Death Cap vs Paddy Straw Mushroom
Amanita phalloides and Volvariella volvacea are confused for one another often enough to be worth putting next to each other.
The deadliest mushroom in the world — responsible for most fatal poisonings. Amatoxins destroy the liver, and symptoms are delayed 6–24 hours.
Grown on rice straw and eaten across Asia, mostly out of a tin. It has caused death cap poisonings among immigrants to America and Australia, where the young stages resemble one another and the deadly one is the local resident.
Side by side
| Amanita phalloides | Volvariella volvacea | |
|---|---|---|
| In this game | Poisonous | Edible |
| Habitat | Broadleaf woodland, mycorrhizal with oak, beech and chestnut; also under planted oaks in parks. | Not recorded yet |
| Season | Late summer to late autumn. | Not recorded yet |
| Spore print | White. | Not recorded yet |
This comparison cannot make a mushroom safe to eat. It sets out the few characteristics this game records, in general terms, for two species that vary by region, age and growing conditions. Real specimens overlap in ways no table and no photograph can separate, and the deadly one here is deadly in a single meal. Ask a qualified local expert, every time.
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Amanita phalloides is also confused with Destroying Angel, Horse Mushroom, Field Mushroom and Charcoal Burner.
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