I spotted these guys today on a trail run in the East Bay, CA. It just rained so there were lots mushrooms and amphibians out! I pointed these mushrooms out to my son as cool organisms that are not to be eaten.

I saw all of the death cap features I’ve read about / been warned about, except for a volva. But maybe there’s one buried under the leaves. These were growing under what might be oak trees.

view of amanita gills

I’m aware the Western Destroying Angel also grows in this area, and might be more likely to appear at this time of year?

  • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
    4·
    2 days ago

    Western Destroying Angel, I will assume that one is also poisonous? Mycologists don’t fuck around with their naming conventions do they?

    Then you have Chicken of the Woods, and Lobster…

  • magnetosphere@fedia.io
    21·
    2 days ago

    I know nothing on the subject, but just suspecting that it might be called a “death cap” would be enough to stop me from eating it

  • ComradeSharkfucker@lemmy.mlEnglish
    18·
    2 days ago

    Show us the volva

    It looks like the gills aren’t attached which is a sign that it is but a cross section would help. Almost certain it is though, especially being under an oak. Bit late in the year yeah but california is temperate enough that its still entirely possible.

  • turdas@suppo.fi
    18·
    2 days ago

    Sure looks like one to me, though it is paler than they usually are (edit: colour variation is perfectly normal for death caps though). It certainly isn’t any edible species that I know of.

    That being said mushrooms are somewhat local and I live on the other side of the world so take this identification with a grain of salt.

  • Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io
    11·
    2 days ago

    Spore print would help w/ ID, white is a (+) association. No staining/ bruising of cap and stip is (+). Also presence/ absence of a volvulus at the ground end a bulbus stipe/stem would be typical of the Amanita genus. The smooth stipe/stem is a (-). I’ve ID’d A. phaloides before in the field. This one would be high suspicion (+), and since it also doesn’t look like anything I do forage, would be a ‘pretty picture, learning experience’, and let’s keep looking.