The Death Cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) moves to a native tree in Victoria, British Columbia

Amanita phalloides (Vaill. ex Fr.) Link, the Death Cap mushroom, is an invasive ectomycorrhizal fungus in North America that was inadvertently introduced from Europe. Death Cap mushrooms are highly toxic and have caused three recorded poisonings in British Columbia, including one recent death. In British Columbia, these mushrooms fruit mostly in urban environments in the greater Vancouver and Victoria areas under planted exotic broadleaf trees. In California, A. phalloides was demonstrated to also form ectomycorrhizas with a native oak species. Here we report that A. phalloides forms ectomycorrhizas with Quercus garryana, BCâ s only native species of oak, and can fruit in association with this tree host. If Death Cap mushrooms spread in Q. garryana habitat, the risk for serious mushroom poisoning will increase and mushroom harvesters, the medical community, and park managers need to be aware of this increased risk.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author