Amanita citrina

[ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Amanitaceae > Amanita . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This Amanita is recognized by its pale yellow to pale green colors, its abrupt basal bulb, and the faintly potato-like smell of the fresh gills. It is eastern in distribution, and is mycorrhizal with hardwoods and conifers. One often finds faded specimens of Amanita citrina, and in this state they are reminiscent of the Destroying Angels--but those deadly mushrooms are pure white through all stages of development, and have more prominent, sack-like volvas.

Several varieties and forms of Amanita citrina have been described, and the "species" may represent several distinct entities that are not completely understood; see the comments below for details.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods; summer and fall; widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains.

Cap: 5-12 cm, convex to broadly convex or flat in age; sticky or slimy when wet; with small, grayish or whitish patches or warts when young--but these sometimes disappearing by maturity; surface pale greenish yellow (with lavender shades in one form; see below), fading; margin typically not lined.

Gills: Free from the stem; white, sometimes yellowish in age; crowded.

Stem: 6-12 cm long; 1-1.5 cm. thick; more or less equal, but with an abruptly bulbous base; the base with a whitish volva that adheres tightly (and is not "sack-like"), and has a rim or gutter on the upper edge; sometimes with a longitudinally "chiseled" or split basal bulb; with a fairly persistent white or yellowish ring.

Flesh: White throughout.

Odor: Faintly of potatoes.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-10 µ; smooth; round; amyloid.

REFERENCES: (Schaeffer, 1762) Persoon, 1797. (Kauffman, 1918; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Weber & Smith, 1985; Arora, 1986, Jenkins, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Barron, 1999; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 07089504, 09030202.

Amanita mappa is a former name.

Traditionally, Amanita citrina f. lavendula has lavender to lilac shades on its cap, while a grayish brown variety, Amanita citrina var. grisea, and a white variety, Amanita citrina var. alba, do not. However, limited preliminary evidence suggests that lavender shades may be influenced by environmental factors, and "[a] thorough revision (including type studies) of the 'North American citrina group' is much needed, and molecular work on specimens that would fall in this group may produce valuable results" (Tulloss, 2006).

Further Online Information:

Amanita citrina f. lavendula at Tulloss's Studies in Amanita
Amanita citrina at Roger's Mushrooms
Amanita citrina at Fungi of Poland

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2008, March). Amanita citrina. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/amanita_citrina.html