Amanita echinocephala

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Amanita echinocephala
Am.echin.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species:
A. echinocephala
Binomial name
Amanita echinocephala
(Vittad.) Quél. (1872)
Synonyms
Amanita echinocephala
Information icon.svg
Gills icon.png Gills on hymenium
Convex cap icon.svgFlat cap icon.svg Cap is convex or flat
Free gills icon2.svg Hymenium is free
Ring stipe icon.svg Stipe has a ring
Transparent spore print icon.svg
Spore print is white
Saprotrophic fungus.svgEcology is saprotrophic
Mycomorphbox Caution.pngEdibility is not recommended

Amanita echinocephala is a large, whitish or ivory-coloured mushroom with a characteristic spiny, or warty-looking cap. A. solitaria is a synonym and opinions are divided as to which name takes precedence. It lives on chalky soils with beech trees, and appears earlier than most mushrooms of similar size in southern England. It frequently occurs singly or in small groups, resulting in it being referred to as the solitary amanita or, more specifically, European solitary lepidella. It is very drought-tolerant.

Contents

Amanita_echinocephala Photo of Amanita echinocephala.jpg
Amanita_echinocephala
Both of the images featured depict the same fruiting body. Note the pyramidal warts on the button. Am.echin(2).jpg
Both of the images featured depict the same fruiting body. Note the pyramidal warts on the button.

Taxonomy

It was first described as Agaricus echinocephalus in 1835 by the Italian mycologist Carlo Vittadini, before being placed in Amanita by Lucien Quélet and hence receiving its current binomial name. It derives its specific epithet echinocephala from the Greek echino- "hedgehog" and kephale "head". [1] [2] It has been placed in the Lepidella section of the Amanitaceae by some authors, because of its lack of a well formed volva. Amanita solitaria (Bull.:Fr.) Fr. is considered a synonym here but according to many modern authors (subject specialists in Amanita , e.g., C. Bas or R.E. Tulloss) it is a valid name for this species.

Description

The cap can be up to 15 centimetres (6 inches) in diameter, and is white to ivory, or silver-grey in colour. It is covered in raised pyramidal warts, that become less well defined, and less frequent towards the margin. These are remnants of the universal veil which covers the mushroom in its earliest stages. The young buttons are darker, and sometimes shaped like a two tier loaf, with a ring of raised scales around the base. The white to ivory stipe is 8–16 cm (3–6+12 in) high and 2–3 cm (341+14 in) wide, with several rings of upturned scales towards the bulbous base. It is fairly deeply rooted, often laterally below the surface. The ring is thin and fragile, often adhering to the stipe. The gills are cream, but sometimes have a slight green tint. [3] They are largely free of the stipe, but sometimes have a small decurrent tooth. The flesh is white, and is said to have an unpleasant smell. [4]

Similar species

Because the two species often share the same growing ground, A. echinocephala, and A. strobiliformis have both been erroneously identified as Amanita solitaria in the past.

Distribution and habitat

A. echinocephala occurs in Britain, Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. It appears in Britain during summer, and early autumn. It grows in light, dry calcareous soils with both broad leaved, (usually beech Fagus) and coniferous trees. It is quite drought-tolerant, giving rise to the suspicion that Southern England could be at the northern extent of its range. It occurs with hardwoods on calcareous soils, often associated with Limes ( Tilia ) in the Czech Republic, sometimes together with A. strobiliformis. [5]

Edibility

Pronounced edible by some, but probably best avoided in case of confusion with other poisonous Amanita species. This mushroom is rare and protected. It is on the United Kingdom Red Data List. It was reported that this species hyperaccumulates silver. [6] There are also reports about nephrotoxic effects similar to A. smithiana . [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Amanita cokeri</i> Species of fungus

Amanita cokeri, commonly known as Coker's amanita and solitary lepidella, is a poisonous mushroom in the family Amanitaceae. First described as Lepidella cokeri in 1928, it was transferred to the genus Amanita in 1940.

<i>Amanita brunnescens</i> Species of fungus

Amanita brunnescens, also known as the brown American star-footed amanita or cleft-footed amanita is a native North American mushroom of the large genus Amanita. It differs from A. phalloides by its fragile volva and tendency to bruise brown.

