Destroying angel vs meadow mushroom
- Deadly: Destroying Angel
Destroying angels keep white gills, print white and hide a cup at the base. Meadow mushrooms have pink to brown gills and a brown print.
Destroying angel vs horse mushroom: two large white mushrooms with rings
Quick answer
The destroying angel keeps white gills, prints white and has a white sac-like cup around a bulb at the stem base; the horse mushroom's gills go from whitish or grayish to chocolate brown, it prints chocolate brown, it has no cup, and it smells of anise or almonds. Young horse mushroom gills are covered by a veil and pale, so on a young button only the base tells them apart.
Deadly lookalike
The destroying angel is deadly.
Unlike the horse mushroom, the destroying angel (Amanita bisporigera) contains amatoxins. The Missouri Department of Conservation records that symptoms often do not appear until 6 to 24 hours after eating, starting with vomiting, diarrhea and cramps, followed by kidney or liver dysfunction that can lead to death. The CDC explains that amatoxins halt protein production in cells, and that they are heat stable and not inactivated by cooking.
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 tellPure white all over, with white gills, a skirt-like ring, and a white sac-like cup around a bulb at the base.
Edible
The tellLarge white cap that slowly bruises yellowish, grayish pink to brown gills, a large ring with a cogwheel pattern beneath, and an anise smell.
How they differ
| Feature | Destroying Angel | Horse Mushroom |
|---|---|---|
| Gills | Destroying AngelWhite at all ages. | Horse MushroomWhitish to grayish, then chocolate brown. |
| Spore print | Destroying AngelWhite. | Horse MushroomChocolate brown. |
| Stem base | Destroying AngelA bulb in a white, membranous sac-like cup, often buried. | Horse MushroomSlightly swollen, with no cup. |
| Ring | Destroying AngelThin and skirt-like, can collapse or disappear. | Horse MushroomLarge, with a cogwheel pattern on its underside. |
| Smell | Destroying AngelFaint. | Horse MushroomSweet, of anise or almonds. |
| Bruising | Destroying AngelFlesh unchanging. | Horse MushroomCap slowly bruises yellowish. |
| Habitat | Destroying AngelWoods and lawns near oaks, beech, birch and pines. | Horse MushroomPastures, meadows, lawns and grassy clearings. |
FAQ
Common questions
How do you tell a horse mushroom from a destroying angel?
By the gills and spore print: chocolate brown for the horse mushroom, white for the destroying angel. The destroying angel also has a cup at the base.
Do horse mushrooms have a cup at the base?
No. The stem base is slightly swollen but has no sac-like cup. Field guides treat a white mushroom with white gills, a white spore print and a cup as a possible deadly Amanita.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Amanita bisporigera
MushroomExpert.com
- Agaricus fissuratus (horse mushroom)
MushroomExpert.com
- Destroying Angel
Missouri Department of Conservation
- Amanita phalloides Mushroom Poisonings, Northern California, December 2016
CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Keep checking
Read both pages in full
- More on the destroying angel
- More on the horse mushroom
- 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
Horse mushroom vs yellow stainer
- Toxic: Yellow Stainer
Scratched or cut at the stem base, the yellow stainer turns chrome yellow fast and smells of ink. The horse mushroom yellows slowly and smells of almond.
Agaricus bisporus
Photo coming
Button mushroom vs destroying angel
- Deadly: Destroying Angel
Button mushroom gills are pink to brown with a brown print. A destroying angel keeps white gills, prints white and has a cup at the base.
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