Shiitake Mushrooms when young and white through the center

Puffballs, edible when young and white through the center, have a solid undifferentiated interior, although there may be a slightly distinct sterile base. An Amanita button, when cut in half, will show the embryonic gills and a faint outline of the maturing , which will later rupture the universal veil that covers it. Puffballs should be cut in half, when collected or prepared for food, not only to distinguish them from Amanita buttons, but also because a yellow, brown, dark purplish or blackish center indicates spore maturation that will probably cause GI distress.

Pot-hunters may confuse the toxic Amanita pantherina sensu auct amer. with brown Agaricusspecies. in the United States varies markedly. What may be called the “pantherina complex” in Western North America describes a number of different species, including Amanita pantherina (DC.:Fr.) Krombh., Amanita pantherina var pantherinoides (Murrill) Dav. T. Jenkins and possibly Amanita multisquamosa Peck. Amanita multisquamosa is primarily an eastern species, but it may additionally occur in the PNW. Other members of the group have not yet been sorted out.