Amanita ocreata
Amanita ocreata is found in the Pacific Northwest and California floristic provinces of North America. Its principal toxic constituent, α-amanitin, damages the liver and kidneys, often fatally, and has no known antidote. It resembles several edible species commonly consumed by humans, increasing the risk of accidental poisoning.
About Amanita ocreata in brief
Amanita ocreata is a deadly poisonous basidiomycete fungus. It is found in the Pacific Northwest and California floristic provinces of North America. Its principal toxic constituent, α-amanitin, damages the liver and kidneys, often fatally, and has no known antidote, though silybin and N-acetylcysteine show promise. It resembles several edible species commonly consumed by humans, increasing the risk of accidental poisoning. Mature fruiting bodies can be confused with the edible A. velosa, A. lanei or Volvopluteus gloiocephalus, while immature specimens may be difficult to distinguish from edible Agaricus mushrooms or puffballs. The cap is initially hemispherical, before becoming more convex and flattening, sometimes irregularly. The spore print is white, and the subglobose to ovoid to subellipsoid, amyloid spores are 9–14 x 7–10 μm viewed under a microscope.
It first appears as a white egg-shaped object covered with a universal veil. As it grows, the mushroom breaks free, though there may rarely be ragged patches of veil left at the cap edges. The colour varies from white, through yellowish-white to shades of ochre, sometimes with a brownish centre. The stipe is 8–20 cm high and 1. 5–2 cm thick at the apex, and bears a thin white membranous ring. The volva is thin, smooth and sac-like, although may be quite extensive and contain almost half the stipe. The flesh stains yellow when treated with potassium hydroxide. This fungus resembles the edible mushrooms AgARicus arvensis and A. campestris, the puffballs, before the caps have opened and the gills have become visible.
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This page is based on the article Amanita ocreata published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 29, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
