Amanita flavoconia
Encyclopedia
Amanita flavoconia, commonly known as yellow patches, yellow wart, orange Amanita, or 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, Amanita flavoconia grows on the ground in broad-leaved
and mixed forests, especially in mycorrhiza
l association with hemlock
.
Basin, New York
. Jean-Edouard Gilbert placed it in Amplariella, in 1941, while in 1948 William Alphonso Murrill thought that it belonged best in Venenarius; both of these segregate genera
have been folded back into Amanita.
The specific epithet flavoconia means yellowish and conical. Its common name
s include "yellow patches", "yellow wart", "orange Amanita", or "yellow-dust Amanita".
is initially ovoid in shape, but in maturity becomes convex and eventually flattened. Orange to bright yellow-orange in color, it reaches diameters of 3 to 9 cm (1.2 to 3.5 in). Young specimens are covered with chrome yellow
warts that may be easily rubbed off or washed away with rain.The cap surface is smooth and sticky (viscid) beneath the warts; the edge of the cap is striate, reflecting the arrangement of the gills underneath. The flesh
is white. The gills are barely free from the stem, and packed close together. They are white or tinged yellow on the edges, and initially covered with a yellowish partial veil
. The stem
is typically 5.5 to 11.5 cm (2.2 to 4.5 in) long by 0.7 to 1.4 cm (0.275590551181102 to 0.551181102362205 in) thick, equal or slightly tapered upward from a small rounded bulb at the base. Its color may range from white to yellowish orange, and the surface may be smooth, or covered with small flakes. The base of the stem usually has chrome yellow flakes of universal veil
material adhering loosely to the bulb, or in the soil around the base. The partial veil leaves a skirt-like ring, (annulus
) on the upper stem. The spore print
of A. flavoconia is white.
Campbell and Petersen published a detailed description of the characteristics of A. flavoconia grown in culture. In the era prior to the commonplace use of DNA analysis and phylogenetics
, cultural characters were often used to help provide additional taxonomic
information; they found considerable variability between different isolates.
Two variants have been reported from Colombia
, collected from Quercus humboldtii
forests: A. flavoconia var. sinapicolor and var. inquinata.
. They are hyaline
(translucent), and amyloid
, meaning that they absorb the iodine stain in Melzer's reagent
. The spore-bearing cells, the basidia
, are up to 35–43 µm long by 4–12 µm, and each have four sterigmata, extensions that hold the spores. The outer layer, or cuticle of the cap (known technically as the pileipellis
) is made of filamentous interwoven gelatinized hypha
e, with diameters between 3 and 7 µm.
, some subspecies of which are also orange-colored. It also bears some resemblance to A. frostiana
and A. flavorubescens. One 1982 study concluded that a "large majority" of herbarium
specimens labeled as A. frostiana were actually A. flavoconia. The use of microscopic
features is necessary to distinguish clearly among the species: A. flavoconia has elliptic, amyloid spores, while A. frostiana has round, non-amyloid spores; A. muscaria has nonamyloid, elliptic spores. In the field, A. flavorubescens can usually be distinguished by its yellow cap color.
, it is also associated with high elevation red spruce
forests.
In North America, Amanita flavoconia has a wide distribution and has been collected from several locations, including Ontario, Canada; the United States (Iowa) and Mexico. It has been described as "of the most common and widespread species of Amanita in eastern North America."
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
in the family Amanitaceae
Amanitaceae
Amanitaceae are a family of fungi or mushrooms. The family, also commonly called the Amanita family, is in order Agaricales, gilled mushrooms...
. It has an orangish-yellow cap
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
with yellowish-orange patches or warts, a yellowish-orange annulus
Annulus (mycology)
An annulus is the ring like structure sometimes found on the stipe of some species of mushrooms. The annulus represents the remaining part of the partial veil, after it has ruptured to expose the gills or other spore-producing surface. An annulus may be thick and membranous, or it may be cobweb-like...
, and a white to orange stem. Common and widespread throughout eastern North America, Amanita flavoconia grows on the ground in broad-leaved
Temperate deciduous forest
A temperate deciduous forest, more precisely termed temperate broadleaf forest or temperate broadleaved forest, is a biome found in North America, southern South America, Europe, and Asia. A temperate deciduous forest consists of trees that lose their leaves every year...
and mixed forests, especially in mycorrhiza
Mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
l association with hemlock
Conium
Conium is a genus of two species of highly poisonous perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean region as Conium maculatum, and to southern Africa as Conium chaerophylloides....
.
Taxonomy
Amanita flavoconia was first described by American naturalist George Francis Atkinson in 1902, based on a specimen he found in woods north of Fall Creek, Cayuga LakeCayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area and second largest in volume. It is just under 40 miles long. Its average width is 1.7 miles , and it is at its widest point near Aurora...
Basin, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Jean-Edouard Gilbert placed it in Amplariella, in 1941, while in 1948 William Alphonso Murrill thought that it belonged best in Venenarius; both of these segregate genera
Segregate (taxonomy)
In taxonomy, a segregate, or a segregate taxon is created when a taxon is split off, from another taxon. This other taxon will be better known, usually bigger, and will continue to exist, even after the segregate taxon has been split off...
have been folded back into Amanita.
The specific epithet flavoconia means yellowish and conical. Its common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s include "yellow patches", "yellow wart", "orange Amanita", or "yellow-dust Amanita".
