| | The families of mushrooms and toadstools represented in Britain and Ireland |
Including the ‘Death-cap Fungi’.
Dubiously including Amanitaceae
Morphology. The fruit-bodies producing basidia and basidiospores; ephemeral; solitary; differentiated into a stipe and pileus with the hymenium underneath the latter; small to large; (2–)4–12(–16) cm across. The mature pileus convex, or parasol-shaped, or more or less flat or somewhat depressed. The fruit-bodies brightly pigmented, or not brightly pigmented. The top of the pileus conspicuously patterned with scales (white on red, brown on white or cream, etc.), or not patterned with scales; white or whitish, or cream or yellowish, or buff, or straw-coloured, or yellowish-brown, or reddish-brown, or light brown, or dark brown, or orange, or olive, or yellow, or green, or red. The stipe bearing a ring but no volva (or the volva very reduced, in some Amanita species), or with a volva but no ring (in Volvariella), or with both ring and volva (in most Amanita species), or with neither ring nor volva (in Pluteus). The hymenium borne on gills (the lamellae free, thin, the hymenophoral trama bilateral, convergent in Pluteaceae s. str. and divergent in Amanitaceae). The hymenophore mostly free. The hymenophoral trama bilateral (the hymenophoral trama divergent in Amanitaceae, convergent in Pluteaceae s. str.). The basidia ‘unmodified’. The basidiospores globose to elongate-ellipsoid; ballistosporic; dull pink (Pluteaceae sensu stricto), or white to cream (Amanitaceae).
The hyphal walls lamellate, with a thin, electron-dense outer layer and a relatively thick, electron-transparent inner layer. The hyphae monomitic. The generative hyphae inflated. Spaerocysts not occurring among the context hyphae.
Ecology. Saprophytic and mycorrhizal. The fruit-bodies borne on the ground (mostly), or on dead wood (e.g., some Pluteus species on rotted stumps). Found in heathland, in coniferous woodland, in broad-leaved woodland, in mixed woodland, and in places modified by human activities.
Representation in Britain and Ireland. Amanita, Limacella, Pluteus, Volvaria, Volvariella.
World representation. 874 species; genera 6. “Widespread”.
Classification. Basidiomycota; Basidiomycetes; Agaricomycetidae; Agaricales.
Comments. Very poisonous (several Amanita species, with A. muscaria also notably psychotropic), or edible (e.g., Pluteus cervinus, Volvariella spp., and for the brave and optimistic, Amanita rubescens when cooked). “Hymenophoral trama bilateral, convergent”.
Illustrations. • Amanita fulva, A. muscaria, A. phalloides, A. vaginata, A. virosa (LH). PLUTEACEAE. 1, Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric); 2, Amanita virosa (Destroying Angel); 3, Amanita fulva (Tawny Grisette); 4, Amanita vaginata (Grisette); 5, Amanita phalloides (Death Cap). J.E. Lange, in Lange & Hora (1965). • Amanita citrina, A. excelsa, A. pantherina, A. porphyrea, A. rubescens (LH). PLUTEACEAE. 1, Amanita pantherina; 2, Amanita citrina; 3, Amanita porphyria; 4, Amanita rubescens (The Blusher); 5, Amanita excelsa. J.E. Lange, in Lange & Hora (1965). • Amanita strangulata (LH). PLUTEACEAE. Amanita strangulata (recorded only once in Britain by 2006). J.E. Lange, in Lange & Hora (1965). • Limacella guttata, Pluteus cervinus, Volvariella bombycina, V. gloeocephala, V. surrecta (LH). PLUTEACEAE. 1, Volvariella surrecta; 2, Volvariella gloeocephala; 3, Volvariella bombycina. 4, Limacella guttata. 5, Pluteus cervinus. From Lange & Hora (1965). • Pluteus aurantiorugosus, cinereofuscus, petasatus, plautus, romellii, salicinus (LH). PLUTEACEAE. 1, Pluteus aurantiorugosus; 2, Pluteus romellii; 3, Pluteus petasatus; 4, Pluteus plautus; 5, Pluteus salicinus; 6, Pluteus cinereofuscus. J.E. Lange, in Lange & Hora (1965). • Amanita ceciliae, A. excelsa, A. phalloides, A. strobiliformis and A. vaginata (Berkeley). PLUTEACEAE. 1, Amanita phalloides (Vaill. ex Fr.) Link (Death Cap, Angel of Death); 2, Amanita strobiliformis (Paulet ex Vittad.) Bertillon; 3, Amanita excelsa (Fr.) P. Kumm.; 4, Amanita vaginata (Bull.) Fr.; 5, Amanita ceciliae (Berke. & Broome) Bas. AGARICEAE. 6, Lepiota rhacodes (Vittad.) Quél.; 7, Lepiota cristata (Bolton) P. Kumm. From Berkeley (1860). • Amanita citrina, A. muscaria, A. rubescens and A. verna (Price). PLUTEACEAE. 3, Amanita verna (Bull.) Lam.; 56, Amanita muscaria (L.) Pers. (Fly Agaric); 66, Amanita citrina Pers.; 75, Amanita rubescens (Pers.) Gray (The Blusher). From Price (1864). • 2 Pluteus spp. and 3 of Volvariella spp. (Berkeley). PLUTEACEAE. 1, Volvariella bombycina (Schaeff.) Singer; 2, Volvariella surrecta (Knapp) Singer; 3, Volvariella gloiocephala (DC.) Boekhout & Enderle; 4, Pluteus leoninus (Schaeff.) P. Kumm.; 5, Pluteus chrysophaeus (Schaeff.) Quél. ENTOLOMATACEAE. 6, Entoloma clypeatum (L.) P. Kumm.; 7, Clitopilus prunulus (Scop.) P. Kumm. From Berkeley (1860).
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2008 onwards. The families of mushrooms and toadstools represented in Britain and Ireland. Version: 5th August 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
