A large western North American Amanita with an orange-brown cap that usually carries one or a few thick white patches of universal veil, a skirt-like ring and a large sack-like volva. It fruits mainly in fall and winter in coastal and Sierra Nevada forests. It is a close relative of Caesar's mushroom. Because pale forms and buttons can resemble deadly Amanitas, it is a high-risk species for anyone without long local experience.
Edibility disputed for general use; not recommended. Experienced collectors in California and the Pacific Northwest eat it and regional sources list it as edible, but the same sources warn against it for anyone without years of local experience. It can be confused with the deadly death cap (Amanita phalloides) and western destroying angel (Amanita ocreata), both containing amatoxins that cause delayed liver failure. Full safety details in notes.
Never eat a wild mushroom based on a web page — confirm with an expert.
Habitat
Ectomycorrhizal. Grows alone, scattered or in groups in mixed hardwood-conifer woods: primarily with Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii) from central California to southern Oregon, and with Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) from northern Oregon into British Columbia. Fruits mainly late fall through winter, sometimes spring.
Distribution
Western North America: coastal California north through Oregon and Washington to southern British Columbia, and the Sierra Nevada.
Characteristics
Cap: 8-20 cm or more, round becoming convex to nearly flat; sticky when fresh; orange to orange-brown or yellowish brown, paler toward the margin, occasionally whitish; usually with one or a few large, thick white veil patches; margin faintly to strongly lined at maturity. Gills: white, close to crowded, free or narrowly attached, with frequent short gills. Stem: 7-25 cm long, up to 4 cm thick, more or less equal, whitish, sometimes bruising slightly brownish, often partly hollow with stringy white pith. Ring: cream, skirt-like, on the upper stem. Volva: large, white to yellowish, sack-like, sometimes crumbling. Flesh: white to faintly yellowish, not staining; odor not distinctive. Spore print: white. Spores: inamyloid, broadly ellipsoid, reported as 9-12 x 6-8 um (MushroomExpert) or 8-11 x 5-6 um (California Fungi).
