Galerina autumnalis Peck (Smith & Singer)
A Mongraph on the Genus Galerina Earle: 246. 1964.

Common Name: Deadly Galerina

• Pileus

  Cap 2-6 cm broad, convex to plano-convex; surface smooth, viscid, yellowish-brown to orange-brown; margin translucent striate; flesh very thin.

• Lamellae

  Gills adnexed to short-decurrent, close to sub-distant, with two tiers of lamellulae; pale yellowish when young, becoming yellowish-orange to concolorous with the pileus to pale brown in age.

• Stipe

  Stipe 2-10 cm long, 2-6 mm thick, smooth and white to buff above the annulus, dull gray-brown and fibrillose below, mostly equal, with a prominent annulus forming a white to rusty spore coated apical ring that is sometimes missing in age.

• Spores

  Spores 8-11 X 5-6.5 µm, elliptical, light brown in water, non-amyloid, ornamented with low warts. Spore print rusty brown.

• Habitat

  Scattered to cespitose on well decayed wood.

• Edibility

  Deadly poisonous. Contains alpha-amanitins in sufficient quantities to cause death.

• Comments

  Galerina autumnalis and its close relatives Galerina marginata and Galerina venenata have been mistaken in the past with representatives of the genus Psilocybe by those interested in collecting hallucinogenic mushrooms. This has resulted in several poisonings and at least one death.

• Other Descriptions and Photos
  • Herb Saylor: Galerina autumnalis (CP)
  • Michael Wood: Galerina autumnalis (CP)
  • Michael Wood: Galerina autumnalis (CP)
  • Michael Wood: Galerina autumnalis (CP)
  • Michael Wood: Galerina autumnalis (CP)
  • Cercle des mycologues de MontrΘal: Galerina autumnalis (D & CP)
  • Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month: Galerina autumnalis (D & CP)
  • Tom Volk: Galerina autumnalis (CP)
  • The Bad and Ugly: Galerina marginata (D & CP)
  • George Barron's Fungi of Canada (East): Galerina autumnalis (D & CP)
  • National Botanic Garden of Belgium: Galerina autumnalis (CP)
  • Ammirati et al.: p.100 (D), fig.27 (I), fig. 40 (CP)
  • Arora (1986): p. 185 (D & CP)
  • Arora (1991) P. 135 (D & CP)
  • Benjamin: Chapter 12 (Toxicity Info), plate 4 (CP)
  • Breitenbach & Kränzlin (vol. 5): sp. 409 (D, I, & CP)
  • Fischer & Bessette: p. 160 (D & CP)
  • Jordan: p. 276 (D & CP)
  • Lincoff: p. 620 (D), plate 228
  • McKenny et al.: p. 128 (D & CP)
  • Miller: sp. 238 (D & CP)
  • Phillips: p. 187 (D), p. 186 (CP)
  • Smith & Weber: sp. 190 (D & CP)
  • Spoerke & Rumack, eds.: Chapter 10 (Toxicity Info)
  • Stamets: p. 193 (D), p. 194 (CP)

  (D=Description; I=Illustration; P=Photo; CP=Color Photo)