HOME
Amanita caesarea
Classification: BASIDIOMYCOTINA - HOMOBASIDIOMYCETES -
AGARICALES - AMANITACEAE
Etymology:
Amanita: from Greek amanites=mushroom
caesarea: (Latin)=caesarean, of, for, or belonging to Caesar, as this
mushroom was highly valued by Roman emperors
Common name: Caesar's Mushroom
Cap ovoid to convex (pic), later
flattening with incurved margin (pic),
finally flat (pic),
often with one or two rather large patches of thick, white universal veil remnants (pics
1
2
3).
It is smooth to slightly viscid in wet weather, deep orange-red at first, fading with
age to orange-yellow (pic), sometimes even
silvery-gray where long exposed to strong sunlight (pics
1
2). Cap margin clearly striate
(pic).
Gills golden yellow (or just yellow), free, crowded (pics
1
2).
Spore print white to yellowish.
Stem 5-12 x 1.5-2.5 cm, yellow but white inside (seen when cut or peeled
(pic))
and often white at its base too
(pic), with a large, yellow, skirt-like, striate ring (pics
1
2), its base slightly bulbous and encased in a
large, tall, thick, white, sac-like volva which often looks like an upturned cone and
usually has an irregularly and quite deeply split margin (pics
1
2
3
4).
Flesh white (orangish right under the cap cuticle), not changing color
(pics 1
2
3).
Smell faint and delicate. Taste pleasant.
Habitat: in deciduous woods of warm southern sites, especially with oaks, favors bare ground such
as roadsides with disturbed soil, but always near trees. Where I find it most frequently
the soil has a slightly reddish color!
(pic)
Occurrence: early summer to autumn (personally, however, I have only found it
between late May and early July so far).
Edibility: Edible and one
of the best, though I personally find the good boletes superior to it. I sometimes eat a part of it
raw on the spot as a light snack! Sauted it reminded me of fried zucchini the first time
I tried it!
Comments: This is one of the most beautiful Amanitas, in my opinion second
only to Amanita muscaria. It is also one of the easiest Amanitas to identify
(perhaps as easy as A. muscaria): its orange-red cap, yellow gills, ring
and stem, and its large, thick, white volva make it hard to confuse with anything else; it
is thus the safest of the Amanitas for the table (and the only one I have ever dared to try!).
Prized since ancient times, it was the favorite mushroom of Roman emperors, and it was
praised by Roman poets, who, however, (strangely for us) called it Boletus.
More photos:
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12,
13,
14,
15,
16