Physical Characteristics of Common Poisonous Mushrooms of North America
Genus and Species | Color of Cap | Habitat | Season | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Amanita muscaria | Red to orange-red, sometimes yellow or white | Ground-pine, spruce, birch, poplar, hemlock, and oak trees | June–Nov, Nov-Feb (California) | Widespread, common in eastern US, California, and Pacific Northwest |
Amanita ocreata | White or cream-colored | Sandy soils under oaks or pines | Winter and spring | Pacific Coast from Baja California to Washington |
A pantherina | Brow with white warts, margins with short white striations | Ground under conifers (Douglas fir) | June, Sept–Oct, Nov–Feb (California) | Rocky Mountains and west coast; rare in the eastern US |
A phalloides | Greenish-yellow, yellow or sometimes brownish green | Ground under conifers, hardwoods; junipers and oaks | Late summer, fall, and winter | Maine to Virginia west to Ohio; Pacific Northwest to California |
A bisporigera | Stark white to ivory | Ground under oaks and other hardwoods | Summer and fall | Eastern North America from Texas to the northern Maritime provinces |
Chlorophyllum molybdites | Initially smooth and brown but soon breaking up into brown scales or patches | Lawn, pastures, meadows, fairy rings | Fall | Florida to California, common in Denver, reported in New York and New Jersey |
Clitocybe spp | White, whitish gray, or buff | Ground | Year round (but depending on species) | Widespread in North America |
Cortinarius orellanus | Tawny-brown to reddish-orange | Ground under conifers, birches, and oaks | July–Nov | Widespread in North America |
Galerina marginata | Yellow-brown to brown | Moss, well-decayed conifers and logs | Summer and fall | Throughout North America |
Gyromitra esculenta | Yellow-brown, reddish brown, or dark-brown, cerebriform with lobes | Ground under conifers | Spring: April–early June | Throughout North America |
Inocybe spp | White, yellow to brownish-yellow | Ground under conifers | Summer and fall: May–Nov | Widespread in North America |
Lepiota spp | White to yellow-brown with brown scales | Ground conifers, grass, leaf litter, oak and mixed woods | July–Oct (Michigan, Ohio); July–Nov (Florida); Nov–Feb (California) | Throughout North America |
Paxillus involutus | Yellow-brown, brown, or reddish-brown | Ground: single or numerous on wood in mixed woods | July–Nov | Widespread in North America |
Psilocybe cubensis | Reddish-brown to golden-brown | Dung (cattle ranching), decaying wood chips | Year round | Gulf Coast |
Russula emetica | Red | Single or group; on sphagnum moss, rarely on very rotten wood, conifers, or mixed woods | July–Sept | Widespread in North America |