Today we are going to talk about a type of mushroom that generally has a controversy about whether it is toxic or edible. It's about the amanita gemmata. They currently have a new scientific name and it is the fly agaric. It is renamed to be able to differentiate it from other mushrooms of the same genus. There are people who think it is toxic, others that it is deadly, others that it is harmless, etc.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you all the characteristics, habitat and solve the problem of whether the amanita gemmata it is toxic or not.
Key features
Hat and foils
Since this mushroom belongs to the amanitas group, it may be that it resembles other specimens of the same group. This means that when analyzing and recognizing this fungus we have to take into account some of its differentiating characteristics. The first thing is to analyze the hat. It usually has a diameter of between 5 and 10 centimeters at most large. Normally, we can see that most of the specimens do not reach the highest point of this diameter.
When we recognize the amanita gemmata We see that since she was little she has a hat that is globose. As it develops and reaches adulthood, it opens and acquires a hemispherical shape. Finally, when it is an adult, it has a flat-convex shape. It is not completely flattened so it can be a differentiating characteristic. Color is the variable where most people get confused. Since it is not a fixed color, there are some varieties within the same type. We can find specimens with the yellowish ocher hat that have traces of the white veil. The surface is shiny and lubricated. This lubrication is seen with more intensity in the rainy season.
One of the characteristics of the hat compared to other mushrooms is that it is smooth but grooved on the margin. As for their blades, they are quite tight and are white. They are adnate-type laminae and some are free with respect to the foot.
Pie and meat
The foot of this specimen is central. If we analyze the part of the base we see that it thickens the closer it is to the surface. At the base we find a kind of bulb that is in turn surrounded by a floconous volva. It was coming back it does not usually have a fixed shape but is usually variable depending on the variety that we are dealing with. We can recognize this volva because it is white and has a very fleeting ring. We can find some specimens of this same species that do not have a ring. Therefore, we must be careful when identifying the mushroom. As there are some varieties, there will be some specimens that do not have this ring.
As for its meat, it is tender and soft. It can be easily broken as it has a very smooth texture. The taste is sweet and smooth and does not have a very specific smell. This means that the smell is not a distinguishing characteristic and it cannot be used to recognize the mushroom.
Habitat of the amanita gemmata
To be able to find this mushroom, we must if it is the planifolian forests. Where there is more abundance of these specimens is low conifers and pine forests. The growing season and when there are more individuals is late autumn. It can also appear in spring depending on winter rainfall. And it is that this mushroom needs the rains of late summer and winter to be able to thrive.
The distribution area where we find the most specimens is in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. We must be careful when collecting as there may be some confusion. As it is a species of the amanita group, it may be that we make mistakes when collecting. We are now going to analyze its edibility.
This species was long considered deadly. The amanita gemmata it is not fatal if consumed. It is also not innocuous, so we must be careful with it. Many people say that it can be eaten without being cooked beforehand. When in doubt, this mushroom has been considered toxic. However, it is not a toxic mushroom for everyone. Nor are all its varieties toxic.
Possible confusions of the amanita gemmata
As we have mentioned before, there are some more frequent confusions when collecting this type of mushroom. Since it has many varieties depending on the hat and its characteristics, we can find some mushrooms that are toxic and others are not. There are some people who can consume this type of mushroom without any harm to their health. For other people and it can be toxic, but it is never fatal.
You can have digestion problems, dizziness, vomiting, etc. but it is not fatal. When collecting the amanita gemmata be careful as it looks like the Citrine amanita. It is this lemon yellow color and has a potato smell. In this case, we can rely on the smell of the Citrine amanita to be able to differentiate it. We have seen before amanita gemmata it does not have an appreciable odor so it serves as identification. But we can use this absence of odor to be able to compare it with other species in its group. In the case of smelling the citrine amanita and identifying the potato smell, we will know how to differentiate them.
Another of the confusions that we can have is the amanita eliae. This specimen is beige and slimmer. In order to determine the amanita gemmata we must bear in mind that it can also be confused with the amanita pantherina. These two mushrooms are related to each other as they have identical morphological characteristics. They have a fluted hat, a small foot and have a bulb and annular remains suitable to form the neckline volva. If we want to eat the Alittle hand gemmatWe should only collect the specimens that have a fairly striking yellow color and discard all those specimens that have an uncertain tonality.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Amanita gemmata.