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Red-orange American Caesar's mushrooms with yellow stems
Edibleexpert-only

American Caesar's Mushroom

Amanita jacksonii

A red-orange Amanita of eastern North America with a striate cap margin, yellow gills, and a white sac volva.

Photo: Bill Sheehan, CC BY-SA
Compiled by Mushroom Forage Map field deskExpert review pendingContent checked
Identification warning

An Amanita. Confirm yellow gills and stem and the white sac volva, and cut eggs vertically.

Season
Summer to early autumn
Habitat
Oak and pine forests of eastern North America
Underside
Free yellow gills
Spore evidence
White

Where it grows

Tracked records and known growing zone

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Squares: where people recorded it, brighter where more people did
Verified records
3,135
People who recorded it
2,216
Most records (northern hemisphere)
Jul–Aug
Records span
1991–2026

Research-grade iNaturalist records, snapshot Aug 27, 2026. The growing zone combines areas where different people have repeatedly verified it. Records show where people looked and found it, not current abundance or permission to gather.

Observation season

When field records occur

Choose a hemisphere · All recorded years; not a current forecast.

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Lookalikes to rule out

Fly agaric and its yellow forms have white gills and warts.

Yellow patches

toxic

Amanita flavoconia is small and yellow with yellow warts.

Death Cap

deadly

Unopened eggs of deadly Amanita look similar; cut and check the colors.

Identification

The cap is bright red to orange, fading to yellow at the margin, with strong radial lines on the edge. Gills and stem are yellow, the stem often with orange bands. A thick white sac-like volva wraps the base. Young caps emerge as red eggs from the white volva.

Uses and ecology

This mycorrhizal species partners with oaks and pines. It is eaten by experienced foragers but belongs to a genus with deadly members.

Memorable fact

The red cap emerging from a white volva has been compared to an egg yolk breaking through its shell.

Sources

Never eat a mushroom from this page alone

Confirm identity using the whole specimen, multiple reputable sources, and a qualified local expert. Identified edible species still require appropriate preparation. Cooking does not make a poisonous mushroom safe.

Safety and poison response
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