death cap

American  

[deth kap] / ˈdɛθ ˌkæp /

noun

1. a deadly poisonous mushroom of the genus Amanita, especially A. phalloides, with a distinctive membranous cup around the base of the stalk. Death caps resemble a number of edible mushrooms and are responsible for more deaths than any other species of mushroom.

---

death cap British  

noun

1. a poisonous woodland saprotrophic basidiomycetous fungus, Amanita phalloides, differing from the edible mushroom ( Agaricus ) only in its white gills (pinkish-brown in Agaricus ) and the presence of a volva See also amanita

---

Etymology

Origin of death cap

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Two of the most toxic mushrooms that can be found in the state are the death cap and the western destroying angel mushroom, Amanita Ocreata.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026

So far this year, at least 23 people have been sickened by eating death cap mushrooms in California and one person has died.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

In extreme cases, a person who ate death cap mushrooms can go into catastrophic liver failure and need a liver transplant.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

The California Poison Control System has identified 21 cases of amatoxin poisoning clustered in northern California, likely resulting from death cap mushrooms, the state's department of public health said.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025

Akin to the preparation of one’s coffin, and storing it in one’s domicil, for years perhaps, is the preparation of one’s shroud, and death cap, and all the et cætera of laying out.

From Dealings with the Dead, Volume I (of 2) by School, A Sexton of the Old