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Deadly☠️ To avoid

🍄 Panther cap

Amanita pantherina · Amanitaceae

🌳 Temperate Europe🍁 North America
🧠 To remember it“White warts that don't turn red”—if the cut flesh doesn't blush pink, it's not the edible blushing mushroom.
Panther cap — Amanita pantherina

🔍 Identify it without mistakes

Hazel-brown amanita covered with small, flaky white warts on the cap, causing a potentially fatal neurological condition ("pantherina syndrome"), particularly in children. It is often confused with the blushing mushroom (Amanita rubescens), an appreciated edible species, by foragers who don't pay close attention to the exact color of the cap and the shape of the volva.

  1. hazel-brown to grey-brown cap, covered with mealy white warts arranged quite regularly
  2. white membranous ring on the stem, unstriated
  3. distinct volva forming a gutter-like rim, stem base swollen into a bulb bordered by a distinct ridge
  4. white gills, free
Sizecap 5-10 cm, stem 6-10 cm
Floweringsummer-autumn
Habitatdeciduous and coniferous forests, various soils

⚠️ Not to be confused with

Blushing mushroom (Amanita rubescens)none for the blushing mushroom (edible when well cooked), dangerous confusion reported

To tell them apart: the flesh of the blushing mushroom turns distinctly red when cut or bruised, whereas that of the panther cap never turns red; the base of the panther cap's stem bears a distinct ridge-like rim, while that of the blushing mushroom is more diffuse

☠️ What kills

nomMuscimol and ibotenic acid (psychoactive and neurotoxic isoxazole compounds)
dose letale estimeepotentially fatal in children at low doses; in adults, severe poisoning can occur with just a few specimens (approx., precise lethal dose not standardized)
delai30 min to 3 h
symptomespantherina syndrome: agitation, confusion, hallucinations, dizziness, loss of coordination, followed in severe cases by seizures and coma, especially in children
antidoteno specific antidote; symptomatic treatment and neurological monitoring in a hospital setting
morts documenteesyes, especially in young children who consumed several specimens; severe cases in adults still require intensive care monitoring

First steps : Call the poison control center immediately if neurological symptoms (confusion, hallucinations, seizures) appear after eating mushrooms, especially in a child. Do not induce vomiting if consciousness is impaired (risk of aspiration). Keep a sample for identification.

Sources (3)

No entry replaces a certain identification in the field, or medical advice. When in doubt: don't eat it. If ingestion is suspected: poison control or 112/911.