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[ Basidiomycota > Agaricales > Amanitaceae > Amanita . . . ] Amanita submaculata by Michael Kuo, 7 July 2025 One of several confusingly similar brown species of Amanita in eastern North America's oak forests, Amanita submaculata features a radially streaked, grayish brown cap, and an ample white ring that is usually positioned at the very apex of the stem. The stem base features a few loosely adherent fragments of whitish to gray universal veil material, and the odor is sometimes sweetish and fruity. The species epithet submaculata means "nearly spotted," a reference to the "whitish stripes or spots" found on the cap, which the original author of the species (Peck1900) thought distinctive enough to make the species "easily recognized." However, Peck's description is a bit sketchy—not just in its brevity, but in the fact that it is based on a single specimen sent to him in upstate New York by "Miss M. L. Wilson" in North Carolina. With one specimen, for example, how can Peck express a range of "7–9 cm" for the width of the cap? At any rate, the "whitish stripes or spots" might be interpreted as universal veil remnants, or merely as streaks and spots in the brown pigment. The mushroom described and illustrated here demonstrates both; whitish warts from the universal veil are often (but not always) present, and the pigment is usually streaked and sometimes spotted. Although Peck did not mention any staining surfaces in his brief account, recent authors (Tulloss 2013, Sturgeon 2018) describe reddish staining on the gills, the ring, the lower stem, and the flesh. In my experience reddish staining is infrequent, manifesting only twice, rather bashfully, among the 13 collections I have made over a 30-year period. Thanks to Charles Rader for collecting, documenting, and preserving a specimen of Amanita submaculata for study; his collection is deposited in The Herbarium of Michael Kuo. Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with oaks; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously; summer through fall; originally described from North Carolina (Peck 1900); probably widely distributed east of the Great Plains; reported from the Caribbean and Central America. The illustrated and described collections are from Illinois, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. Cap: 4–10 cm; egg-shaped to convex at first, expanding to planoconvex or nearly flat; tacky when fresh and young but soon dry; bald; dark gray-brown at first, becoming grayish brown with a darker center and a paler margin, with the pigment radially streaked; often developing whitish streaks and small spots as the pigment separates; sometimes with small, whitish to grayish warts, especially over the center and when young; the margin not lined, or slightly lined at maturity. Gills: Free from the stem or slightly attached to it; close or nearly crowded; with frequent short-gills; white; rarely bruising reddish. Stem: 5–15 cm long; 0.5–2 cm thick; tapering slightly to apex; often, but not always, with a slight basal bulb; with an ample white ring that is usually attached at the very apex of the stem, hanging skirtlike; whitish under brownish fibrils; rarely bruising and discoloring reddish, especially near the base (see discussion above); base often featuring loosely adhering fragments or ringlets of whitish to gray universal veil material. Flesh: White; not staining on exposure. Odor: Sweetish and fruity, or not distinctive. Chemical Reactions: KOH negative to slightly yellowish on cap surface. Spore Print: White. Microscopic Features: Spores 5–10 x 4.5–7 µm; ellipsoid or broadly ellipsoid, with an apiculus; smooth; amyloid. Basidia 25–30 x 6–8 µm; clavate; 4-sterigmate; without basal clamps. Hymenial cystidia not found. Pileipellis an ixocutis of elements 2–7.5 µm wide, hyaline in KOH. Lamellar trama bilateral; subhymenium inflated-ramose. Veil sphaerocysts 10–20 µm; subglobose; smooth; hyaline in KOH. REFERENCES: C. H. Peck, 1900. (Murrill, 1917; Jenkins, 1978; Jenkins, 1986; Tulloss et al., 1995; Tulloss, 2005; Tulloss, 2013; Sturgeon, 2018; McKnight et al., 2021.) Herb. Kuo 06119504, 08010301, 07280403, 08270501, 07040702, 06140804, 09181202, 06271503, 06131805, 10041802, 09031903, 08012002. This site contains no information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms. |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2025, July). Amanita submaculata. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: /amanita_submaculata.html |