Amanita phalloides , commonly known as the death cap, is a deadly poisonous basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Widely distributed across Europe, A. phalloides forms ectomycorrhizas with various broadleaved trees. In some cases, death cap has been accidentally introduced to new regions with the cultivation of non-native species of oak, chestnut, and pine. The large fruiting bodies (mushrooms) appear in summer and autumn; the caps are generally greenish in color, with a white stipe and gills.
Coincidentally, these toxic mushrooms resemble several edible species (most notably caesar's mushroom and the straw mushroom) commonly consumed by humans, increasing the risk of accidental poisoning. A. phalloides is one of the most poisonous of all known toadstools. It has been involved in the majority of human deaths from mushroom poisoning, possibly including the deaths of Roman Emperor Claudius and Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. It has been the subject of much research, and many of its biologically active agents have been isolated. The principal toxic constituent is α-amanitin, which damages the liver and kidneys, often fatally.
Amanita phalloides is the type species of Amanita section Phalloideae, a group that contains all of the deadly poisonous Amanita species thus far identified. Most notable of these are the species known as destroying angels, namely Amanita virosa and Amanita bisporigera as well as the fool's mushroom (Amanita verna). The term "destroying angel" has been applied to A. phalloides at times, but "death cap" is by far the most common vernacular name used in English. Other common names also listed include "stinking amanita" and "deadly amanita".
The death cap has a large and imposing epigeous (aboveground) fruiting body (basidiocarp), usually with a pileus (cap) from 5 to 15 cm (2–6 in) across, initially rounded and hemispherical, but flattening with age. The color of the cap can be pale-, yellowish-, or olive-green, often paler toward the margins and often paler after rain. The cap surface is sticky when wet and easily peeled, a troublesome feature, as that is allegedly a feature of edible fungi. The remains of the partial veil are seen as a skirtlike, floppy annulus usually about 1 to 1.5 cm (0.4–0.6 in) below the cap. The crowded white lamellae (gills) are free. The stipe is white with a scattering of grayish-olive scales and is 8 to 15 cm (3–6 in) long and 1 to 2 cm (3/8–3/4 in) thick, with a swollen, ragged, sac-like white volva (base). As the volva, which may be hidden by leaf litter, is a distinctive and diagnostic feature, it is important to remove some debris to check for it.
The smell has been described as initially faint and honey-sweet but strengthening over time to become overpowering, sickly-sweet and objectionable. Young specimens first emerge from the ground resembling a white egg covered by a universal veil, which then breaks, leaving the volva as a remnant. The spore print is white, a common feature of Amanita. The transparent spores are globular to egg-shaped, measure 8–10 μm (0.3–0.4 mil) long, and stain blue with iodine. The gills, on the other hand, are seen to stain pallid lilac or pink with concentrated sulfuric acid.
The death cap is native to Europe, where it is widespread. It is found from the southern coastal regions of Scandinavia in the north, to Ireland in the west, east to Poland and western Russia, and south throughout the Balkans, in Italy, Spain and Portugal, and in Morocco and Algeria in north Africa. There are records from further east into Asia but these have yet to be confirmed as A. phalloides.
It is ectomycorrhizally associated with a number of tree species, and are symbiotic to them. In Europe, these include a large number of hardwood and, less frequently, conifer species. It appears most commonly under oaks but also under beeches, chestnuts, horse-chestnuts, birches, filberts, hornbeams, pines, and spruces. In other areas, A. phalloides may also be associated with these trees or only with some species but not others. In coastal California, for example, A. phalloides is associated with coast live oak but not with the various coastal pine species, such as Monterey pine. In countries where it has been introduced it has been restricted to those exotic trees it would associate with in its natural range. There is, however, evidence of A. phalloides associating with hemlock and with genera of the Myrtaceae: Eucalyptus in Tanzania and Algeria, and Leptospermum and Kunzea in New Zealand. This suggests the species may have invasive potential.
