Amanita velosa is an edible mushroom which is found under coast live oak in the spring, but also increasingly in the winter and even late fall, depending upon rainfall. At maturity, it can have a pleasant odor of shellfish. It is one of the most delicious edible mushrooms in California, with a sweet and nutty flavor. No amanita should be eaten by beginning mushroom hunters, due to the difficulty of identification and the presence of two sometimes similar deadly amanitas: Amanita phalloides and ocreata. Amanita velosa occurs throughout the East Bay, wherever mature stands of coast live oak can be found.
For more details on this beautiful amanita, go to:
http://www.bayareamushrooms.org/mushroommonth/amanita_velosa.html
In Oakland, Amanita velosa has been documented in Redwood Regional Preserve (AR).
Amanita velosa by Alan Rockefeller
Amanita velosa by Alan Rockefeller
Amanita velosa by Alan Rockefeller
