Amanita bisporigera, the eastern destroying angel, is the most commonly encountered destroying angel in eastern North America and among the most toxic North American Amanita species. It is pure white, with a bald cap, a thin skirt-like ring and a white sack-like volva. It is separated from similar destroying angels by mostly two-spored basidia, round spores and a bright yellow KOH reaction on the cap.
Deadly poisonous. Contains amatoxins, chiefly α-amanitin, which survive boiling, freezing and drying; one mature fruit body can hold a lethal dose. Vomiting and diarrhea start about 6–16 hours after eating, followed by liver and kidney failure. Seek emergency care at once if ingestion is suspected. It has been mistaken for edible Agaricus, puffballs and the paddy straw mushroom.
Never eat a wild mushroom based on a web page — confirm with an expert.
Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
Habitat
Mycorrhizal with oaks and possibly other hardwoods in deciduous and mixed forests; reported with birch and aspen in the west. Season: Summer and early fall.
Distribution
Widespread and common in eastern North America, from Texas to the northern woods and the Maritime provinces, extending south to Mexico; rare in western North America. Also reported from Colombia, possibly introduced. North American records of the European A. virosa and A. verna are usually misapplied to this or related species.
Characteristics
Cap: 2.5–10 cm; nearly oval when young, becoming convex to broadly convex or nearly flat; bald, dry or slightly sticky; stark white to ivory, sometimes darker at the centre; margin not lined. Gills: Free or nearly free, close to crowded, white, with frequent short gills. Stem: 5.5–14 cm long, 0.5–2 cm thick; tapering upward to an enlarged base; somewhat shaggy or nearly bald; white. Ring: Thin, high, skirt-like, persistent. Volva: White, sack-like, sometimes buried or broken up. Flesh: White. Odor: Not distinctive when young; often foul (sickly sweet or like rotting meat) with age. Spore print: White; spores 7–10 × 6–9 µm, globose to broadly ellipsoid, amyloid; basidia 2-spored (possibly 4-spored later in the season). Chemical reactions: KOH bright yellow on the cap.
