Natural Highlights: The Amanita Mushrooms

The rains and accumulating leaves of fall provide good conditions for spotting the fungi we all know as mushrooms, whether you have an interest in foraging for food or simply learning to identify them.  Anyone wanting to collect mushrooms to eat quickly learns the importance of identifying – and avoiding - the Amanita mushrooms.  The Genus Amanita contains perhaps 1,000 species of which only 600 or so have been described.  Among them are some of the most toxic and deadly mushrooms in the world, along with some that are edible, and many whose edibility or toxicity is unknown.  Over 90% of all deaths from mushroom poisoning result from ingesting Amanitas, especially the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) which causes liver failure.  The Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa), as the name suggests, has also claimed many unsuspecting victims. Mycologists and mushroom experts always advise that you consult with and learn from experts before consuming any mushroom because, while some are delicious, others are deadly, and the risk is too high for anything short of complete certainty about what you are eating.  

Characteristics of Amanitas include their tendency to grow on the forest floor, their umbrella or parasol shaped cap, remnants of a complete veil (white patches on the cap) or a partial veil (a ring on the stem and/or a sac-like structure at the base of the stem, and white gills which are not attached to the stem.  There are many members of this genus, some yet to be described, so these traits should be considered to be generally true, but not necessarily all the time.  

The oddly named Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) is instantly recognizable as the famous “toadstool” of fairy tales and home décor with its classic mushroom shape, bright white-spotted red cap and white stem. In Europe, this mushroom has an ancient cultural history for its use during winter solstice ceremonies; these have carried over into modern times with mushroom decorations and ornaments during the holidays.  Around here, the Fly Agaric mushroom is more likely to have a yellow-orange cap instead of a red one; this is the variety Amanita muscaria var. guessowii, or the Yellow-Orange Fly Agaric, photographed recently at our Epping Way property. These are beautiful mushrooms which are also quite toxic, though rarely deadly.

For more information on Amanitas and other mushrooms, we recommend the following links and books:

https://www.themushroomforager.com/blog/2010/9/21/un53d2emv2be90libzrjbul9zestyg

http://www.amanitaceae.org/?Sections+of+Amanita

https://www.fungusfactfriday.com/172-amanita/

https://www.mushroomexpert.com/amanita.html  

Mushrooms of the Southeast by Todd F. Elliott

Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

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