Amanita crocea
Species of fungus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amanita crocea, the saffron ringless amanita,[2] is a species of Amanita widely distributed in Europe. It is edible but not recommended for consumption due to its similarity to poisonous species of the genus.
| Saffron ringless amanita | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Amanitaceae |
| Genus: | Amanita |
| Species: | A. crocea |
| Binomial name | |
| Amanita crocea (Quél. in Bourd.) Singer ex Singer | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
| Amanita crocea | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
 | Gills on hymenium |
 | Cap is flat or convex |
 | Hymenium is free |
 | Stipe has a volva |
 | Spore print is white |
 | Ecology is mycorrhizal |
 | Edibility is edible but not recommended |
Description
The cap is free of rings with the volva and has a diameter of 5–10 centimetres (2–4 inches), yellow-orange in colour with an apricot tinge at the centre. It expands to become flat or sometimes convex at the umbo, a small raised central area. The volva is thick, white, at least 4–10 cm (1+1⁄2–4 in) wide, saffron orange or a little browner than that in colour in the centre when fresh and paler at the margin.
The gills are free and cream in mass (sometimes with a slight salmon or pinkish reflection, and 2–3± millimetres broad).
The stem or stipe is 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long and 1–1.5 cm in diameter, tapering, decorated with paler fibrils in a "flame" pattern, with the decoration later becoming orange or brown-orange (darker than the underlying stipe surface) with a membranous sack-like volva at the base.
The white spores measure (8.0-) 9.4–11.8 (-18.8) x (7.5-) 8.5–11.0 (-16.0) μm.[3][4]
Belgian specimen
Similar species
It is similar to Amanita fulva (orange-brown ringless amanita or tawny grisette) and A. caesarea (Caesar's mushroom), belonging to the Vaginatae and Caesareae sections of the Amanita genus, respectively.
The edible tawny grisette is a basidiomycete mushroom located in North America and Europe.[5] It is easily confused with the 'death cap', though is not as substantial. The structure is relatively flimsy and the hollow stem often breaks, even when handled very gently.[6] It has fibres on its stalk usually.[7]
The second similar species, the Caesar's mushroom, is the type species (a species to which the name of a genus is permanently linked) of the Caesareae section of the genus Amanita. It has a distinctive orange cap, yellow gills and stem. Similar orange-capped species occur in North America and India.[8][9]
A. caesarea in Piacenza mountains
Ecology
The fungi can occur infrequently between July and October in mycorrhizal with hardwood trees, particularly birch and beech in clearings. Its odour is sweet-smelling and it has a mildly nutty sweet taste.[10] It has also been reported from Iran.[11]