<i>Amanita smithiana</i> Species of fungus

Amanita smithiana, also known as Smith's amanita, is a species of agaric found on soil in coniferous and broadleaved woodland in the Pacific Northwest of North America. It fruits in August and September.

<i>Rubroboletus legaliae</i> Species of fungus

Rubroboletus legaliae, previously known as Boletus splendidus, B. satanoides, and B. legaliae is a basidiomycete fungus of the family Boletaceae. It is poisonous, with predominantly gastrointestinal symptoms, and is related to Rubroboletus satanas.

<i>Amanita persicina</i> Species of fungus

Amanita persicina, commonly known as the peach-colored fly agaric, is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Amanita with a peach-colored center. Until c. 2015, the fungus was believed to be a variety of A. muscaria.

<i>Amanita abrupta</i> Species of fungus

Amanita abrupta, commonly known as the American abrupt-bulbed amanita or the American abrupt-bulbed lepidella, is a possibly toxic species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. Named for the characteristic shape of its fruit bodies, this white Amanita has a slender stem, a cap covered with conical white warts, and an "abruptly enlarged" swollen base. This terrestrial species grows in mixed woods in eastern North America and eastern Asia, where it is thought to exist in a mycorrhizal relationship with a variety of both coniferous and deciduous tree species.

<i>Amanita daucipes</i> Species of fungus

Amanita daucipes is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae of the mushroom order Agaricales. Found exclusively in North America, the mushroom may be recognized in the field by the medium to large white caps with pale orange tints, and the dense covering of pale orange or reddish-brown powdery conical warts on the cap surface. The mushroom also has a characteristic large bulb at the base of its stem with a blunt short rooting base, whose shape is suggestive of the common names carrot-footed lepidella, carrot-foot amanita, or turnip-foot amanita. The mushroom has a strong odor that has been described variously as "sweet and nauseous", or compared to an old ham bone, or soap. Edibility is unknown for the species, but consumption is generally not recommended due its position in the Amanita subgroup Lepidella, which contains some poisonous members.

<i>Amanita onusta</i> Species of fungus

Amanita onusta, commonly known as the loaded Lepidella, the gunpowder Lepidella or the gunpowder amanita, is a species of fungus in the mushroom family Amanitaceae. It is characterized by its small to medium-sized fruit bodies that have white to pale gray caps crowded with roughly conical, pyramidal, or irregular gray warts. The stipe is whitish-gray with woolly or wart-like veil remnants, and at the base is a spindle- or turnip-shaped base that is rooted somewhat deeply in the soil.

<i>Amanita strobiliformis</i> Species of fungus

Amanita strobiliformis is a species of mushroom. It is commonly referred to as warted amanita.

<i>Amanita australis</i> Species of fungus

Amanita australis is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. It produces small- to medium-sized fruit bodies, with brown caps up to 9 centimetres in diameter covered with pyramidal warts. The gills on the underside of the cap are white, closely crowded together, and free from attachment to the stem. The stem, up to 9 cm long, has a ring and a bulbous base. The mushroom may be confused with another endemic New Zealand species, A. nothofagi, but can be distinguished by differences in microscopic characteristics.

<i>Amanita nothofagi</i> Species of fungus

Amanita nothofagi is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. Endemic to New Zealand, the species was first described by mycologist Greta Stevenson in 1962. The fruit bodies have dark brown caps that are up to 13 cm (5.1 in) in diameter and covered with patches of soft greyish-brown scales or warts. The gills underneath the cap are crowded together, free from attachment to the stem, and white, becoming tinged with yellow in age. The stem of the mushroom is 4–14 cm (1.6–5.5 in) long by 0.5–2.5 cm (0.2–1.0 in) thick, and has a ring. The spore print is white, and individual spores are spherical to ellipsoid, measuring 7.5–9 by 7.5–9 micrometres. The mushroom may be confused with another New Zealand species, A. australis, but can be distinguished by certain characteristics. Amanita nothofagi is a mycorrhizal species, and grows in association with native New Zealand trees such as Southern Beech.

