Panthercap

Amanita pantherina

1 Observations

2 weeks ago Last Observed

The Panthercap (Amanita pantherina) is a medium to large toadstool with a brown cap dotted with pure white, warty fragments of veil. The gills are white and crowded, and the white stem has a ring and a bulbous base with a collar-like volva, often topped by hoops of torn veil tissue. Cap colour ranges from greyish-brown to orange-brown or yellowish-brown, and the white warts can wash off in wet weather.

It grows from July to October in mixed woodland, where it forms a partnership with trees such as Beech, Oak, Pine and Sweet Chestnut. It is widespread in the UK but uncommon, and is more often met in southern Europe.

The Panthercap is toxic and must not be eaten. It is easily mistaken for the more frequent False Panthercap (Amanita excelsa), which has greyish veil fragments and a stem base without a distinct rim. The Blusher (Amanita rubescens) can also have a brown cap, but its flesh turns pinkish-red when damaged. Never eat any wild Amanita unless identified with certainty by an expert.

Spore Print

Season

Native

toxic

Distribution

Widespread but uncommon

Habitat

In mixed woodland

Etymology

Amanita is of uncertain origin, probably from the Greek amanitai, a name used for a type of fungus, possibly linked to Mount Amanos in Asia Minor. It was adopted as the genus name for these gilled, veiled and volvate toadstools. The epithet pantherina is Latin for 'panther-like', referring to the brown cap speckled with white, which suggests the spotted coat of a big cat.

Associates

Castanea, Fagus, Pinus, Quercus

Cap

The brown cap is dotted with pure white, warty fragments of veil. These patches are the remains of the universal veil and can wash off in wet weather, so older or rain-soaked caps may look almost bare.

Colour
Width	4 - 11 cm
Bruising

Gills

White, broad and tightly packed, ending short of the stem (free). They stay clean and pale in age, with no strong colour change.

Colour
Spacing	crowded

Flesh

White and rather soft in the cap, firm in the stem. Unlike the Blusher, it does not turn pink or red when cut or damaged.

Colour
Odour	Slight, radish-like when bruised

Stem

The ring is usually found low down the stem. The ring is smooth on top and has no striations. Above the bulbous base there are usually hoops of torn veil tissue.

Colour
Height	6 - 10 cm
Width	10 - 20 mm
Veil position	median

Spores

Smooth and ellipsoid, colourless under the microscope and producing a white spore print. They are inamyloid, so they do not turn blue-black in Melzer's reagent. Clamp connections are absent.