How to identify Grey Spotted Amanita

To correctly identify Grey Spotted Amanita (Amanita excelsa), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   3-15 cm in diameter, initially hemispherical, becoming convex then plano-convex to almost flat with age. Color varies from grey-brown, dull greyish-olive, to brownish-grey. The surface is dry, usually covered with numerous greyish brown, felty, irregular patches or warts (volval remnants), which can be detached. The margin is not striate.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Free to adnexed, crowded, broad, white to cream-colored. Lammellulae (short gills) are frequent.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   6-15 cm tall and 1-3 cm thick, tapering slightly upwards from a bulbous base. Solid, white to greyish-white, often with felty or scaly zones below the ring. The ring (annulus) is membranous, white, striate on the upper surface, and often with greyish ragged edges or patches on the underside. Volva is typically represented by concentric rings of grey warts or scales on the bulbous base, not a distinct sac-like structure.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   White, thick, and firm. May turn slightly reddish-brown when bruised or cut, but not as distinctly as Amanita rubescens (the Blusher).

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   Ranges from medium to large size, with a robust structure typical of Amanita species. The overall appearance is stocky with a prominent ring and a bulbous base.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Grows solitarily or scattered in coniferous, mixed, and deciduous woodlands, forming mycorrhizal associations with various tree species, including oak, beech, birch, and pines.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Dull greyish to brownish-grey, covered with greyish-brown, felty, detachable warts.

Growth Form

Solitary or scattered.

Spore Print

White.

Body color

Overall greyish-brown cap with white gills and stem, often with reddish-brown staining on flesh.

Odor

Faintly radish-like or potato-like.

Flesh bruises

Often stains slightly reddish-brown, especially when cut or bruised, but less pronounced than A. rubescens.

Height

6-15 cm

Cap Diameter

3-15 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Free to adnexed.
• Stem shape: Cylindrical, tapering slightly upwards, with a bulbous base.
• Stem surface: White to greyish-white, often with felty or scaly zones below the ring.
• Ring: Membranous, white, striate on the upper surface, often ragged on the underside, and persistent.
• Stem cross-section: Solid.

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