As the common name suggests, the fungus is highly toxic, and it is responsible for the majority of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide. Its biochemistry has been researched intensively for decades, and it is estimated that 30 grams (1 oz), or half a cap, of this mushroom is enough to kill a human. In 2006, a family of three in Poland was poisoned, resulting in one death and the two survivors requiring liver transplants. Some authorities strongly advise against putting suspected death caps in the same basket with fungi collected for the table and to avoid touching them. Furthermore, the toxicity is not reduced by cooking, freezing, or dryin.

Zelena pupavka (Amanita phalloides) jedna je od najotrovnijih gljiva široko rasprostranjena po Europi i izaziva trovanja faloidinskog tipa, to jest onih sa smrtonosnim posljedicama, kod djece u 100% slučajeva. Izaziva oštećenja jetre i prestanak rada bubrega izazvanim djelovanjem veoma opasnih otrova amatoksina i alfa amanitin.
Raste u bjelogoričnim i crnogoričnim šumama u razdoblju od ljeta do jeseni. Zelena pupavka je predmet mnogih istraživanja, do sada su izolirani mnogi aktivni sastojci od kojih i alfa amanitin, oštećuje jetru i bubrege, lijek nije poznat.
Zelena pupavka je maslinastozelena, žutozelena, smeđezelene boje, nema ostatke ovoja, glatka. Ispod konveksnog klobuka pravilno zaokruženog veličine 6-15 cm nalaze se listići bijele boje odvojeni od stručka zaokruženih krajeva. Visina stručka od 5 do 12 cm i debljine 1-2 cm, tanji prema klobuku. Boja na klobuku blijedi pri rubu i poslije kiše. Površina klobuka je nakon kiše lagano ljepljiva i lako se guli, što je nažalost slično jestivim gljivama. Prvi vrhu stručka ispod klobuka nalazi se vjenčić bijele ili zelenožućkaste boje, a pri dnu gomoljasto zadebljanje malo spojeno sa ovojem bijele boje.
Zelena pupavka prirodno se nalazi diljem cijele Europe uključujući time i Hrvatsku. Nalazi se u blizini mnogih vrsta bjelogorice, i nešto manje crnogorice. Najčešće su to bukva, hrast, kesten, divlji kesten, breza, lješnjak, grab, bor, omorika. U drugim krajevima se zelena pupavka može pronaću uz navedeno drveće ili samo uz neku određenu vrstu kao obalnom dijelu Kalifornije gdje raste samo uz određeni hrast. Zelena pupavka ima i invazivni potencijaln što se vidi u njenoj prilagodljivosti u zemljama gdje je donesena; U Tanzaniji Alžiru kod eukaliptusa, na Novom Zelandu u blizini Leptospermum i Kunzea.
Krajem 19. stoljeća Charles Horton Peck zabilježio je prisutnost zelene pupavke u Sjevernoj Americi. 1918. godine G.F. Atkinson sa sveučilišta Cornell, pronašao je na istoku SAD-a vrstu Amanita brunnescens sličnu zelenoj pupavki pa se smatralo da prave zelene pupavke nema. Krajem 1970-tih ustanovilo sa da vrste A. phalloides ipak ima u SAD-u i da je došla transportom robe iz Europe. Zelena pupavka se prenesla i u druge za nju ne tipične zemlje transportom bjelogorične i crnogorične drvne građe. U Australiji i Urugvaju je pronađeno ispod uvoznog hrasta, kao i u Argentini i Čileu također ispod uvoznog drveća iz Europe.
Zelena pupavka je izuzetno toksična i odgovorna je za većinu smrtonosnih otrovanja gljivom. Procijenjeno je da je 30 grama (1 oz) zelene pupavke dovoljno da izazove smrt čovjeka. Strogo se predlaže da se potencijalne zelena pupavka ne stavlja u košaru s drugim jestivim gljivama i da se izbjegava međusobno dodirivanje. Toksičnost zelene pupavke se ne smanjuje kuhanjem, zamrzavanjem ili sušenjem; toksičnost je postojana a prvi znaci su obično kasno vidljivi.