Fleshy Fungi of New Brunswick >> Amanita var. guessowii

Amanita muscaria var. guessowii Veselý

Scattered to gregarious (7-9) in weedy disturbed soil above a seaside enbankment, associated with Abies balsamea and possibly Betula cordifolia, Little Lepreau, Charlotte Co., New Brunswick (23-09-20/01).

Pileus convex-hemispherical at first, expanding to broadly convex, dry, densely covered with white patches of universal veil, corrugate-striate at the margin, reddish orange (HSV40:70-80:100) at first but with red elements disappearing to reveal more yellow shades, yellow (HSV50:20-30:100) mature basidiomata, 65-80 mm in diameter. Stipe clavate to narrowly ventricose, subbulbous at the base, dry, glabrous above the annulus, irregularly scaly to floccose-scaly below the annulus, with some rings of veil material at the base, white to yellow (HSV50:15-20:100), 90-105 x 9-20 mm. Lamellae white. crowded, free, not marginate. Annulus rather heavy and double-layered at first, later becoming fragile and membranous, slightly scaly on the lower margin, white above and pale yellow (HSV50:05:100) below at first, later mostly white. Volva represented by rings of white to yellowish white scales on the basal bulb, often not conspicuous. Flesh white or with some of the colour of the surface layers, lacking a distinctive odour and taste.

Basidiospores white in spore print, ellipsoidal, smooth, inamyloid, 9.1-11.6 x 6.1-7.8 μm, Q = 1.35-1.64 (average[52]: 10.2 x 6.8 μm, Q = 1.49. Hymenial cystidia lacking. Basidia 4-spored, with a basal clamp connection. Pileipellis a thick ixocutis, with a subcutis a thin compact layer of narrow hyphae. Lamellar trama bilateral. Universal veil composed of a mixture of hyphae and large sphaerocysts.

Amanita muscaria var. guessowii is an orange to yellow form of the bright red fly agaric, Amanita muscaria var. muscaria. It occurs in eastern Canada and in the northeastern part of the United States. It might be confused with the smaller I. flavoconia but is usually quite a bit larger, lacks the bright yellow stipe of that species and is less restricted to undisturbed forest. The occurrence of A. muscaria var. guessowii is discussed in greater detail in the Essays part of these pages

Photograph: D. Malloch (23-09-20/01).