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 shrimp of the woods: white lumps on the forest floor
Quick answer
The aborted form of shrimp of the woods is solid inside, white with pinkish marbled streaks and no mushroom outline; a young destroying angel, sliced top to bottom, shows the outline of a cap, gills and stem inside a white sac. The outside differs too: smooth and egg-shaped for the Amanita, lumpy and irregular for shrimp of the woods, which often grows beside honey mushrooms.
Deadly lookalike
The destroying angel is deadly.
Unlike shrimp of the woods, 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.
Entoloma abortivum
Photo coming
Edible
The tellWhitish, lumpy, irregular balls with marbled pinkish insides, growing near honey mushrooms.
How they differ
| Feature | Destroying Angel | Shrimp of the Woods |
|---|---|---|
| Sliced top to bottom | Destroying AngelThe outline of a cap, gills and stem inside a white sac. | Shrimp of the WoodsSolid, firm, white with pinkish marbled streaks. |
| Shape | Destroying AngelA smooth egg. | Shrimp of the WoodsAn irregular, lumpy ball. |
| Color outside | Destroying AngelWhite. | Shrimp of the WoodsWhitish to pinkish gray. |
| Smell | Destroying AngelFaint. | Shrimp of the WoodsMealy, like fresh flour. |
| Companions | Destroying AngelNone in particular; grows with oaks, beech, birch and pines. | Shrimp of the WoodsOften in the same patch as honey mushrooms. |
| Later stage | Destroying AngelOpens into a white mushroom with white gills, a ring and a cup. | Shrimp of the WoodsDoes not open; a gray gilled form with a pink spore print may grow nearby. |
FAQ
Common questions
What is shrimp of the woods?
The lumpy, aborted form of Entoloma abortivum, which grows near honey mushrooms. Research by Czederpiltz, Volk and Burdsall (2001) suggests the Entoloma attacks the honey mushroom, reversing the older view.
Can shrimp of the woods look like a destroying angel?
Yes. Both can appear as whitish lumps on the forest floor in late summer and fall. A lengthwise cut separates them.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Amanita bisporigera
MushroomExpert.com
- Entoloma abortivum
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 shrimp of the woods
- 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
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.
American Caesar's mushroom vs destroying angel
- Deadly: Destroying Angel
Both start as white eggs in a white cup. Sliced top to bottom, a Caesar's egg is orange and yellow inside; a destroying angel's is white throughout.
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