Destroying Angel

Destroying angel is the name given to several closely related, all-white, deadly poisonous mushrooms in the genus Amanita, including Amanita virosa in Europe, Amanita bisporigera and Amanita ocreata in North America, and Amanita verna, also called fool's mushroom. They carry amatoxins that block RNA polymerase and cause irreversible liver and kidney damage, and because symptoms take five to twenty-four hours to appear, the toxin is often already absorbed before the danger is recognized; as little as half a cap can be fatal without prompt treatment. The mushrooms have white gills and stalks, caps that may be pure white or tinged yellowish, pinkish or tan at the center, a ring around the upper stalk and a cup-like volva at the base. They grow in a mycorrhizal relationship with tree roots at woodland edges and sometimes on lawns or grassy meadows near trees, and occur nearly worldwide.