Amanita excelsa - Grey Spotted Amanita

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

Sometimes referred to as the False Panthercap, Amanita excelsa is very variable in appearance and samples are sometimes mistakenly recorded as Panthercap, Amanita pantherina. It most commonly cited synonym is Amanita spissa.

Because of the risk of misidentification, it is inadvisable to eat the Grey Spotted Amanita, although some authorities claim that these fungi are edible, although nothing special.

Watermarked preview (new window) of Photolibrary image FN319f_amanita_spissa.jpg (Large file)...

Watermarked preview (new window) of Photolibrary image FN320f_amanita_spissa.jpg (Large file)...

Identification guide

	Cap 8 - 15cm diameter; brown or grey-brown; usually retaining irregular grey patches or fragments of the universal veil; initially domed, becoming almost flat or occasionally slightly concave at maturity. The velar patches are easily washed or wiped off the cap surface. Beneath the pellicle the flesh of the cap is white and firm.
	Gills While most Amanita species have free gills, the gills of Amanita spissa are adnexed. They are white and crowded.
	Stem 8 - 12cm long and 1.5 - 2.5cm in diameter; white and with a transient ring that is usually grooved on its upper surface. The stipe is smooth or lined above the ring; covered in white scales below. At the swollen base there is no clear volval gutter and the volva itself is no longer evident when the fruitbody reaches maturity.
Spore print	White.
Odour/taste	A faint, unpleasant odour but no distinctive taste.
Habitat	Mycorhizal with hardwood and softwood trees, often most abundant near the edge of mixed woodland.
Season	July to November.
Occurrence	Frequent; often recurring in the same place for several years.
Similar species	Amanita pantherina has white velar remains on the cap, free gills an ungrooved ring, and a distinct volval ridge at the base of the stem.