fly agaric

Today we are going to talk about a type of poisonous mushroom that you cannot confuse with another of its kind since it can cause problems if it is consumed. It's about the fly agaric. It is a type of Mediterranean mushroom that grows mainly in spring, which is why it belongs to the group of spring mushrooms. It is a mushroom that, at first glance, can have an appearance of fragility in offense to be of an immaculate white color. However, it is one of the toxic mushrooms that can harm our health if consumed.

In this article we are going to tell you about all the characteristics and properties that the Amanita Verna, in addition to the possible confusion that you may have with another specimen of the same species.

Key features

This type of mushroom has a medium-sized hat. The normal thing is that it measures between 5 and 10 centimeters in diameter. The appearance of this hat is globose or hemispherical. As it develops and reaches maturity, it acquires a shape from hemispherical to convex, finally ending up flattening in its last stage of development. The hemispherical shape of the hat is the one that will remain the longest within its cycle.

It is white in color although it can sometimes appear to be a pale cream color. In its adult state it is when it has that possible confusion of colors. The cuticle of the hat is easily detachable and of a very fine thickness. It also has characteristics that are dry when the environment is dry and bright when there is rain. This cuticle never becomes slimy. One of the main characteristics to be able to recognize this hat easily is that the edges are quite regular and it is not ridged.

It has several free blades with respect to its foot that are white in color and quite dense and tight between them. They have several lamellae sandwiched between the upper lamellae.

As for the foot, it is central and cylindrical in shape, also white and of a size proportionate to the hat. There are times that we can find this foot quite buried in the ground and with a more elongated shape. The texture is smooth or slightly adorned with some colored flakes. The upper third of the foot has a white membranous ring and a sac-shaped membranous volva at the base. When it is young, the foot is full but it becomes fistulous as it progresses into its adult stage.

Finally, the meat is white, not very thick and with a rather weak smell. As for the flavor, it is smooth and sweet.

Habitat and ecology of the fly agaric

La fly agaric It is a type of mushroom that grows mainly in spring. It needs pine forests or deciduous forests to be able to meet the necessary conditions for its development and growth. It is a species that has a predilection for those soils with an acidic or slightly acidic pH. It is rare in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. They grow solitary or sometimes it can be seen forming some groups mainly in mixed meadows and pine forests with sandy-textured soils.

It is a toxic mushroom that belongs to the trilogy of the amanitas that are deadly if it is consumed. Only one specimen is capable of killing a healthy person. Therefore, it is interesting from the point of view of health that the amateur little advanced mushrooms well on this species so as not to confuse it with any mushroom. This confusion is usually quite frequent and less desired than it is. We are going to analyze the possible confusions of the fly agaric and the importance of knowing how to differentiate them.

Toxicity and confusion

Given its fairly common appearance, it can be confused with common mushrooms. However, it should be noted that these mushrooms have a pinkish color on the plates and do not have a back on the bottom. Given these confusions, they were seen to produce many cases of intoxications since they are also frequently confused with the ponderosa fly agaric. This mushroom has a more pronounced and typical smell as its flesh oxidizes.

The mushrooms do not always grow in the time that corresponds to them so we can find the fly agaric out of spring. Although this is not frequent, it can happen. For this reason, we are going to mention another of the species that does not grow in spring but that can also be confused with this mushroom. It's about the edible Leucoagaricus leucothites. Unlike the fly agaric this type of fungus is edible and has a thickening at the base that is not a volva. It also has sheets that turn pink due to the effect of the spores of their own maturation.

It is quite similar to another of the autumnal species that is also deadly and that falls within that trilogy that we have previously mentioned called Amanita virosa.

Amanita verna vs Amanita ponderosa

Since these two species belong to the same group and are the most common confusions that we can find, we are going to emphasize the differences between them. Let's start by analyzing the ponderosa amanita. His hat has a diameter that ranges from 6 to 20 cm, what is bigger than that of the Verna Amanita. Only with the hat can we get to differentiate these two species as long as the hat of this species is in the upper range of its size. It may be that you have a hat of only 6 centimeters and it can be confusing. In these cases we move on to the next difference.

The next difference is in the blades. They are separated unlike the fly agaric which I had them tight between them and, in addition, they turn pinkish when they oxidize and when rubbed. Another important difference is in the meat. The meat of the ponderosa fly agaric turns pinkish when cut and smells like earth. However, the other poisonous species does not have any odor and does not turn any color when brushed or cut.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about la fly agaric and knowing how to differentiate it from other similar species.