Amanita pantherina
Abbild. 4: Pl. 29. 1936.
Common Name: Panther
Cap 4-15 cm broad, convex at first, then plane in age, viscid, margin striate; color variable: from buff-yellow (usually darker at the disc) to dark brown; universal veil remnants forming pointed warts. Odor mild.
Gills adnexed to free, white to cream, close.
Stipe 7-11 cm long, 1-2.5 cm, tapering to a basal bulb. Partial veil membranous leaving a superior skirt-like ring. Universal veil forming a single roll or collar on the basal bulb.
Spores 9.5-13 x 7-9.5 µm, smooth, elliptical, nonamyloid. Spore print white.
Scattered to gregarious under pine, especially Monterey pine from midwinter to spring. Because Monterey pine is widely planted in the San Francisco Bay area, the Panther Amanita is abundant and easily found in urban parks.
Toxic, but normally not deadly. Contains ibotenic acid and muscimol.
Amanita pantherina is an extremely variable species in the S.F. Bay area with cap color varying from yellowish-buff to dark brown. Most collections fall in the former category. Amanita gemmata is similar but with a yellower cap. There is speculation that the two species hybridize locally causing the variation that is seen.
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