Amanita onusta

Last updated

Amanita onusta
Amanita onusta 47425.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species:
A. onusta
Binomial name
Amanita onusta
(Howe) Sacc. (1891)
Synonyms [1]
  • Agaricus onustusHowe (1874)
  • Lepiota drymonia Morgan (1907)
Amanita onusta
Information icon.svg
Gills icon.png Gills on hymenium
Convex cap icon.svgFlat cap icon.svg Cap is convex or flat
Free gills icon2.svg Hymenium is free
Ring and volva stipe icon.svg Stipe has a ring and volva
Transparent spore print icon.svg
 Spore print is white
Mycorrhizal fungus.svgor mycorrhizal
Mycomorphbox Question.pngEdibility is unknown

Amanita onusta, commonly known as the loaded Lepidella, the gunpowder Lepidella or the gunpowder amanita, [2] is a species of fungus in the mushroom family Amanitaceae. It is characterized by its small to medium-sized fruit bodies that have white to pale gray caps crowded with roughly conical, pyramidal, or irregular gray warts. The stipe is whitish-gray with woolly or wart-like veil remnants, and at the base is a spindle- or turnip-shaped base that is rooted somewhat deeply in the soil.

Contents

The species is distributed in eastern North America, from Nova Scotia to Mexico, and may be found growing on the ground in deciduous forests, particularly those with oak, hickory and chestnut. Fruit bodies smell somewhat like bleaching powder, and their edibility is unknown, but are possibly toxic.

Taxonomy

Amanita onusta was first described in 1874 by American mycologist Elliot Calvin Howe as Agaricus onustus. [3] Later, in 1891, Pier Andrea Saccardo transferred the species to the genus Amanita . [4] Amanita authority Cornelis Bas, writing in his extensive 1969 monograph on the genus, [5] placed the species in his stirps Microlepis, subsection Solitariae, section Lepidellus. [6] This grouping of Amanita mushroom species also includes A. abrupta , A. atkinsoniana, A. costaricensis (a provisionally named species authored by Tulloss, Halling, & G.M. Muell.), A. nitida (as Coker [7] described the species) and A. sphaerobulbosa . [8]

The Latin epithet onustusa means "charged, load-carrying, burdened", [9] [10] and a regular adjective derived from onus, "burden" [10] (the same word that gave the English onus ). [11] A. onusta is commonly known as the "loaded Lepidella", [12] or the "gunpowder Lepidella". [13]

Description

The fruit bodies of Amanita onusta have caps that are initially broadly convex but flatten out as they mature, reaching diameters of 5 to 10 centimetres (2 to 4 inches). The cap surface, grayish-white in color, is ornamented with conical or pyramidal raised warts, or flattened, symmetrically arranged gray to brownish gray, grayish brown or grayish-orange small scales (squamules) that are densely arranged over the surface.

Detail of cap surface Amanita onusta 59483.jpg
Detail of cap surface
The cap margin has veil fragments hanging from it. Amanita onusta 59481.jpg
The cap margin has veil fragments hanging from it.

The squamules are less crowded near the edge of the cap (the margin). The margin does not have striations, and is typically fringed with remnants of the veil. The gills on the underside of the cap are spaced closely together, and either free or narrowly attached to the stipe. They are white to cream color, and are interspersed with short lamellulae (gills that do not extend completely from cap margin to stipe). [6] The gills may look as if they are waterlogged. [13]

The stipe is 5.5 to 12 cm (2 to 4+1⁄2 in) long, 0.6 to 1.5 cm (1⁄4 to 1⁄2 in) thick, and tapers slightly upwards. It is solid gray to brownish-gray near base, paler towards the top, and appears cottony (floccose) or hairy (fibrillose). The bulb at the base of the stipe is roughly spindle- to turnip-shaped, and may root deeply into the soil, especially if the soil is loose. [14] The short-lived partial veil is white, and attached just below the top of the stipe. It is sticky and in maturity often clings to the upper part of the stipe, or may have some meagre remnants hanging from the cap margin. The universal veil remains are arranged in rows of warts and patches of gray to brownish-gray small scales over the upper portion of the bulb; below this, the color is a dirty white. The flesh is firm and white. [6] Fruit bodies can range in smell from mild to "slightly unpleasant". [12] The odor has been described as resembling "chloride of lime", [15] a smell similar to some bathroom disinfectants containing bleach. [16]

