The Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa) is one of the most dangerous mushrooms in Britain: pure white all over and deadly poisonous. Its smooth cap is egg-shaped at first, opening to a bell or broad dome that is often slightly lopsided. The gills are white and free, and the tall, shaggy white stem carries a fragile, often torn ring above a large, bag-like volva. The volva is usually buried, so the whole stem must be dug up to see it.
It grows in mixed woodland with beech, birch and conifers, from August into October. It is widespread but very local, and commoner in the north and in upland areas.
It is easily mistaken for edible white mushrooms such as the Wood Mushroom (Agaricus sylvicola) and Field Mushroom (Agaricus campestris), whose gills turn pink and then brown. It contains the same toxins as the Deathcap (Amanita phalloides): symptoms begin many hours after eating, seem to pass, and then the liver fails. Never eat any white Amanita.
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Distribution
Widespread but very localised
Habitat
In mixed woodland with Fagus, Betula and also conifers.
Etymology
Amanita is thought to come from Mount Amanus in southern Turkey, though its origin is uncertain. virosa is Latin for 'poisonous' or 'foul-smelling'.
Associates
Betula, Fagus
Cap
Pure white and smooth, without lines at the edge; egg-shaped at first, then bell-shaped to flat with a broad bump, often lopsided.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex, Conical |
| Surface | Smooth |
| Width | 4 - 10 cm |
| Margin | Smooth |
Gills
Free and crowded; white, staying white with age.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Free |
| Spacing | Crowded |
| Edge | Smooth |
Flesh
White and thin, turning yellow at once with a drop of potassium hydroxide (KOH).
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Strong, old honey |
Stem
The stem is pure white, 6-15 cm tall and 10-20 mm wide, with a flocculose, rather ragged surface and a swollen base. The flaring ring is high on the stem and usually ragged and torn, and the base sits in a large sack-like volva, often buried deep in the soil.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 - 15 cm |
| Width | 10 - 20 mm |
| Texture | Fluccose |
| Shape | Volvate |
| Veil | Flaring |
| Veil position | Superior |
Macrochemicals
| KOH |
|---|
Spores
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Type | Amyloid |
| Shape | Globose |
| Size | 9-11 x 7-9 μm |
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Agaricales
- ↳ Family: Amanitaceae
- ↳ Genus: Amanita
Synonyms
- Agaricus virosus Fr.
- Amanita verna sensu Rea (1922)
- Amanita virosa Secr.
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.
