False Deathcap

False Deathcap Amanita citrina Pers. (illustrated 50% life size) Cap 4–10cm across; ivory to pale lemon especially near the centre; covered in persistent, coarse, whitish patches, which discolour ochre-brown. Stem 60–80×8–12mm, tapering and longitudinally lined above the membranous ring, with large basal bulb; ivory white; becoming hollow in older specimens; remains of the volva encase basal bulb and create a trough around the stem. Flesh white; taste unpleasant, smell strong, of raw potatoes. Gills adnexed; whitish. Spores 9.5×7.5¼, almost spherical; amyloid. Spore print white. Habitat in deciduous or coniferous woods, especially with beech; summer to late autumn. Very common. Not edible of no interest, as the strong taste and smell make it unpleasant, and to be avoided due to possible confusion with the deadly A. phalloides. A move to using ever-earlier recorded names for fungi possibly means that A. citrina needs to be called A. bulbosa var. citrina, but it is to be hoped that a name in such common usage may be left unchanged.