Amanita caojizong

Amanita caojizong
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Amanitaceae
Genus:	Amanita
Subgenus:	Amanita subg. Amanitina
Section:	Amanita sect. Roanokenses
Species:	A. caojizong
Binomial name
Amanita caojizong Zhu L. Yang, Y.Y. Cui & Q. Cai (2018)
Synonyms
Amanita manginiana sensu W.F. Chiu

Amanita caojizong Mycological characteristics
	Gills on hymenium
	Cap is convex or flat
	Hymenium is free
	Stipe has a ring and volva
	Ecology is mycorrhizal
	Edibility is edible but not recommended

Amanita caojizong (formerly Amanita manginiana sensu W.F. Chiu) or Chiu's false death cap, is a mushroom of Amanitaceae found in East Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia.

It is known in Chinese as caojizong. ^{[note 1]}

Description

Overall, the mushroom is medium or big in size, occasionally even larger. It doesn't have a distinct odor.

As for the cap, the diameter is commonly ranged 5–15 cm, with the biggest seen being 20 cm. Its shape is plano-convex to flat, sometimes centrally umbonate. The color is ranged being brownish gray, brown, gray to dark gray. When broken, the flesh is white and doesn't change the color. The gills are white to cream-colored. It has a white volva.

The stem is 9–15 cm long and 0.5–3 cm thick in diameter. White. Center soft or stuffed. It has a white annulus at the uppermost or almost uppermost position of the stem. ^[1]

Taxonomy

This mushroom was first scientifically described by Wei-Fan Chiu in 1948 under the name of "Amanita manginiana". ^[2] Noticing that this mushroom has some morphological disparities from the protologue and type illustration of A. manginiana, Yang (1997) called this mushroom "Amanita manginiana sensu W.F. Chiu". ^[3] The mushroom was given an independent name Amanita caojizong in Cui et al. (2018). ^[1]

Habitat

It grows in forests of pines, broad-leaved trees or both Fagaceae and Pinaceae trees. ^[1]

It is found in China, South Korea, Japan and Thailand. ^[1]

Edibility

This mushroom is edible. ^[1] However, consumption is not recommended as this mushroom is visually similar to toxic Amanita species, such as Amanita pseudoporphyria . ^[1]

Notes

1. Chinese :草雞㙡 / 草雞樅 (trad.), 草鸡𭎂 / 草鸡枞 (simp.); pinyin :cǎojīzōng.

References

1. Cui YY, Cai Q, Tang LP, Liu JW, Yang ZL (2018). "The family Amanitaceae: molecular phylogeny, higher-rank taxonomy and the species in China". Fungal Diversity. 91 (1): 5–230. doi:10.1007/s13225-018-0405-9.
2. Chiu WF (1948). "The Amanitaceae of Yunnan". The Science Reports of National Tsing Hua University. Series B: Biological and Psychological Sciences. 3 (3): 165–178.
3. Yang ZL (1997). Die Amanita-Arten von Südwestchina. Bibliotheca Mycologica. Vol. 170.