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destroying angel (Amanita virosa)
Amanita virosa is a pure white Amanita species with conical cap, flaky stem, ring and sac-like volva. It contains amatoxins and is deadly poisonous.
Scientific name: Amanita virosa
Features
The cap is 4 to 10 cm wide, pure white, young cone, later belly, often a little skewed, smooth and silky. The gills are pure white, free and remain white. The stem is white, slender and distinctly flaky-flaky, with a thin, often torn ring and a bulbous base in a white, skinned, sac-like volva. No taste sample! It smells unpleasantly sweet. The flesh is white and does not discolour; it turns yellow with potassium hydroxide (KOH). White
Habitat
Spruce, pine, European beech, birch.. Acid, nutrient-poor soils.. Especially montane coniferous forests.
Season
July to October In favorable conditions from June.
Weather and fruiting
Deadly toxic. Pure white with volva and ring — mix-ups with agarics and grisettes.
Lookalike risk
Agaricus spec.: Agaricus species have pink to chocolate brown, never pure white gills and no volva. Lycoperdon spec.: In longitudinal section, Lycoperdon species show no gills and no stem, only white mass. Fool's mushroom: It has a flatter cap and a smoother stem; also deadly.
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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.
European destroying angel: is it edible?
No, it is deadly poisonous. Even suspected ingestion is an emergency: call 112 and a poison centre. Pure white and deadly poisonous; confused with white Agaricus species and young dusts.
European destroying angel: when and where does it grow?
In central Europe the season runs July to October. In favorable conditions from June. Habitat: Spruce, pine, European beech, birch.
European destroying angel: what are the lookalikes?
The most important distinction is from Fool's mushroom (Amanita verna, deadly poisonous): It has a flatter cap and a smoother stem; also deadly. Other lookalikes: Agaricus spec., Lycoperdon spec..
When is a trip worth it?
Deadly toxic. Pure white with volva and ring — mix-ups with agarics and grisettes.