Microscopic characteristics

Viewed in deposit, such as with a spore print, the spores are white. Viewed with a microscope, the spores are broadly ellipsoid to elongate, translucent, thin-walled, amyloid, and have dimensions of 8.3–11.6 by 4.9–6.6 μm. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are 38–46 by 9–11  μm, club-shaped, mostly 4-spored but some are 2- or 3- spored, with clamps. The cheilocystidia (cystidia found on the edge of a gill) are 23.3–31.5 by 11.6–15.7 μm, ellipsoid, club- to pear-shaped cells, partly in short rows. The cap cuticle is up to 168 μm thick, and consists of thin-walled interwoven hyphae that are 2–5.3 μm diameter, and gelatinized. Clamp connections are present in the hyphae of this species—these are short branches connecting one cell to the previous cell to allow passage of the products of nuclear division. [6]

Similar species

Amanita onusta may be confused with A. cinereoconia because of the similar gray powdery veil remnants on the cap surface. [12] A. cinereoconia is distinguished from A. onusta by the absence of clamps, its powdery-wooly to powdery-warty cap, as well as the absence of warts or scales at the base of the stipe. A. cinereoconia also smells distinctly of chloride of lime. [12] Another similar species is A. costaricensis , found only in Costa Rica. A. atkinsoniana , another North American species, has shorter warts that are spaced further apart than those of A. onusta, and the warts on the basal bulb are arranged in parallel rows. [13]

Distribution and habitat

A. onusta grows solitary or scattered on the ground in mixed oak, hickory and chestnut forests from southern New England to Texas. [6] The species has a preference for sandy or loose soils. [17] [18] Its range extends north to Nova Scotia, Canada, [19] and south to Mexico. [20]

Toxicity

The edibility of A. onusta is unknown, [14] but it has been described as "possibly poisonous" [12] and inedible. [21] In general, species of Amanita are best avoided for consumption because of the prevalence of toxic species in that genus. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Amanita gemmata</i> Species of fungus

Amanita gemmata, commonly known as the gemmed amanita or the jonquil amanita, is an agaric mushroom of the family Amanitaceae and genus Amanita. The fruit body has a cap that is a dull to golden shade of yellow, and typically 2.5–12 centimetres in diameter. The cap surface is sticky when moist, and characterized by white warts, which are easily detached. It is initially convex, and flattens out when mature. The flesh is white and does not change colour when cut. The gills are white and closely spaced. The stem is pale yellow, and measures 4–12 cm long by 0.5–1.9 cm thick. The partial veil that covers the young fruit body turns into the ring on the stem at maturity. The spore print is white. It resembles numerous other species.

<i>Amanita cokeri</i> Species of fungus

Amanita cokeri, commonly known as Coker's amanita and solitary lepidella, is a poisonous mushroom in the family Amanitaceae. First described as Lepidella cokeri in 1928, it was transferred to the genus Amanita in 1940.

<i>Amanita brunnescens</i> Species of fungus

Amanita brunnescens, also known as the brown American star-footed amanita or cleft-footed amanita is a native North American mushroom of the large genus Amanita. It differs from A. phalloides by its fragile volva and tendency to bruise brown.

<i>Amanita arocheae</i> Species of fungus

Amanita arocheae, also known as the Latin American death cap, is a mushroom of the large genus Amanita, which occurs in Colombia, Central America and South America. Deadly poisonous, it is a member of section Phalloideae and related to the death cap, A. phalloides.

<i>Amanita ovoidea</i> Species of fungus

The European white egg, bearded amanita or European egg amidella, is a species of fungus of the genus Amanita in the family Amanitaceae. It is a large, white-colored fungus, often tinged with cream. Native to Europe, it is found on plains as well as mountains in the Mediterranean region. It is similar to some deadly poisonous species.

<i>Amanita smithiana</i> Species of fungus

Amanita smithiana, also known as Smith's amanita, is a species of agaric found on soil in coniferous and broadleaved woodland in the Pacific Northwest of North America. It fruits in August and September.

