Death cap

Amanita phalloides

The death cap or destroying angel (Amanita phalloides) is one of the most toxic, deadliest mushrooms. It is responsible for a lot of mortal poisonings. It’s found in holm-oak and oak forests. Like all the mushrooms of Amanita genus, the stipe emerges from a sheating volva. This white stipe has a membranous ring, the remains of the partial veil that first covered the white, thin and dense lamellaea. Be careful, the ring can fell down and disappear. The cap is broad, it starts convex and enlarges to nearly plane as it grows; the color is green olivaceous, yellowish or even white in some individuals.

[photos Florenci Vallès (1st) and Marta Queralt López Salvans (2nd)]