Destroying Angels

It’s Mushroom Monday, and this week we have one of PEI’s most notorious species. Despite its reputation, this mushroom is beautiful, ecologically important, and perfectly harmless if you don’t eat it. Meet a Destroying Angel (Amanita cf. amerivirosa).

‘Destroying Angel’ isn’t a single species, but the name applied to a group of all-white, very toxic mushrooms in the genus Amanita. Research has confirmed three separate species in our region so far, with A. amerivirosa being the most common of those sampled. The mushroom shown here is an Angel, but I can’t be certain exactly which species and so have added “cf.” to the scientific name, meaning it’s similar to amerivirosa. (As an aside, Angels are related to but different from Deathcaps, A. phalloides, that made headlines in Australia recently. That species doesn’t grow on PEI, but it does occur in the northeastern US and may eventually make its way here).

I think it’s a shame that Angels are best known for their toxicity. Sure, they contain chemicals called amatoxins that – if ingested – cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, and eventual organ failure, but their presence in the landscape is not inherently dangerous. No one has ever been attacked by a Destroying Angel, and seeing, smelling, or handling one is perfectly safe.

We don’t need to fear Destroying Angels, but anyone who forages wild mushrooms does need to be able to recognize and avoid eating them. Fortunately, that’s not difficult. All parts of these fungi are white – base, stipe (stem), gills, cap, and spores; in the right light, they can almost look like they’re glowing. Their caps are smooth, with no scales, warts, or other ornamentation, and there’s often a skirt-like ring high on the stipe as seen here. Avoiding all-white mushrooms is a good approach for foragers not fully confident in their Angel ID.

If you carefully dig up a Destroying Angel, you’ll find a cup-like sack (called a ‘volva’) at the base, as seen in the main photo. These mushrooms start out covered in tissue called a ‘universal veil’; as they grow upwards, the mushrooms break through that tissue, leaving veil remnants at the base. When young and still within the veil, Destroying Angels resemble edible Puffballs or Stinkhorn eggs (such as those I showed you last week). An easy way to identify and avoid toxic Angel eggs is to cut one open. Inside, you’ll see the ghost-like outline of a mushroom (inset photo); Puffballs and Stinkhorns do not have this.

I often find Destroying Angels in the mixed hardwood forests of Central PEI, but they are present in all three counties. These are mycorrhizal fungi that form mutually-beneficial partnerships with trees. (The Angels provide water and nutrients to the trees, while the trees provide Angels with carbohydrates [sugar] they make via photosynthesis).

Destroying Angels are beautiful and beneficial members of PEI Untamed!