Amanita velosa, commonly known as the springtime amanita,[Tulloss RE. (2005). Amanita velosa (Peck) Lloyd. Tulloss Amanita website.]
Description
It is part of
Amanita section
Vaginatae, and like other species in this group, it is characterized by its lack of an annulus, pileus margin, thick
universal veil remnants comprising the veil, volva, and pileus patches,
inamyloid spores, and lack of characteristic
Amanita toxins such as
amatoxins and
ibotenic acid.
[Jenkins DT. (1986). Amanita of North America. ] It is distinguished from other species in section Vaginatae by its lack of any kind of umbo on its pileus, its short pileus , and its distinct pale orange to pale salmon coloration when young. Its coloration can become more brownish with age and entirely white specimens are occasionally seen as well.[ Like many other Amanita, the gills are white, but occasionally have a distinct pinkish or orangish tint.][ In older specimens, the odor can become pungent and fishy.][Rich R. (2002). "Amanita velosa". Robert's Wild Mushroom Cookbook (website).]
The cap is 5–15 cm wide, convex then plane, with an orange-pink or salmon-like color; it usually has a white universal veil patch.
Similar species
The deadly Amanita ocreata and occasionally A. phalloides are found in the same habitat at the same time of year as A. velosa, and can often be found in close proximity. A. ocreata and A. phalloides have thin universal veil remnants, a sac-like volva, an annulus, a non-striate pileus margin, and a pileus that is a different color than A. velosa.[Street C. (2004). So which mushroom is edible? Codehappy.net (website).] A. calyptratoides is very similar.
Distribution and habitat
A. velosa is a late-season mushroom in its range of occurrence, being primarily found in the coastal regions of California, Oregon, and Baja California,[Wood M, Stevens F. (2004). Amanita velosa. MykoWeb (website).]
The species is also reported to have been found in association with aspen and in the Sierra Nevada,
Edibility
It is considered to be an outstanding Edible mushroom species with a distinctively sweet or nutty flavor,[ but great caution must be exercised to properly identify it due to its similarity to deadly species.]
External links
