The Mushroom Man Part 2) Amanita phalloides Traditional Cache
MrMagnaDefender: Time to archive the series due to a number of reasons which include a quarry built on top of them and also a local nutcase at the farm near number 5. Thanks for all the logs [:D]
The Mushroom Man Part 2) Amanita phalloides
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
The Mushroom Man series has been designed to be fun and also show
you some of the fungi which is in your area. Most fungi only come
out in the autumn, but the caches can be enjoyed all year round. At
no point on this series should unknown mushrooms be eaten.This is
part 2 of the Mushroom Man series.
The death cap has a large and imposing epigeous (aboveground)
fruiting body (basidiocarp), usually with a pileus (cap) from 5 to
15 cm (2–6 in) across, initially rounded and hemispherical, but
flattening with age.[17] The color of the cap can be pale-,
yellowish-, or olive-green, often paler toward the margins and
often paler after rain. The cap surface is sticky when wet and
easily peeled, a troublesome feature, as that is allegedly a
feature of edible fungi.[18] The remains of the partial veil are
seen as a skirtlike, floppy annulus usually about 1 to 1.5 cm
(0.4–0.6 in) below the cap. The crowded white lamellae (gills) are
free. The stipe is white with a scattering of grayish-olive scales
and is 8 to 15 cm (3–6 in) long and 1 to 2 cm (3/8–3/4 in) thick,
with a swollen, ragged, sac-like white volva (base).[17] As the
volva, which may be hidden by leaf litter, is a distinctive and
diagnostic feature, it is important to remove some debris to check
for it.[19] The smell has been described as initially faint and
honey-sweet but strengthening over time to become overpowering,
sickly-sweet and objectionable.[20] Young specimens first emerge
from the ground resembling a white egg covered by a universal veil,
which then breaks, leaving the volva as a remnant. The spore print
is white, a common feature of Amanita. The transparent spores are
globular to egg-shaped, measure 8–10 µm (0.3–0.4 mil) long, and
stain blue with iodine.[20] The gills, on the other hand, are seen
to stain pallid lilac or pink with concentrated sulfuric
acid.[21][22]
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
raq bs gur oevqtr