Quick answer
Smith's amanita has a cap covered in soft, cottony patches and a base that swells and then tapers downward like a root, with no cup; the western destroying angel has a smooth cap and a bulbous base in a white, membranous cup. Both are dangerous: Smith's amanita damages the kidneys, the destroying angel the liver.
Deadly lookalike
Smith's amanita (Amanita smithiana) damages the kidneys. The University of British Columbia's Mushrooms Up! guide records stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea from 20 minutes to a day after eating, then kidney failure 2 to 6 days later, sometimes after as few as 2 or 3 mushrooms; patients usually recover but may need hemodialysis. The toxin is not certain; allenic norleucine is the leading candidate. The western destroying angel (Amanita ocreata) is deadly poisonous and contains amatoxins, according to MykoWeb's California Fungi. In the CDC's report on the 2025 to 2026 northern California outbreak, people who ate it developed abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea 8 to 12 hours after the meal; across the 39 Amanita cases in that report, three people needed liver transplants and four died. Amatoxins are not destroyed 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
Amanita smithiana
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The tellLarge white amanita with soft, cottony patches on the cap, a ragged ring, and a shaggy, tapering root-like base, under Pacific Northwest conifers.
Amanita ocreata
Photo coming
The tellLarge white to pale tan cap, white gills, a thin ring, and a thin, white, sac-like cup at the base, fruiting under oaks in late winter and spring.
| Feature | Smith's Amanita | Western Destroying Angel |
|---|---|---|
| Cap surface | Smith's AmanitaCovered in soft, cottony to powdery warts and patches. | Western Destroying AngelSmooth and slightly sticky when moist. |
| Stem base | Smith's AmanitaSwollen, then tapering like a root, with rings of soft scales; no cup. | Western Destroying AngelA bulbous base in a thin, white, membranous cup. |
| Ring | Smith's AmanitaRagged and fragile, often falling apart. | Western Destroying AngelThin and fragile, often missing. |
| Trees | Smith's AmanitaDouglas fir, western hemlock, true firs and other conifers. | Western Destroying AngelCoast live oak and other oaks. |
| Season | Smith's AmanitaLate summer through fall. | Western Destroying AngelLate winter and spring. |
| Range | Smith's AmanitaPacific Northwest, northern California to British Columbia. | Western Destroying AngelCalifornia and the Pacific coast north into Washington. |
| Toxin | Smith's AmanitaSuspected allenic norleucine; damages the kidneys. | Western Destroying AngelAmatoxins; destroy the liver. |
FAQ
It causes kidney failure 2 to 6 days after eating. MykoWeb lists it as deadly poisonous; patients usually recover with hospital care, sometimes including dialysis.
Mostly people collecting matsutake in the Pacific Northwest, where the two grow together, according to MykoWeb and the University of British Columbia's Mushrooms Up! guide.
Sources
Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia
CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Keep checking
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
Amanita ocreata
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Both are deadly amanitas with white gills and a cup. Death caps are greenish and fruit fall to winter; western destroying angels are white, in spring.
Amanita ocreata
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Sliced top to bottom, a gem-studded puffball is pure white. A western destroying angel egg shows a cap, gills and stem.
Amanita ocreata
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Matsutake has a spicy smell, a sheathed stem with no cup and a cap that stains brown with age. A western destroying angel has a cup and no spicy smell.
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