This recently described subspecies is a relatively common mushroom in the Hawaiian Islands, found nearly everywhere Eucalyptus ,Melaleuca and Casuarina grow. The species belongs in subgen. Lepidella , sect. Phalloideae and most likely has the cyclopeptide toxins found in all other tested members of the section. In all probability, A. marmorata is a deadly species. For those mycophagists interested in harvesting Hawaiian mushrooms, this is the one species you must learn and avoid ingesting at all costs. The pileus ranges from pure white to greyish and marmorate, the lamellae are always white, and the stipe shows a membranous annulus (which may disappear at maturity) and a thick, white, saccate volva. It should be carefully compared with Volvariella speciosa , a species commonly eaten in the Hawaiian Islands. For a description of A. marmorata see Miller et al., Mycologia 88: 140-145, 1996.
|