About Amanita flavoconia G.F.Atk.
The scientific name of this fungus is Amanita flavoconia G.F.Atk. Its cap starts out ovoid, becomes convex as it matures, and eventually flattens out. The cap ranges in color from orange to bright yellow-orange, and grows to 3 to 9 centimetres (1 to 3+1⁄2 inches) in diameter. Young specimens have chrome yellow warts covering the cap; these warts can be easily rubbed off or washed away by rain. Beneath the warts, the cap surface is smooth, sticky (viscid), and has striations along its edge that match the arrangement of the gills underneath. The fungus has white flesh. The gills sit barely free from the stem, are packed closely together, and are white with possible yellow tints along their edges. When young, the gills are covered by a yellowish partial veil. The stem is typically 5.5 to 11.5 cm (2 to 4+1⁄2 in) long and 0.7 to 1.4 cm (1⁄4 to 1⁄2 in) thick. It is even in width or tapers slightly upward from a small rounded bulb at its base. The stem color ranges from white to yellowish orange, and its surface may be smooth or covered in small flakes. The stem base usually has loose chrome yellow flakes of universal veil material that stick to the bulb, or remain in the surrounding soil. The partial veil leaves a skirt-like ring (called an annulus) on the upper section of the stem. The spore print of A. flavoconia is white. Campbell and Petersen published a detailed description of the characteristics of A. flavoconia grown in culture. Before DNA analysis and phylogenetics became widely used, cultural characteristics were often used to add extra taxonomic information; the pair found considerable variability between different A. flavoconia isolates. Two variants of the species have been reported from Colombia, where they were collected in Quercus humboldtii forests: A. flavoconia var. sinapicolor and A. flavoconia var. inquinata. A. flavoconia is a common mycorrhizal mushroom. It grows either alone or in groups on the ground from summer to fall, in broad-leaved and mixed woods. It is noted for preferring hemlock, and also grows in association with high elevation red spruce forests. In North America, A. flavoconia has a wide distribution and has been collected from multiple locations including Ontario, Canada; Iowa in the United States; and Mexico. It has been described as one of the most common and widespread species of Amanita in eastern North America.
