Appalachian Mushrooms. Walter E. Sturgeon

       Amanita frostiana

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita muscaria (L.) Lam.

       SYNONYM: None (See Comments for nomenclature issues)

       COMMON NAME: Fly Agaric

       FAMILY: Amanitaceae

      CAP: Up to 8 in. wide; orange, reddish orange to yellow; deepest color in the center, fading from sunlight or in age; roundish, becoming convex to broadly convex and eventually nearly flat; surface viscid when wet, covered with a scattering of white cottony warts that may wash off in rainy weather; margin not usually striate, or only faintly so, and may have patches of the universal veil

      FLESH: White, thick, unchanging when exposed; odor and taste not distinctive

      GILLS: White to cream; free or barely reaching the stem; crowded; broad; edges are minutely hairy; covered at first with a white partial veil

      STEM: Up to 8 in. long; white to pale cream or pale yellowish; tapering upward from a white to buff basal bulb; the base usually with two or three rings of tissue; surface dry, finely hairy to cottony scaly, with an apical to mid-stem, skirt-like, white, flaring ring, at times edged in yellow

      SPORE PRINT: White

      ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; solitary, scattered to gregarious in humus, moss, or grass, usually under conifers such as Norway spruce but also under broadleaf trees such as aspens and birches

      EDIBILITY: Poisonous and hallucinogenic.

      COMMENTS: This mushroom has a long history of use as an intoxicant. It also has caused nausea, dizziness, and digestive issues. It reportedly has been used to kill flies. There are many species and varieties, some with a bright red cap. It is a beautiful and iconic mushroom and can be found on postcards, artwork, children’s book covers, and so forth. The orange or yellowish orange variety is the common one in most of the Appalachians. Occasionally a white variety can be found. Compare Amanita parcivolvata (p. 7), which is smaller and lacks a ring, and Amanita flavoconia (p. 12), which is less robust and has yellow cap warts. The common Appalachian variety has been called Amanita muscaria var. formosa and Amanita muscaria var. guessowii. A red- to pinkish-peach-colored species, Amanita persicina (not illustrated) is found in southern areas. Faded specimens can resemble Amanita velatipes (p. 15), which is never orange and often has an upturned ring and a collared bulb.

       Amanita muscaria

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita velatipes G. F. Atkinson

       SYNONYM: Amanita pantherina var. velatipes (G. F. Atkinson) D. T. Jenkins

       COMMON NAME: Booted Amanita

       FAMILY: Amanitaceae

      CAP: Up to 8 in. wide; yellow when young, becoming cream to white toward the margin in age, at times cream, buff, or tan all over; may have light brown stains; ovate to bell shaped becoming convex to flat and rarely depressed in the center; surface viscid; obscurely striate, bald, with numerous white, buff, or tan warts that can be washed off in wet weather

      FLESH: White; not staining when damaged; odor mild; taste unknown

      GILLS: White to pale cream; free; crowded; edges even; covered at first by a membranous partial veil

      STEM: Up to 8 in. long; whitish; solid; equal or tapering up slightly from a prominent basal bulb that often has universal veil remnants, sometimes forming bands but terminating at the top with a collar-like rim; with a prominent ring that is unusual in that it is often pulled upward, funnel-like, usually near the middle of the stem; surface bald to silky above the ring, finely hairy to shaggy below

      SPORE PRINT: White

      ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal with conifers and broadleaf trees; often in parks and cemeteries; spruce and oak are two frequently observed host trees; scattered to gregarious; at times in arcs or rings; summer and fall; locally common

      EDIBILITY: Poisonous

      COMMENTS: This large, striking mushroom is set off from the similar Amanita cothurnata (not illustrated) by its yellow colors and generally larger size. Pale forms of Amanita muscaria (p. 14) are similar but lack the collared bulb and median, upward flaring ring.

       Amanita velatipes

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amanita brunnescens G. F. Atk.

       SYNONYMS: Amanita brunnescens var. brunnescens G. F. Atk., Amanita brunnescens var. pallida L. Krieg

       COMMON NAME: Cleft-Foot Amanita

       FAMILY: Amanitaceae

      CAP: Up to 5 in. wide; dark brown to tan, or whitish with brown stains, often streaked brown; rounded, becoming convex then flat; surface slightly tacky when wet, with white, cottony patches from the universal veil; faintly striate

      FLESH: White to brownish, with reddish-brown stains; thin; odor of raw potatoes; taste not recorded

      GILLS: White, sometimes with brown stains; close to crowded, free, or just reaching the stem; broad; edges even or flocculose; covered at first with a white partial veil

      STEM: Up to 6 in. long; white with brown stains toward the base; equal or narrowing upward; solid, with a white, persistent, skirt-like, apical ring, the edge of which may be

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