<i>Amanita echinocephala</i> Species of fungus

Amanita echinocephala is a large, whitish or ivory-coloured mushroom with a characteristic spiny, or warty-looking cap. A. solitaria is a synonym and opinions are divided as to which name takes precedence. It lives on chalky soils with beech trees, and appears earlier than most mushrooms of similar size in southern England. It frequently occurs singly or in small groups, resulting in it being referred to as the solitary amanita or, more specifically, European solitary lepidella. It is very drought-tolerant.

<i>Amanita flavoconia</i> Species of fungus

Amanita flavoconia, commonly known as yellow patches, yellow wart, orange amanita, yellow-dust amanita or the American yellow dust amanita, is a species of mushroom in the family Amanitaceae. It has an orangish-yellow cap with yellowish-orange patches or warts, a yellowish-orange annulus, and a white to orange stem. Common and widespread throughout eastern North America, A. flavoconia grows on the ground in broad-leaved and mixed forests, especially in mycorrhizal association with hemlock.

<i>Amanita abrupta</i> Species of fungus

Amanita abrupta, commonly known as the American abrupt-bulbed amanita or the American abrupt-bulbed lepidella, is a toxic species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. Named for the characteristic shape of its fruit bodies, this white Amanita has a slender stem, a cap covered with conical white warts, and an "abruptly enlarged" swollen base. This terrestrial species grows in mixed woods in eastern North America and eastern Asia, where it is thought to exist in a mycorrhizal relationship with a variety of both coniferous and deciduous tree species.

<i>Amanita daucipes</i> Species of fungus

Amanita daucipes is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae of the mushroom order Agaricales. Found exclusively in North America, the mushroom may be recognized in the field by the medium to large white caps with pale orange tints, and the dense covering of pale orange or reddish-brown powdery conical warts on the cap surface. The mushroom also has a characteristic large bulb at the base of its stem with a blunt short rooting base, whose shape is suggestive of the common names carrot-footed lepidella, carrot-foot amanita, or turnip-foot amanita. The mushroom has a strong odor that has been described variously as "sweet and nauseous", or compared to an old ham bone, or soap. Edibility is unknown for the species, but consumption is generally not recommended due its position in the Amanita subgroup Lepidella, which contains some poisonous members.

<i>Amanita australis</i> Species of fungus

Amanita australis is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. It produces small- to medium-sized fruit bodies, with brown caps up to 9 centimetres in diameter covered with pyramidal warts. The gills on the underside of the cap are white, closely crowded together, and free from attachment to the stem. The stem, up to 9 cm long, has a ring and a bulbous base. The mushroom may be confused with another endemic New Zealand species, A. nothofagi, but can be distinguished by differences in microscopic characteristics.

<i>Amanita nehuta</i> Species of fungus

Amanita nehuta, also called Maori dust amanita, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae.It has only a dark ring rather than a universal veil and white spores. Abundant in New Zealand, it can be found growing under Leptospermum and Nothofagus species.

<i>Amanita atkinsoniana</i> Species of fungus

Amanita atkinsoniana, also known as the Atkinson's amanita, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. The fruit body is white to brownish, with caps up to 12.5 centimetres in diameter, and stems up to 20 cm long. The surface of the cap is covered with brownish conical warts.

<i>Amanita ravenelii</i> Species of fungus

Amanita ravenelii, commonly known as the pinecone lepidella, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. The whitish fruit bodies are medium to large, with caps up to 17 centimetres wide, and stems up to 25 cm (10 in) long. The cap surface has large warts and the stem has a scaly, bulbous base. The mushrooms have a unique chlorine like odor.

<i>Amanita rubrovolvata</i> Species of fungus

Amanita rubrovolvata, commonly known as the red volva amanita, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. The fungus produces small to medium-sized mushrooms, with reddish-orange caps up to 6.5 millimetres wide. The stems are up to 10 cm (4 in) tall, cream-coloured above the ring and cream to yellowish below it. The stem ends in a roughly spherical bulb at the base, which is covered with bright orange patches.

<i>Saproamanita thiersii</i> Species of fungus

Saproamanita thiersii, commonly called Thiers' lepidella, is a North American saprotrophic basidiomycete fungus in the genus Saproamanita. It is a white, small mushroom. Its cap is convex, measuring 3.5–10 centimetres across, and the stipe is 8–20 cm (3–8 in) long. The spore print is white.

