Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Decomposer
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Spores
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

This stark white mushroom grows on the forest floor across eastern North America. Its gills release a potent toxin that destroys liver cells within hours of ingestion.

Life cycle

1.
spore
A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2.
mycelium
A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3.
fruiting body
A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species: Amanita bisporigera