Amanitaceae
| Amanitaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Amanita muscaria | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Amanitaceae E.-J. Gilbert (1940) |
| Type genus | |
| Amanita Pers. (1794) | |
| Genera | |
|
Amanita | |
The Amanitaceae are a family of mushroom-forming fungi. The family, also commonly called the amanita family, is in order Agaricales, the gilled mushrooms. The members of the family are of white, free gills and white spore prints. The stalk bears a ring below the cap, and a cup-like structure (Volva) from which it grows out. The stem gets thinner toward the cap. The family consists primarily of the large genus Amanita, but also includes the smaller genera Amarrendia, Catatrama, Limacella, Saproamanita and Torrendia. Both Amarrendia and Torrendia and considered to be synonymous with Amanita but appear quite different because they are secotioid.
The species are usually found in woodlands. The most characteristic emerge from an egg-like structure formed by the universal veil.
This family contains several species valued for edibility and flavor, and other deadly poisonous ones. More than half the cases of mushroom poisoning stem from members of this family. The most toxic members of this group have names that warn of the poisonous nature, but others, of varying degrees of toxicity, do not.
Some notable species
- Amanita caesarea, Caesar's mushroom
- Amanita muscaria, fly agaric
- Amanita rubescens, blusher
- Amanita pantherina, panther cap
- Amanita phalloides, death cap.
- Amanita velosa, orange spring amanita.
- Amanita virosa, destroying angel
- Limacella solidipes, ringed limacella
