Amanita zambiana

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Amanita zambiana
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species:
A. zambiana
Binomial name
Amanita zambiana
Pegler & Piearce (1980)
Amanita zambiana
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 and volva stipe icon.svg Stipe has a ring and volva
Transparent spore print icon.svg
Spore print is white
Mycorrhizal fungus.svgEcology is mycorrhizal
Mycomorphbox Edible.pngMycomorphbox Caution.pngEdibility is edible but not recommended

Amanita zambiana, commonly known as the Zambian slender Caesar, is a basidiomycete fungus in the genus Amanita . An edible mushroom, it is found in Africa, where it is commonly sold in markets.

Contents

Description

The cap attains a diameter of 10 to 20 centimetres (4 to 8 inches). It is initially spherical to egg-shaped and uniformly olivaceous brown in color, but later becomes flattened and uniformly white from the center. The sticky cap surface is smooth and shiny, and does not retain any fragments of the partial veil; the cap margin has fine radial grooves. Gills are free from attachment to the stem, white, and up to 1.5 cm (12 in) broad (measuring from the top to the bottom of the gill). Crowded closely together, they are interspersed with three tiers of lamellulae (short gills that do not extend fully from the cap margin to the stem). The gill edges are finely notched and have a woolly appearance. The stem is 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) long by 1.5 to 2 cm (12 to 34 in) thick, cylindrical, stout, and hollow. Its surface is whitish, fibrillose, and ringed. An ample membrane-like ring is finely grooved and attached to the upper part of the stem. At the base of the stem lies a broad sac-like volva, which has dimensions of 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) by 3 to 5 cm (1+14 to 2 in). Initially black-brown in color, the outer layer of the volva eventually breaks up into large warts. The soft cap flesh is up to 1.5 cm (12 in) thick in the center, white, and does not change color when cut. Spores are 9–13 by 8–10.5  μm, roughly spherical to broadly egg-shaped, hyaline (translucent), inamyloid, thin-walled, and usually contain a single oil drop. [1]

Taxonomy

The species was first described scientifically by British mycologists David Pegler and Graham Piearce from Zambia in 1980 in an account of popular edible mushrooms of Zambia. [2] Piearce had published an illustration of the species three years earlier, but without a description. [3] The type specimen was purchased on the roadside between Kitwe and Ndola in January, 1975. It is classified in the section Vaginatae. [2] French mycologist Bart Buyck has suggested that the species described by Beeli in 1936 [4] as Amanita loosii from Zaire may represent an earlier name for the species; [5] this opinion was corroborated later by Walleyn and Verbeken in their survey of Amanita in sub-Saharan Africa. [6]

Distribution and habitat

Like all Amanita species, A. zambiana is mycorrhizal. It typically associates with trees in the genus Brachystegia . Fruit bodies are often found in small groups at the side of gravel roads. Its distribution includes Zimbabwe, [7] Zambia, Malawi, and southern Tanzania. In Zambia, it is known locally as tente in the Bemba language, or ndelema in Kaonde and Nyanja. It is also known as the Christmas mushroom, as it is most abundant around December and early January. [2] A popular edible, [8] it contributes significantly to Zimbabwean household food security when it is in season. [9] It is widely marketed at roadside stalls and markets, but only the cap is sold. Occasionally, the mushroom is dried for storage, but only after first boiling it and draining the water. [1] According to a 2002 publication, the average price paid to mushroom harvesters in Zambia was about US$3 per kg. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

Amanita citrina, commonly known as the false death cap or citron amanita, is a basidiomycotic mushroom, one of many in the genus Amanita. It grows in silicate soil in the summer and autumn months. It bears a pale yellow or sometimes white cap, with white stem, ring and volva. It is an inedible mushroom due to its toxicity, but is more pertinently often confused for the lethal death cap.

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

Amanita calyptroderma also known as coccora, coccoli or the Pacific amanita, is a white-spored mushroom that fruits naturally in the coastal forests of the western United States during the fall and winter and spring.

<i>Lactifluus piperatus</i> Species of fungus

Lactifluus piperatus, commonly known as the blancaccio, is a semi-edible basidiomycete fungus of the genus Lactifluus. Despite being edible, it is not recommended by some because of its poor taste, though can be used as seasoning when dried. The fruiting body is a creamy-white mushroom which is funnel-shaped when mature, with exceptionally crowded gills. It bleeds a whitish peppery-tasting milk when cut. Widely distributed across Europe and eastern North America, Lactifluus piperatus has been accidentally introduced to Australia. Mycorrhizal, it forms a symbiotic relationship with various species of deciduous tree, including beech, and hazel, and fruiting bodies are found on the forest floor in deciduous woodland.

