Identification Protocol
Reading the cap before the kettle
1
Red keyThe volva tells the truth
A swollen sac-like base buried below the leaf litter marks the deadly amanitas — dig it whole, never snap the stipe at the soil line.
2
Green keyWhite gills, white flesh, white spore
Take a spore print on the greyed card overnight; a pale free gill against a pure-white deposit confirms the genus before any taste.
3
Red keyThe ring outlives the doubt
A skirt-like annulus on the upper stipe paired with that buried volva is the unambiguous signature of the death cap — set the basket down.
4
Green keyCross-section before consensus
Halve the specimen along the stipe; a marbled boletus tube layer and unstaining flesh clears the path the painted plates promised.