Amanita citrina: The Ultimate Mushroom Guide

About The Amanita citrina Mushroom

Amanita citrina is an inedible mushroom, although not reported to be seriously toxic. In any case, great care is necessary because it is easily confused with deadly poisonous Amanita species such as the Destroying Angel.

Amanita citrina is a very common mushroom in Autumn. This species is also seen frequently across most of mainland Europe and is reported from parts of North America, where it is also quite common.

This mushroom is now known to contain the toxin alpha-amanitin; however, if eaten in normal amounts it is considered the concentration is so low that it is unlikely to have any significant effect on a healthy adult.

Other names: False Death Cap.

Amanita citrina Identification

1. Growth

   The False Deathcap is a mycorrhizal fungi growing in association with different trees. fruits are often found individually, but can also be found in small groups. It begins growing in an egg-like sac called a volva, or universal veil.

2. Cap

   The caps of the False Deatcap is white tinged with lemon-yellow. There is also a pure white variant (var. alba). They can reach between 5cm and 10cm wide, and are domed at first and eventually flatten out. Bright-white fragments of the veil/volva remain on the cap, turning dirty-white with age. However, these can be washed away in heavy rain.

3. Gills

   The white gills are crowded and free of the stem.

4. Stem

   Sturdy and white with a lemon tinge, the stem can reach 5 to 8cm tall, and is 0.5-1.5cm wide. It has a stem ring, or skirt, that usually persists. The volval remains as a swollen bulb with a gutter at the base of the stem

5. Flesh and Spore color: White.

Amanita citrina Similar Species

1. Amanita citrina var. alba (Price) Quelet & Bataille 1902, identical to the type, but completely white.

2. Amanita citrina for. crassior Massart & Rouzeau 1999, of bigger size, and habitat maritime pines.

3. Amanita asteropus Sabo ex Romagnesi 1963, from which it differs mainly for the big bulb edged and pentagonal, star-shaped (from which the Latin name).

Amanita citrina Taxonomy & Etymology

Jacob Christian Schaeffer described this mycorrhizal woodland mushroom in 1762 and named it Agaricus citrinus. (Most of the gilled mushrooms were included initially in the genus Agaricus, the contents of which has since been largely dispersed into many other newer genera.) Christiaan Hendrik Persoon renamed this species Amanita citrina in 1797. Synonyms of Amanita citrina include Agaricus citrinus Schaeff., Agaricus mappa Batsch, and Amanita mappa (Batsch) Bertill.

The specific epithet citrina is a reference to the lemon-yellow (citrine) tinge of the caps.