<i>Lactifluus volemus</i> Species of edible fungus in the family Russulaceae widely distributed in the northern hemisphere

Lactifluus volemus, formerly known as Lactarius volemus, and commonly known as the weeping milk cap or bradley, is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. It is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, in temperate regions of Europe, North America and Asia as well as some subtropical and tropical regions of Central America and Asia. A mycorrhizal fungus, its fruit bodies grow on the ground at the base of various species of trees from summer to autumn, either individually or in groups. It is valued as an edible mushroom, and is sold in markets in Asia. Several other Lactifluus mushrooms resemble L. volemus, such as the closely related edible species L. corrugis, but these can be distinguished by differences in distribution, visible morphology, and microscopic characteristics. L. volemus produces a white spore print and has roughly spherical spores about 7–8 micrometres in diameter.

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

Amanita vaginata, commonly known as the grisette or the grisette amanita, is an edible mushroom in the fungus family Amanitaceae. The cap is gray or brownish, 5 to 10 centimetres in diameter, and has furrows around the edge that duplicate the gill pattern underneath. Unlike many other Amanita mushrooms, A. vaginata lacks a ring on the stem.

<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 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 jacksonii</i> Species of fungus

Amanita jacksonii, also known as Jackson's slender amanita, American Slender Caesar, and Eastern Caesar's Amanita, is a North American species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. It is a reddish-orange colored mushroom species which can be identified by its yellow gills, large, white, sacklike volva.

<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>Amanita rubrovolvata</i> Species of fungus

Amanita rubrovolvata, commonly known as the red volva amanita, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. The fungus produces small to medium-sized mushrooms, with reddish-orange caps up to 6.5 millimetres wide. The stems are up to 10 cm (4 in) tall, cream-coloured above the ring and cream to yellowish below it. The stem ends in a roughly spherical bulb at the base, which is covered with bright orange patches.

Lactarius chromospermus is a tropical African member of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius in the family Russulaceae, first described scientifically by David Pegler in 1982.

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

Amanita crocea, the saffron ringless amanita, is a species of Amanita widely distributed in Europe. It is not recommended for consumption due to its similarity to poisonous species of the genus.

<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>Lactarius kabansus</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius kabansus is a member of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius in the order Russulales. Described as new to science in 1980, the species is found in Zambia. This is a popular edible mushroom in Zambia which is found in the rainy season from December through February. It is prepared by rinsing with salt to remove soil and frying. Amanita zambiana and Lactarius kabansus are two of the most popular edible mushrooms in Zambia.

<i>Volvariella bombycina</i> Species of mushroom in the family Pluteaceae

Volvariella bombycina, commonly known as the silky volvariella, silky sheath, silky rosegill, silver-silk straw mushroom, or tree mushroom, is a species of edible mushroom in the family Pluteaceae. It is an uncommon but widespread species, having been reported from Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe, and North America. The fruit body (mushroom) begins developing in a thin, egg-like sac. This ruptures and the stem expands quickly, leaving the sac at the base of the stem as a volva. The cap, which can attain a diameter of up to 20 centimetres, is white to slightly yellowish and covered with silky hairs. On the underside of the cap are closely spaced gills, free from attachment to the stem, and initially white before turning pink as the spores mature. The mushroom grows singly or in clusters, often appearing in old knotholes and wounds in elms and maples. V. bombycina contains compounds with antibacterial properties.

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

Amanita basii is a mushroom of the family Amanitaceae.

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

Amanita spreta or the hated amanita is an inedible species of the genus Amanita.

References

  1. 1 2 Pegler DN, Shah-Smith D (1997). "The genus Amanita (Amanitaceae, Agaricales) in Zambia". Mycotaxon. 61: 389–417.
  2. 1 2 3 Pegler DN, Piearce GD (1980). "The edible mushrooms of Zambia". Kew Bulletin. 35 (3): 475–491. doi:10.2307/4110017. JSTOR   4110017.
  3. Piearce GD (1977). "Find out about fungi". Orbit Magazine. 5: 12–13, 20.
  4. Beeli M. (1936). "Contribution a l'etude de la flore mycologieu de Congo. XI.Fungi Goossensiani XII". Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de l'État à Bruxelles (in French). 14: 83–91. doi:10.2307/3666668. JSTOR   3666668.
  5. Buyck B. (1994). Ubwoba: les champignon comestibles de l'Ouest du Burundi. Administration Generale de la Cooperation au Developpement – Coopération Belge.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. Walleyn R, Verbeken A (1998). "Notes on the genus Amanita in sub-saharan Africa". Belgian Journal of Botany. 131 (2): 156–161. ISSN   0037-9557.
  7. 1 2 De Roman M. (2010). "The Contribution of Wild Fungi to Diet, Income and Health: A World Review". In Rai M. (ed.). Progress in Mycology. Springer. pp. 327–348. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-3713-8_12. ISBN   9789048137121.
  8. Harkonen M. (1995). "An ethnomycological approach to Tanzanian species of Amanita". Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis Symbolae Botanicae Upsalienses. 30 (3): 145–151. ISSN   0082-0644.
  9. Garwe D, Munzara-Chawira A, Kusena K (March 2009). State of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Zimbabwe (1996–2008) (PDF) (Report). Department of Agricultural Research for Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development. p. 23.