Amanita mushroom belongs to the fly agaric family. The peculiarity of this species is paradoxical - outwardly beautiful, it will certainly be poisonous. A mushroom, the use of which does not pose any danger to human life and health, will be characterized by an unsightly appearance, so to speak, unappetizing. This is the case when appearance is deceiving.
So, in order not to fall for the tricks of nature, let's understand.
Types of fly agaric: photo and description
You thought a poisonous fly agaric - it’s so alone, and you won’t be able to confuse it with another mushroom? But no. Nature has outwitted humanity here. Consider the main varieties of these mushrooms and their features.
Amanita muscaria
The mushroom hat is red or orange-red. Its diameter is about 20 centimeters. On the surface of the hat are snow-white speckles or dots-yellow warts. This part is characterized by a spherical shape. The bottom of the hat is covered with beige plates. The pulp is characterized by a white color and a weak mushroom aroma.
The maximum height of the legs can reach 25 centimeters. The description of the red fly agaric contains distinctive signs, among which one can note the fortress, white color, ring-shaped decor and pronounced white warts. It is worth considering that specks can have a yellow tint. The lower leg of the red mushroom is thickened with a tuber of cereal.
The mass appearance of the fungus is recorded from mid-summer to mid-autumn. The habitat of such a poisonous handsome is a forest zone. Poisonous mushrooms, which grow under a birch , have special beauty.
I would also like to add to the description of the red fly agaric: if you use it to a person, you can’t avoid troubles. It can cause choking, cause fainting, or severe gastrointestinal upset. Fatal cases from the use of this mushroom as a food story are also known. A lethal dose of a toxic substance can be obtained by ingesting 3-5 fly agaric.
Application
Where is this mushroom used if it is inedible? Amanita is an excellent remedy against flies. To do this, put the mushroom hat on a deep plate, fill it with water brought to a boil, and sprinkle a little sugar on top. As a result of such manipulations, juice is secreted from the cap, which becomes sugar syrup. This kind of delicacy for flies is tasty, but deadly.
Amanita bright yellow
This type of fungus is also poisonous. But, unlike the previous one, it is in most cases deadly. The color of the hat is characterized by bright yellow color, it is also called lemon or orange-yellow. Its surface is covered with many snow-white flakes.
Under the hat there are plates that change their color depending on the age of the fungus. When the fly agaric is young, they have a white color, and when its life cycle reaches maturity, the plates acquire a brown hue. As for the flesh of the hat, it smells very much like the scent of radish.
The leg of a bright yellow fly agaric is characterized by fragility, velvety (but not always), elongation. As the fungus grows up, the ring on it can completely disappear. To the base, the leg acquires an expanded shape. This is precisely the main distinguishing feature of the poisonous fly agaric, which does not allow confusing it with an edible russula.
Amanita, the description of which is presented above, can be found from June to September.
Amanita leopard
It may also be referred to as a panther mushroom. Like the previous two species, it is not suitable for human consumption. Otherwise, serious poisoning cannot be avoided. It can lead to death, but not always.
The pulp has a very pleasant aroma, which is often confused with the smell of gray-pink fly agaric, which is edible. In deciduous and coniferous forests, you can often find fly agaric panther. Description of this miracle of nature, read on.
A hat in diameter can reach 9 centimeters. It has a gray-brown, ocher-brown or even black-brown color. Its surface is strewn with small white warts, which cause association with droplets of milk. The plates located under the head of the mushroom have a white tint. The same color scheme is also characteristic of pulp. The smell resembles a radish. The leg of the fly agaric is hollow, thin, characterized by a cylindrical shape. In length can reach 13 centimeters. At the base there is a thickening in the form of tubers with several bands (usually 2-3). The decor of the legs is a membranous ring, often barely noticeable.
The mushroom grows from mid-summer to mid-autumn.
Amanita muscaria
This mushroom is also known as lemon or white inedible fly agaric. Its description is similar to a red look. However, this mushroom is inferior to him both in attractiveness and in size. A little earlier, the fly agaric was in the poisonous class, but now scientists have removed it from this list and entered it into the inedible class. Such mushrooms are excessively bitter, have an unpleasant aroma, and taste like raw potatoes.
The hat does not exceed 10 cm in diameter. When the mushroom is young, it is painted in white, but when the mature stage of life begins, the hat acquires a yellowish-green or even brownish hue, and large gray growths appear on its surface. The plate is cream or white, on the edges of which there is a flaky coating. The pulp is white or lemon-colored. The height of the legs does not exceed 12 cm, it is characterized by a special subtlety and decor in the form of a sagging beige ring. The base is expanded, giving rise to a tuberoid thickening.
The grebe-like fly agaric bears fruit, the description of which we just examined, from late summer to mid-autumn. One of the varieties of this fungus is the fly agaric lemon white, the key feature of which is a pure white color.
Amanita muscaria
Although this mushroom is recognized as edible (after appropriate treatment), many consider it to be poisonous. In appearance, it is very similar to a dangerous bright yellow fly agaric. Photos and descriptions are presented below.
The hat at a young age is characterized by an ovoid shape, and in the mature - flat. The maximum possible diameter is 10 centimeters. A clear sign of the orange mushroom is a dark bulge, which is located in the center. The color of the fly agaric hat itself can be gray or orange and their shades. The skin is smooth. The edges of the hat are decorated with grooves.
The leg in length can reach 15 centimeters, therefore it is considered elongated. As a rule, it has a pure white color, but visible inclusions of brown are not excluded. The lower part is extended.
Collect such a mushroom from August to September.
Amanita gray pink
Known as a blushing mushroom. At first glance, you can’t say that it is edible, because it looks completely unappetizing. But, despite this, it belongs to the most delicious mushrooms, fly agaric. It impresses with its gustatory qualities both in fried and marinated form. And such a fly agaric is loved not only by people, but also by insects: flies, worms. If you come across a wormy reddening fly agaric, do not be surprised.
A hat with a diameter of not more than 18 centimeters. The characteristic form is a hemisphere for a young fungus and hilly-convex at the stage of a mature life cycle. The color of the hat is gray-pink. On the surface is a mass of gray (rarely brown) warty growths that are similar to flakes. The plates are white, but may have a slightly pink tint, which distinguishes the old fly agaric. The description also indicates that these partitions are densely located.
The pulp is distinguished by its meatiness, impressive thickness, white or pale pink. In the place of the break, it gradually turns pink and acquires a wine color. That is why this fly agaric is called as blushing. The flesh tastes sweet. There is no specific smell.
The height of the legs varies up to 15 centimeters. As the fungus grows older, its color can range from light tones to dark pink. At the base there is a thickening of a tuberous form.
You can collect such mushrooms in grassy areas from early summer to mid-autumn.
Amanita Caesar
This species is also called Caesar's mushroom. This is one of the most delicious edible fly agaric. It is distinguished by excellent taste and healing properties.
A hat in diameter can range from 8 to 20 centimeters, has an ovoid or hemispherical shape. Initially characterized by a bulge, but as the fungus grows older it becomes flatter. The skin of the hat is painted in golden orange or bright red color, rarely yellowish.
Amanita mushroom, the photo and description of which you have just seen, is popularly referred to as royal or cesarean.
Before eating any edible mushroom needs heat treatment.