Amanita brunnescens G.F Atkinson
The 'Cleft-foot Amanita’ or ‘Star-footed Amanita’
is an extremely variable species in having a tendency to produce fruiting bodies with a plethora of pale brown to dark brown caps. All are typically darker on the cap disk. All species have the cleft-foot and usually all parts will slowly bruise brown to reddish brown on contact. It continues to be unclear as to whether or not Amanita brunnescens var. pallida (which can be seen on the following page), is simply another variant of Amanita brunnescens or a distinct species altogether. In my experience, the brown capped-versions that I have photographed over the past 14 years, were found growing in mixed woods under conifers, whereas the white ones were photographed in deciduous woodlands.
Amanita sec. Phalloideae
Amanita brunnescens