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Many Warts

Amanita polypyramis (am-ah-NEE-tah poh-lee-pih-RAY-mis)

Family: Amanitaceae Unknown

Many warts is a poisonous mushroom in the fungus family (Amanitaceae) native to New Jersey south to Florida and west to Texas plus Mexico and South America. It is found in pine-oak forests usually growing alone or scattered in summer and fall. They grow up to 8 inches tall and prefer shady woodland areas. They have a strong chlorine odor and form a symbiotic relationship with the roots of trees for nutrients. The cap is large, up to 8 inches in diameter, and is white covered with white, cottony scales. The gills are white, moderately close, and free from the stalk. The stalk is thick and greatly enlarged at base. The annulus (ring) is white, large, fragile, breaking away from the cap in large patches or adhering to the edge of the cap in large sections, and covered with scales on the underside. The spore print is white. It is considered to be very poisonous. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 30 attributes.

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Mushroom; Poisonous
Life cycle
Perennial
Light
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Maintenance
High
Form & Appearance
Texture
Medium
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
No true leaves. The large white cap is convex to plane and covered in white powdery warts. The gills are cream to tan and mostly unattached to the stem.
Flower detail
No flowers
Fruit detail
Produces spores. The spores are white, amyloid and ellipsoid to elongate.
Stem color
Cream/Tan
Stem detail
The stem is 4 to 8 inches long, white and covered with a powdery substance when young. The base is a rounded bulb shape. The ring is large and skirt-like when young and may disappear with age.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
North and South America, Mexico
Food & Medicine

Edibility

Not edible!

Landscape Use
Garden tags
#poisonous #forest mushroom #non-edible mushrooms #poisonous mushrooms #malodorous #mushrooms #native mushroom
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Poisonous to Humans
Poison severity
High
Poison parts
Stems
Poison symptoms
May be fatal if eaten. Poisonous through ingestion. (Poison part: mushroom). Symptoms: Apparently little has been documented on this specific species, but it is expected to produce symptoms similar to other Amanita species: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pains, etc. Symptoms occur 30 minutes to several hours after ingesting. Liver and kidney failure can occur.
Toxic principle
amatoxins and phallotoxins
Contact dermatitis
No
Toxicity summary
High severity poison; parts: Stems

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.