<i>Amanita ceciliae</i> Species of fungus

Amanita ceciliae, commonly called snakeskin grisette, strangulated amanita, and the Cecilia's ringless amanita, is a basidiomycete fungus in the genus Amanita. First described in 1854 by Miles Joseph Berkeley and Christopher Edmund Broome, it was given its current name by Cornelis Bas in 1984. It is characterized by bearing a large fruit body with a brown cap 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in) across. The cap has charcoal-grey patches, which are easily removable. The stipe is 7–18 cm (2.8–7.1 in) long, white in colour, and there is no ring on it. It is slightly tapered to the top, and has irregular cottony bands girdling the base. The universal veil is grey. Spores are white, spherical in shape, non-amyloid, and measure 10.2–11.7 micrometres. The mushrooms are considered edible, but field guides typically advise caution in selecting them for consumption, due to risks of confusion with similar toxic species. A. ceciliae is found in woods throughout Europe and North America, where it fruits during summer and autumn.

<i>Amanita ananiceps</i> Species of fungus

Amanita ananiceps is a species of agaric fungus in the family Amanitaceae native to Australia.

<i>Amanita crenulata</i> Toxic species of mushroom

Amanita crenulata, also known as the poison champagne amanita, is a species of fungus that is very common in the Northeast United States.

References

  1. ↑ "Amanita onusta (Howe) Sacc. 1891". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  2. ↑ "Standardized Common Names for Wild Species in Canada". National General Status Working Group. 2020.
  3. ↑ Howe EC. (1874). "New Fungi". Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 5 (1): 42–3. doi:10.2307/2477243. JSTOR   2477243.
  4. ↑ Saccardo PA. (1891). Sylloge Fungorum IX (in Latin). p. 1.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ Bas C. (1969). "Morphology and subdivision of Amanita and a monograph on its section Lepidella". Persoonia. 5: 285–579.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Bhatt RP, Miller OK Jr (2004). "Amanita subgenus Lepidella and related taxa in the southeastern United States". In Cripps CL (ed.). Fungi in Forest Ecosystems: Systematics, Diversity, and Ecology. New York Botanical Garden Press. pp. 33–59. ISBN   978-0-89327-459-7.
  7. ↑ Coker WC. (1917). "The Amanitas of the eastern United States". Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society. 33 (1–2).
  8. ↑ Tulloss R. "Amanita microlepis". Studies in the Amanitaceae. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  9. ↑ author WT. (1973). Botanical Latin (2nd annot. and rev. ed.). Newton Abbot, UK: David & Charles. p. 473.{{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  10. 1 2 Glare PGW., ed. (1982) [1976]. Oxford Latin Dictionary (combined ed.). Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press. ISBN   978-0-19-864224-4.{{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help) ss. vv. "onus", "onustus", p. 1250.
  11. ↑ "onus". Oxford English Dictionary Online. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. 2010.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 McKnight VB, McKnight KH (1987). A Field Guide to Mushrooms, North America. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. p. 208. ISBN   978-0-395-91090-0.
  13. 1 2 3 Tulloss R. "Amanita onusta". Studies in the Amanitaceae. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  14. 1 2 Bessette A, Bessette AR, Fischer DW (1997). Mushrooms of Northeastern North America. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. p. 65. ISBN   978-0-8156-0388-7.
  15. ↑ Jenkins, p. 80.
  16. ↑ Jenkins, p. 186.
  17. ↑ Arora D. (1986). Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. p. 276. ISBN   978-0-89815-169-5.
  18. ↑ Kibby G. (1994). An Illustrated Guide to Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Lubrecht & Cramer. p. 90. ISBN   978-0-681-45384-5.
  19. ↑ Stewart HL, Grund DW (1973). "Nova Scotian fungi. New species and records of amanitas for the province". Canadian Journal of Botany. 52 (2): 331–9. doi:10.1139/b74-044.
  20. ↑ Pérez-Silva E, Suárez TH, Esparza E (1991). Iconografía de Macromicetos de México (in Spanish). Mexico: Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). ISBN   978-968-36-1634-0.
  21. ↑ Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 25. ISBN   978-1-55407-651-2.
  22. ↑ Orr DB, Orr RT (1979). Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 196. ISBN   978-0-520-03656-7.

Cited books

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.