<i>Amanita atkinsoniana</i> Species of fungus

Amanita atkinsoniana, also known as the Atkinson's amanita, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. The fruit body is white to brownish, with caps up to 12.5 centimetres in diameter, and stems up to 20 cm long. The surface of the cap is covered with brownish conical warts.

<i>Amanita ravenelii</i> Species of fungus

Amanita ravenelii, commonly known as the pinecone lepidella, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. The whitish fruit bodies are medium to large, with caps up to 17 centimetres wide, and stems up to 25 cm (10 in) long. The cap surface has large warts and the stem has a scaly, bulbous base. The mushrooms have a unique chlorine like odor.

<i>Saproamanita thiersii</i> Species of fungus

Saproamanita thiersii, commonly called Thiers' lepidella, is a North American saprotrophic basidiomycete fungus in the genus Saproamanita. It is a white, small mushroom. Its cap is convex, measuring 3.5–10 centimetres across, and the stipe is 8–20 cm (3–8 in) long. The spore print is white.

<i>Amanita ceciliae</i> Species of fungus

Amanita ceciliae, commonly called snakeskin grisette, strangulated amanita, and the Cecilia's ringless amanita, is a basidiomycete fungus in the genus Amanita. First described in 1854 by Miles Joseph Berkeley and Christopher Edmund Broome, it was given its current name by Cornelis Bas in 1984. It is characterized by bearing a large fruit body with a brown cap 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in) across. The cap has charcoal-grey patches, which are easily removable. The stipe is 7–18 cm (2.8–7.1 in) long, white in colour, and there is no ring on it. It is slightly tapered to the top, and has irregular cottony bands girdling the base. The universal veil is grey. Spores are white, spherical in shape, non-amyloid, and measure 10.2–11.7 micrometres. The mushrooms are considered edible, but field guides typically advise caution in selecting them for consumption, due to risks of confusion with similar toxic species. A. ceciliae is found in woods throughout Europe and North America, where it fruits during summer and autumn.

<i>Amanita ochrophylla</i> Species of fungus

Amanita ochrophylla is a fungus of the family Amanitaceae native to southeastern Australia. Its large and distinctive buff fruit bodies are common after rainfall.

<i>Amanita augusta</i> Species of fungus

Amanita augusta is a small tannish-brown mushroom with cap colors bright yellow to dark brown and various combinations of the two colors. The mushroom is often recognizable by the fragmented yellow remnants of the universal veil. This mushroom grows year-round in the Pacific Northwest but fruiting tends to occur in late fall to mid-winter. The fungus grows in an ectomycorrhizal relationship with hardwoods and conifers often in mixed woodlands.

<i>Amanita ananiceps</i> Species of fungus

Amanita ananiceps is a species of agaric fungus in the family Amanitaceae native to Australia.

<i>Amanita virgineoides</i> Species of fungus

Amanita virgineoides, known as the false virgin's lepidella, is a species of fungus in the genus Amanita.

References

  1. Liddell, Henry George and Robert Scott (1980). A Greek-English Lexicon (Abridged ed.). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-910207-4.
  2. Seymour, Jacqueline (1978). Mushrooms & Toadstools in colour. Crows Nest, NSW: Stafford Pemberton Publishing. p. 36. ISBN   0-904681-43-2.
  3. 1 2 Regis Courtecuisse and Bernard Duhem (1995). Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe (British ed.). Harper Collins. ISBN   0-00-220025-2.
  4. 1 2 Roger Phillips (2006). Mushrooms. Pan MacMillan. p. 151. ISBN   0-330-44237-6.
  5. Borovicka, J (2006). "Notes on Amanita strobiliformis and related species of the section Lepidella". Mykol. Sborn. (in Czech). 83 (2): 43–46.
  6. Borovicka, J; Randa, Z; Jelínek, E; Kotrba, P; Dunn, CE; et al. (2007). "Hyperaccumulation of silver by Amanita strobiliformis and related species of the section Lepidella". Mycol. Res. 111 (11): 1339–1344. doi:10.1016/j.mycres.2007.08.015. PMID   18023163.
  7. "Amanita poisonings resulting in acute, reversible renal failure: New cases, new toxic Amanita mushrooms". ndt.oxfordjournals.org. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.