Amanita franchetii

It was given its current name by Swiss mycologist Victor Fayod in 1889 in honor of French botanist Adrien René Franchet.^[3]

A. aspera is a synonym of A. franchetii.^[4]

There exists a variety known as A. franchetii var. lactella that is entirely white except for the bright yellow universal veil remnants.^[5]

The cap is 5–12 centimetres (2–4+1⁄2 inches) wide, and is yellow-brown to brown in color. The flesh is white or pale yellow, and has a mild odor.^[6] The closely spaced gills are the same color as the flesh. The stipe is thick and larger at the base, also white to yellowish; loose areas of yellow veil form on the base. A thick ring is left by the partial veil.^[7]

A similar fungus in western North America was also referred to as A. franchetii, but was long suspected of being a separate, undescribed species,^[8] and in 2013 was formally described under the name A. augusta.^[9]

A. franchetii occurs in Europe and North Africa with oaks (Quercus ssp.), chestnuts (Castanea ssp.), and pines (Pinus ssp.).^[8]

A. franchetii var. lactella is found in the western Mediterranean region, associated with several species of oak (Quercus suber and Q. robur) and hornbeam (Carpinus betulus),^[5] and is also reported from Serbia.^[10]

A. franchetii is considered inedible,^[11][12] and is reported as being toxic when raw or undercooked.^[7] Although the species was implicated in the 2005 deaths of ten people in China who displayed symptoms similar to those caused by amatoxin poisoning,^[13] this case report has been called into question for possible misidentification of the mushrooms involved.^[14]

• List of Amanita species

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amanita franchetii.

• Amanita franchetii in Index Fungorum
• "Amanita franchetii". Mykoweb. Archived from the original on 2011-08-05. Retrieved 2011-11-08. - A description of the western North American species.
• Amanita franchetii var. lactella photo, from Aranzadi Society of Sciences, Mycology Gallery.