Smith's amanita
Amanita smithiana · 史氏鹅膏
Rare鹅膏科⚠️ Poisonous
Reference sources list this as a poisonous mushroom.
The same species can be described differently across regions and stages of maturity, and countless look-alike species cannot be told apart by eye. Never use the information on this page to judge whether a real mushroom is safe to eat.
How to Tell
- Entirely white, cap with conical wart-like scales
- Stem base spindle-shaped and swollen, with woolly scales
- Grows in conifer forests, often mistaken for matsutake
ID notes are compiled by AI from public sources, not reviewed by a mycologist, for learning only — never a basis for foraging.
Basics
- Family
- 鹅膏科
- Hymenium
- Gills
- Grows On
- Mycorrhizal
- How Big
- 5–15 cm (cap diameter)
- Encounter Rate
- Rare
- Habitat
- Conifer forests of western North America
Easily Confused With
MatsutakeMatsutake smells of pine resin and its stem base is not swollen; Smith's amanita smells unpleasant, with a spindle-shaped swollen base.Fun Fact
The Pacific Northwest has recorded multiple cases of acute kidney failure after it was mistaken for matsutake and eaten; unlike matsutake, it lacks that strong, spicy aroma.
More in this family
- American Caesar
- Caesar's mushroom
- Death cap
- Destroying angel
- East Asian death cap
- East Asian yellow death cap
- False death cap
- Fly agaric
- Grisette
- Half-dyed slender caesar
- Panther cap
- The blusher