American Caesar's mushroom vs death cap
- Deadly: Death Cap
Both grow from a white cup. Caesar's mushroom has an orange cap and yellow gills; the death cap has a greenish cap and white gills. Their eggs differ.
Death cap vs giant puffball: a young puffball can pass for an egg
Quick answer
A giant puffball is the same uniform white all the way through, with no trace of a cap, gills or stem; a death cap egg, sliced top to bottom, shows the outline of a developing mushroom. Size helps for mature puffballs, which reach the size of a soccer ball, but young puffballs are small enough to be confused with an egg.
Deadly lookalike
The death cap is deadly.
Unlike the giant puffball, the death cap (Amanita phalloides) contains amatoxins, which halt protein production in cells by binding the enzyme RNA polymerase II. The CDC describes a delay of 6 to 24 hours before vomiting and diarrhea begin, an apparent recovery 24 to 36 hours after the meal, and liver and multiorgan failure typically 3 to 5 days after it. Amatoxins are heat stable and are not inactivated by cooking. In the 2016 northern California outbreak, three of 14 patients needed liver transplants.
If someone has eaten a wild mushroom and feels unwell, or may have eaten one of these, call poison control now: 1-800-222-1222 in the US. Do not wait for symptoms.
Side by side
The tell for each
Deadly
The tellGreenish to yellow-olive cap, white gills, a skirt-like ring, and a white sac-like cup around the base of the stem.
Edible when pure white inside
The tellA smooth white ball the size of a soccer ball or larger, solid and uniformly white inside with no trace of a cap, gills or stem.
How they differ
| Feature | Death Cap | Giant Puffball |
|---|---|---|
| Sliced top to bottom | Death CapThe outline of a cap, gills and stem. | Giant PuffballUniform pure white, like marshmallow or tofu. |
| Size | Death CapCap 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 cm) once open; the egg is smaller. | Giant PuffballUsually 8 to 20 inches (20 to 50 cm) across when mature. |
| Base | Death CapA bulb in a white, sac-like cup. | Giant PuffballA thin cord-like strand; no cup. |
| Skin | Death CapSmooth, white membranous veil. | Giant PuffballSmooth, soft, leathery white skin that yellows and cracks with age. |
| Where it grows | Death CapUnder oaks and planted trees in parks, gardens and streets. | Giant PuffballMeadows, pastures, lawns, hedgerows and woodland edges. |
FAQ
Common questions
Can a giant puffball be confused with a deadly mushroom?
Yes, when small. White Amanita species have stages that could be mistaken for a puffball. Inside, an Amanita shows the outline of a cap and stem; a puffball does not.
What does a giant puffball look like inside?
Firm, uniform and pure white when young, turning yellow, then olive-brown and powdery as the spores mature.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Calvatia gigantea
MushroomExpert.com
- Giant Puffball
Missouri Department of Conservation
- Amanita phalloides, death cap (Mushrooms Up!)
Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia
- Amanita phalloides Mushroom Poisonings, Northern California, December 2016
CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Keep checking
Read both pages in full
- More on the death cap
- More on the giant puffball
- Not sure it is either? Narrow it down with the identification key
This page states what field guides record. It is not advice to eat, taste or handle anything, and a photo cannot settle edibility. If someone has eaten a wild mushroom that may be toxic, call poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) right away, before symptoms start: the deadliest species act hours later.
More comparisons
Common earthball vs death cap
- Toxic: Common Earthball
- Deadly: Death Cap
Split top to bottom, a death cap egg shows a cap, gills and stem. An earthball is solid purple-black inside a thick, scaly rind.
Common stinkhorn vs death cap
- Deadly: Death Cap
Sliced top to bottom, a stinkhorn egg shows jelly around a folded stalk. A death cap egg shows a cap, gills and stem. Both start as white eggs.
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