually without flakes. The gills are white, free and dense and remain white even in old age. The stem is whitish, often greenish, with a hanging ring. The bulbous base is in a white, skinned, sac-like volva, often hidden in the ground; always dig it up. No taste sample! Older specimens smell sweetly unpleasant, like artificial honey. The flesh is white and does not discolour. White
Habitat
Deciduous trees, especially oak, European beech and noble chestnut, also birch and hazel.. Rather base-rich, loamy soils.. Especially in warmer, deeper areas.
Season
July to October Mainly end of July to October.
Weather and fruiting
Deadly toxic (amatoxins). Greenish cap, white gills, volva — never confuse with agarics or yellow knight.
Lookalike risk
Charcoal burner: Russula species have brittle flesh, no ring and no volva. Man on horseback: It has yellow gills and neither ring nor volva. Field mushroom: Agaricus species have pink to brown gills, never pure white, and no volva.
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FAQ
What does the map show?
Weather-based foraging chances, not a guarantee that fruit bodies stand at the pin.
Can I eat this mushroom?
No page replaces identification. If unsure, leave it or ask an expert.
Death cap: is it edible?
No, it is deadly poisonous. Even suspected ingestion is an emergency: call 112 and a poison centre. Responsible for most deadly fungal poisonings in Central Europe. Even a part of a fruit body can be fatal; Cooking does not destroy the poison.
Death cap: when and where does it grow?
In central Europe the season runs July to October. Mainly end of July to October. Habitat: Deciduous trees, especially oak, European beech and noble chestnut, also birch and hazel.
Death cap: what are the lookalikes?
The most important distinction is from Man on horseback (Tricholoma equestre, poisonous): It has yellow gills and neither ring nor volva. Other lookalikes: Charcoal burner, Field mushroom.
When is a trip worth it?
Deadly toxic (amatoxins). Greenish cap, white gills, volva — never confuse with agarics or yellow knight.