The Ashen Amanita (Amanita excelsa) is a common, robust Amanita of broadleaf and conifer woodland, with a grey-brown cap scattered with soft grey veil patches. Two forms occur: var. excelsa is greyer, while var. spissa, once treated as a separate species, is browner and stockier. Look for a large, hanging ring that is lined on its upper surface, and a swollen stem base without a clear-cut rim.
It fruits from summer to late autumn. The important lookalike is the Panthercap (Amanita pantherina), which is poisonous and has pure white cap warts, a smooth ring and a sharp rim to the volva at the stem base. The Blusher (Amanita rubescens) bruises pinkish-red. Because of the Panthercap risk, the Ashen Amanita should not be eaten.
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Distribution
Widespread and common
Habitat
Occurs with deciduous and coniferous trees on somewhat rich soils
Etymology
Amanita is an old name of uncertain origin, often linked to Mount Amanus in present-day Turkey. excelsa is Latin for 'lofty' or 'tall'; the variety name spissa means 'dense' or 'thick', after its stockier build.
Cap
The cap is 5-15 cm across, convex when young and flattening with age. It is brown to greyish-brown in var. spissa and grey in var. excelsa, with numerous warty grey veil remnants that can wipe off fairly easily.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex, Flattened |
| Surface | Warty |
| Width | 5 - 15 cm |
Gills
Free, crowded and white, staying white with age.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Free |
| Spacing | crowded |
Flesh
White and firm, not reddening when cut or bruised (unlike the Blusher).
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Potato or raphanoid |
| Taste | Mild |
Stem
Stem 6-14 cm long and 15-25 mm wide, white to ash-grey and clavate to bulbous, sometimes deeply rooting. It is covered with granular scales below the ring that form concentric circles towards the base, and there may be rings of grey warts on the top edge of the bulb. The veil is white and striated on its upper surface, forming a flaring apical ring.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 - 14 cm |
| Width | 15 - 25 mm |
| Texture | Smooth, Granulose |
| Shape | Bulbous, Clavate |
| Veil | flaring |
| Veil position | apical |
Spores
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Type | amyloid |
| Shape | Broadly ellipsoid |
| Ornamentation | Smooth |
| Size | 7.5-10 x 5.5-7.5 μm |
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Agaricales
- ↳ Family: Amanitaceae
- ↳ Genus: Amanita
Synonyms
- Amanita excelsa (Fr.) P. Kumm.
- Ashen Amanita Vernacular, English
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
G. Kibby (2020) Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe Vol. 2. Geoffrey Kibby.
G. Kibby (2016) The Genus Amanita in Britain. Geoffrey Kibby.
