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Amanita multisquamosa [ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Amanitaceae > Amanita . . . ] by Michael Kuo This beautiful mushroom is one of several species in the Amanita pantherina species group. It is whitish, with a yellowish or tan center and whitish warts. It has a thick ring, and a characteristic bulb at the base of the stem. The top of the bulb has a collarlike rim resulting from the deterioration of the universal veil. Amanita multisquamosa is fairly widely distributed east of the Great Plains--though a very similar (but slightly more stocky; see the illustration) entity occurs with frequency in the Colorado Rockies. Currently the Colorado version is going under the name "Amanita multisquamosa," but it would not surprise me if DNA studies were to reveal a distinct species. Amanita pantherina is a very similar species, but it is stouter in stature, its cap is brown (though a pale variety exists), and it is primarily found west of the Rocky Mountains, though it may be occasional in the east. Also compare with Amanita pantherina var. velatipes, which is stockier and has a yellow cap. Amanita multisquamosa has done a taxonomical "360" over the past hundred years or so. Originally described and named by Charles Peck in the 1890's, it was soon renamed Amanita cothurnata by Atkinson. This name stuck until the 1970's, when the mushroom was reduced to the status of an Amanita pantherina variety, A. pantherina var. multisquamosa. Now the mushroom has recaptured species status, coming full circle back to its original name, Amanita multisquamosa. Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods; summer and fall; found primarily east of the Great Plains, but also common in Colorado (see comments above) and "possibly," according to Jenkins (1986), occurring in the Pacific Northwest. Cap: 5-10 cm; convex, becoming broadly convex to flat in age; somewhat slimy at first; pale whitish, with a yellowish tan center (or whitish overall); with scattered whitish warts; margin lined. Gills: Slightly attached, or free from the stem; white; close. Stem: 6-15 cm long; 1-1.5 cm thick; more or less equal, frequently tapering to apex; smooth above the ring to slightly scaly below it; whitish; terminating in a rimmed, collarlike basal bulb that typically has concentric shaggy rings below the rim and a pinched-off bottom; hollow. Flesh: White throughout, thin. Spore Print: White. Microscopic Features: Spores 8-11 x 6-8 µ; inamyloid; smooth. REFERENCES: Peck, 1899. (Atkinson, 1900; Kauffman, 1918; Smith, 1949; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Arora, 1986; Jenkins, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Bessette, Miller, Bessette & Miller, 1995; Evenson, 1997; Tulloss, 2003.) Herb. Kuo 06119501, 06129520, 06160201, 07230302, 07230305, 07260601, 07070705, 08160702. Further Online Information: Amanita multisquamosa at Tulloss's Studies in Amanita |
Colorado collections of "Amanita multisquamosa":
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2003, August). Amanita multisquamosa. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/amanita_multisquamosa.html |