Skip to content
Discover mushrooms
Destroying angel (Amanita virosa)
Σ64 · CC BY 3.0
Deadly poisonous

Destroying angel

Amanita virosa · Amanitaceae

The destroying angel is an all-white Amanita with a hanging ring and a sack-like volva, and it is as poisonous as the death cap.

FamilyAmanitaceae
SeasonAug–Nov
Spore printWhite
Cap width12 cm
Stem length15 cm
Records in TurkeyNone yet
CultivationWild only
StatusDeadly poisonous

The destroying angel is an all-white Amanita with a hanging ring and a sack-like volva, and it is as poisonous as the death cap. A single cap can kill an adult. Young, unopened specimens are easily mistaken for edible white mushrooms.

Also called: European destroying angel Turkish: Ak ölüm meleği, ölüm meleği

Destroying angel

How to recognise it

Destroying angel, part by part

Spore print: White Mature specimens have a faint, sickly-sweet smell (easy to miss outdoors). Never taste it.

Cap — Destroying angel
CapUp to 12 cm; conical, then hemispherical and flat, often with a central boss. Pure white, the centre sometimes ivory; peels easily.
Gills — Destroying angel
GillsCrowded, white, free gills.
Stem — Destroying angel
StemUp to 15 cm, slender, white, often shaggy.
Ring — Destroying angel
RingYes; hanging, grooved and white (can tear away).
Volva — the cup at the base — Destroying angel
Volva — the cup at the baseYES: white and sack-like, often hidden in the soil.

When and where

Aug–Nov

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Augin season
  9. Sepin season
  10. Octin season
  11. Novin season
  12. Dec

The destroying angel fruits in late summer and autumn, usually August to November.

Where do destroying angels grow?

The destroying angel grows at the edges of deciduous or mixed woodland, especially with beech and chestnut, but also with pine, spruce and fir. It is more common at higher altitudes.

In Turkey

Turkish sources describe the destroying angel in forests from August to November, but GBIF has no geo-referenced record of it from Turkey yet. That points to a gap in recording, not to the species being absent.

Our map has no observations of destroying angels from Turkey yet.

See on the map

In its habitat — Destroying angel
In its habitat

Look-alikes

What is it mistaken for?

Destroying angel
Destroying angel
Button mushroom
Button mushroom
Edible species

Button mushroom Agaricus bisporus

Agaricus has pink-brown gills and no volva; the destroying angel has white gills and a sack at the base.

Destroying angel
Destroying angel
Death cap
Death cap
Deadly

Death cap Amanita phalloides

Its white autumn form is equally deadly. There is no need to tell them apart: never pick any white mushroom with a ring and a volva.

Deadly

Fool's mushroom Amanita verna

A spring-fruiting, equally poisonous white Amanita.

Inedible

White false deathcap Amanita citrina var. alba

Veil patches on the cap and a smell of raw potato.

Toxins

The destroying angel contains amatoxins (α-amanitin), phallotoxins and virotoxins. Source

Frequently asked questions

Are destroying angels poisonous?

Yes, the destroying angel is deadly poisonous and must never be eaten. Symptoms appear hours later, which makes treatment harder. If you think it has been eaten, call 112 at once (Turkish poison centre: 114) without waiting for symptoms. Never put it in the same basket as mushrooms picked to eat.

When is destroying angel season in Turkey?

In our calendar, destroying angel season runs Aug–Nov. The destroying angel fruits in late summer and autumn, usually August to November.

Where do destroying angels grow?

The destroying angel grows at the edges of deciduous or mixed woodland, especially with beech and chestnut, but also with pine, spruce and fir. It is more common at higher altitudes.

Where are destroying angels found in Turkey?

Turkish sources describe the destroying angel in forests from August to November, but GBIF has no geo-referenced record of it from Turkey yet. That points to a gap in recording, not to the species being absent.

What can the destroying angel be confused with?

The destroying angel can be confused with button and field mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus, edible species), death cap (white form) (Amanita phalloides, deadly), Fool's mushroom (Amanita verna, deadly) and white false deathcap (Amanita citrina var. alba, inedible). Look-alikes are compared on this page.

What is the destroying angel called in Turkish?

In Turkish, the destroying angel (Amanita virosa) is called Ak ölüm meleği; other local names include ölüm meleği.

Related species

All species → · Identify by photo →

Sources (4)
Photo credits (10)