Amanita phalloides
Copyright, Clive Shirley
The Death Cap is
responsible for the most mushroom poisonings
in the world. It looks a lot like other mushrooms which
people eat (compare it to the Honey Mushroom on this site).
It has a cap
up to six inches wide, and a stalk
up to five inches tall. The cap can be yellowish, brownish,
whitish, or greenish in color. It is often sticky to the
touch. Underneath the cap, this mushroom has white
gills
(feathery things). At the base of the stalk is a white
cup. Death Caps are seen from
September to November underneath pines, oaks, dogwoods, and
other trees. Copyright, Fred
Stevens Copyright, Fred
Stevens Like all mushrooms, Death
Caps are only part of the fungus. Most of the fungus is in
the soil or wrapped around tree roots. These tiny
thread-like parts, called mycelia,
are there all year. The mushroom that you see is like the
flower on a plant. It "blooms" at certain times of the
year. The mushrooms contain
spores,
which are like seeds on a plant. The spores spread and grow
new fungi. Death Caps have a foul smell which attracts flies
and other insects. When the insects touch the gills, spores
stick to them. Then, when the insects fly away, the spores
go with them. Each spore may get a chance to grow into a new
fungus.