Description
The capPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
is initially ovoid in shape, but in maturity becomes convex and eventually flattened. Orange to bright yellow-orange in color, it reaches diameters of 3 to 9 cm (1.2 to 3.5 in). Young specimens are covered with chrome yellow
Chrome yellow
Chrome Yellow is a natural yellow pigment made of lead chromate . It was first extracted from the mineral crocoite by the French chemist Louis Vauquelin in 1809...
warts that may be easily rubbed off or washed away with rain.The cap surface is smooth and sticky (viscid) beneath the warts; the edge of the cap is striate, reflecting the arrangement of the gills underneath. The flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is white. The gills are barely free from the stem, and packed close together. They are white or tinged yellow on the edges, and initially covered with a yellowish partial veil
Partial veil
thumb|150px|right|Developmental stages of [[Agaricus campestris]] showing the role and evolution of a partial veilPartial veil is a mycological term used to describe a temporary structure of tissue found on the fruiting bodies of some basidiomycete fungi, typically agarics...
. The stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
is typically 5.5 to 11.5 cm (2.2 to 4.5 in) long by 0.7 to 1.4 cm (0.275590551181102 to 0.551181102362205 in) thick, equal or slightly tapered upward from a small rounded bulb at the base. Its color may range from white to yellowish orange, and the surface may be smooth, or covered with small flakes. The base of the stem usually has chrome yellow flakes of universal veil
Universal veil
In mycology, a universal veil is a temporary membranous tissue that fully envelops immature fruiting bodies of certain gilled mushrooms. The developing Caesar's mushroom , for example, which may resemble a small white sphere at this point, is protected by this structure...
material adhering loosely to the bulb, or in the soil around the base. The partial veil leaves a skirt-like ring, (annulus
Annulus (mycology)
An annulus is the ring like structure sometimes found on the stipe of some species of mushrooms. The annulus represents the remaining part of the partial veil, after it has ruptured to expose the gills or other spore-producing surface. An annulus may be thick and membranous, or it may be cobweb-like...
) on the upper stem. The spore print
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
of A. flavoconia is white.
Campbell and Petersen published a detailed description of the characteristics of A. flavoconia grown in culture. In the era prior to the commonplace use of DNA analysis and phylogenetics
Phylogenetics
In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...
, cultural characters were often used to help provide additional taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
information; they found considerable variability between different isolates.
Two variants have been reported from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, collected from Quercus humboldtii
Quercus humboldtii
Quercus humboldtii, commonly known as the Andean Oak, Colombian Oak or Roble, is a species of oak in the Fagaceae family. It is endemic to the highlands of northern South America, with an altitudinal range from 1,000 to 3,200 m...
forests: A. flavoconia var. sinapicolor and var. inquinata.
Microscopic features
The spores are elliptical, smooth, and have dimensions of 7–9 by 5–8 µmMicrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
. They are hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
(translucent), and amyloid
Amyloid
Amyloids are insoluble fibrous protein aggregates sharing specific structural traits. Abnormal accumulation of amyloid in organs may lead to amyloidosis, and may play a role in various neurodegenerative diseases.-Definition:...
, meaning that they absorb the iodine stain in Melzer's reagent
Melzer's Reagent
Melzer's reagent is a chemical reagent used by mycologists to assist with the identification of fungi.-Composition:...
. The spore-bearing cells, the basidia
Basidium
thumb|right|500px|Schematic showing a basidiomycete mushroom, gill structure, and spore-bearing basidia on the gill margins.A basidium is a microscopic, spore-producing structure found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi. The presence of basidia is one of the main...
, are up to 35–43 µm long by 4–12 µm, and each have four sterigmata, extensions that hold the spores. The outer layer, or cuticle of the cap (known technically as the pileipellis
Pileipellis
thumb|300px||right|The cuticle of some mushrooms, such as [[Russula mustelina]] shown here, can be peeled from the cap, and may be useful as an identification feature....
) is made of filamentous interwoven gelatinized hypha
Hypha
A hypha is a long, branching filamentous structure of a fungus, and also of unrelated Actinobacteria. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium; yeasts are unicellular fungi that do not grow as hyphae.-Structure:A hypha consists of one or...
e, with diameters between 3 and 7 µm.
Edibility
The edibility has not been recorded for this mushroom; it may be poisonous.Similar species
This species has often been confused with A. muscariaAmanita muscaria
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita , is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita...
, some subspecies of which are also orange-colored. It also bears some resemblance to A. frostiana
Amanita frostiana
Amanita frostiana, also known as Frost's Amanita, is a small fungi species of eastern U.S.A. and southeastern Canada. The mushroom varies in colours from yellow, red or reddish pink usually.-Physical description:...
and A. flavorubescens. One 1982 study concluded that a "large majority" of herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
specimens labeled as A. frostiana were actually A. flavoconia. The use of microscopic
Microscopy
Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view samples and objects that cannot be seen with the unaided eye...
features is necessary to distinguish clearly among the species: A. flavoconia has elliptic, amyloid spores, while A. frostiana has round, non-amyloid spores; A. muscaria has nonamyloid, elliptic spores. In the field, A. flavorubescens can usually be distinguished by its yellow cap color.
Habitat and distribution
A common mycorrhizal mushroom, Amanita flavoconia grows solitary or in groups on the ground in the summer to the fall, in broad-leaved and mixed woods. Noted for preferring hemlockConium
Conium is a genus of two species of highly poisonous perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean region as Conium maculatum, and to southern Africa as Conium chaerophylloides....
, it is also associated with high elevation red spruce
Red Spruce
Picea rubens is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and from New England south in the Adirondack Mountains and Appalachians to western North Carolina.-Physical description:...
forests.
In North America, Amanita flavoconia has a wide distribution and has been collected from several locations, including Ontario, Canada; the United States (Iowa) and Mexico. It has been described as "of the most common and widespread species of Amanita in eastern North America."