Amanita phalloides

Photographer

Nathan Wilson

Common Name

Death Cap

Location

Central coastal California under live oak

Time

Early 1992

Habitat

Grows under a wide variety of hardwoods. Primarily oaks.

Comments

Amanita phalloides is often considered the deadliest mushroom in the world. It is certainly responsible for more deaths in the Western US than any other species. In some ways this is not a great example of the species since it does not show its characteristic green tone. In addition, several of the other classic features of this mushroom are not clearly visible such as the ring around the stipe or the sheathing volva. On the other hand, this photo serves to demonstrate that this species is not always recognizable based just on these features. One key characteristic it does show is the metallic luster of the cap.

Processing

Original image was taken on 35mm Fuji Velvia using a Nikon 55mm macro lens. The image was scanned on a Power Mac 8100/100 using a Microtek ScanMaker 35t slide scanner and Adobe Photoshop.

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