Species guide

Destroying angel

Deadly

Amanita bisporigera

Destroying angel

How to recognise it

A pure-white mushroom throughout — white cap, white gills, a ring on the stem, and a sac-like volva at the base. Spore print is white.

Is it dangerous?

Deadly — it contains the same liver-destroying amatoxins as the death cap, with the same dangerous delay before symptoms appear.

Commonly confused with

  • White button mushrooms store-bought lookalike risk
  • Puffballs no gills, solid interior

What to do

Never eat wild white mushrooms on sight. Seek emergency care immediately if ingestion is suspected.

Never decide what's safe to eat or touch from a photo or a web page. Identification here is for learning and curiosity only. For anything you might eat, handle or that could harm you or a pet, consult a qualified local expert — and seek medical or veterinary care if exposure has happened.

Recorded 4,372 times in the wild worldwide.

Think you've spotted one?

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