Toxic
Panther cap
Amanita pantherina
The character that does the work
Brown cap, white warts, grooved margin, and a collar at the top of the bulb.
The specimen sheet, in examination order
01Cap
5 to 12 cm, warm brown to greyish-brown, with pure white wart-like patches and a strongly grooved margin.
02Underside
Free white gills.
03Stem, and the base
White, with a ring, and a distinct rim or collar at the top of the basal bulb.
04Flesh, cut
White.
05Spore print
White to cream
How to take one06Where it grows
Woodland, with beech, oak and conifers.
When to look
Typically Jul to Nov in the northern hemisphere. Fruiting swings by weeks with rainfall and by a month or more with latitude, so this is when to look rather than when it will be there.
Europe, Asia, and a related group in western North America.
What is worth knowing about it
Substantially stronger than the fly agaric and responsible for a much higher rate of severe poisoning, including coma. Because it is brown rather than red it does not carry the same instinctive warning, and it sits beside the blusher, which is eaten in Europe. Any brown Amanita with white warts is a mushroom to photograph rather than pick.
Confused with
- Blusher
- Fly agaric
- Panthercap look-alikes in the Amanita gemmata group
This page tells you what to check. It does not tell you the mushroom in your hand is that species, and it cannot. If you are not certain, do not eat it. If you have already eaten something and feel unwell, contact a poison centre and keep an uncooked specimen.
Others in this group