Amanita muscaria - description, where it grows, poisonous mushroom

The content of the article

1 What does the fly agaric of this species look like?
2 Where is it growing?
3 Is a bristly fly agaric poisonous?
4 Which species are similar?

Amanita muscaria - one of the species of mushrooms of the family Amanita, which in no case should be eaten. Amanita is prickly-headed and a fat bristly - its other names.

What does the fly agaric of this species look like?

The fleshy hat of the mushroom has an almost round shape, which opens and becomes prostrate. Its length in diameter is from fourteen to sixteen centimeters, and its edges can be either smooth or with very small teeth. Here are the remains of the bedspread in the form of flakes. The thin skin on the hat has a pale white and light gray color, but later becomes a shade of light ocher. She also has a light green color. The surface of the cap is dotted with small and thick bristly wart in the form of pyramids. The spores of such a fungus are smooth, very small and oval, and their powder, obtained from the fruit body of the fly agaric, has a white or cream color.

Directly below it, near the fly agaric, there is a hymenophore in the form of a large number of plates located nearby, clearly visible from afar, the color of which changes from white to turquoise, and then to green with a touch of yellowness.

The prickly-headed fly agaric has a dense and white flesh, which becomes yellow near the cap and under the layer of its skin. This mushroom has an unpleasant taste and smell, very reminiscent of the smell of rot.

As for the stalk of this mushroom, which has a white or yellow hue, it begins to thicken and becomes swollen closer to the middle, and in the area of the cap becomes cylindrical. The height of the legs varies from ten to twenty centimeters, in girth it has a length of one centimeter to four. The base of the leg is slightly pointed and located deep underground, and its surface has small white scales that appear when the cuticle begins to crack. A thin ring of white color, covered with small scars and located on a leg, disappears quite quickly.

Where is it growing?

The bristly fat man usually grows under oaks in mixed, coniferous or deciduous forests, in the lower zone of mountains in the south, and also near water bodies, rivers and lakes, where there are soils with high acidity. It is very rare to meet this type of mushroom, as it is whimsical and prefers a warm climate. These fly agarics usually bear fruit well between June and October.

The places where the prickly-headed fly agaric grows are the southern countries of Europe (for example, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Scandinavia, Germany and the British Isles). In addition, it can be found in Asia in Israel, Azerbaijan and even in Western Siberia. This species is protected in the Katunsky reserve in the Katun river valley in the Altai Territory.

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Is a bristly fly agaric poisonous?

In no case should such a mushroom be eaten, since there is a high probability of poisoning even after its special treatment. In folk medicine, it is not used for any purpose.

Which species are similar?

There are several related species of spiny-headed fly agaric. The first of these is the fly agaric ovoid, which some consider edible. It has a hard and thick-fleshy hat that resembles an egg in shape, but then becomes flat, on its surface there is a faint plaque in the form of white flakes. Its edges resemble long processes in the form of thin threads, the plates are wide, frequent and free, and a large ring is present on the mushroom leg. The smell and taste of this mushroom are faint. The ovoid fly agaric is characterized by the presence of a dense pulp, which has no smell.Usually it grows in mixed forests in the Mediterranean, in Switzerland, Georgia, Austria, sometimes it can be found both on calcareous soil and under trees. However, in the Krasnodar Territory, the species is subject to extinction, which is why it was listed in the Red Book of the region.

Amanita pearl can also be taken as food. His hat is convex and has an unusual shade: from yellow, it turns into dark brown. In addition, small scales can be found on it, resembling grains in shape. In the lower part, the leg is thickened, has a white ring and a soft surface. Unlike other fly agarics, this mushroom has a light flesh that is pleasant to the taste and smell, which slowly turns red at the cut. It is able to grow in almost any environment, so it is found in any forest. The fruiting period of this species begins in the summer and continues until the very end of autumn. It must be collected very carefully, since it has several poisonous doubles.

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