Today we are going to talk about a mushroom that belongs to the Amanitas group. It's about the amanita pantherina. Its name in Spanish is false Galipierno and belongs to the order of the Agaricales. We are going to dedicate this article to tell you about all the characteristics, habitats and properties of this mushroom.
If you want to know more about amanita pantherina, this is your post.
Key features
It is a mushroom whose hat measures between 4 to 12 centimeters in diameter. It has a hemispherical shape and, as it develops, it acquires a convex shape. When it has reached its adult form it has an almost flat shape. The color of this hat varies between grayish brown and light brown. Its cuticle can be easily detached from the hat and it looks wet and shiny.
We can see throughout this hat that it has remnants of membrane from the universal veil and they appear in the form of numerous warts of pure white color arranged in a regular way. These warts can come off easily. The hat has a rounded margin, very striated and colorful.
It has lamellae of a free type and with a rounded shape. They are located tightly between them and with small interspersed lamellae. These lamellae are white in color and have mealy-like edges of the same color as the rest or the entire lamina.
Looking at the foot, we see that It is between 6 and 12 centimeters long and 0.5 to 2 centimeters in diameter. It is cylindrical in shape and widens as we reach the base of the foot. The end of the foot is shaped like a rounded bulb. As it evolves in age and reaches maturity it becomes hollow. The color of the foot is white on the dirty side. Its appearance or is quite mealy on its entire surface. It has a ring also white in color and with a membranous appearance, quite persistent and somewhat striated in its upper part.
This ring can be differentiated from other species because it is located just halfway up the foot. The volva is circumcised. This means that it has a sharp-angled bead and has two to three annular weatherstripping on top. Its meat is inconsistent in and has pleasant characteristics. Its flavor is sweet, with a weak smell and a white color. It is quite tender to the touch, so it is pleasant.
Habitat and area of distribution of the amanita pantherina
If we see phenol in the meat we can see that it turns a purple color that pulls towards a chocolate brown color. We can find the habitat of the amanita pantherina under conifers and under deciduous-type trees. Since it needed a little more sun to thrive in good conditions.
They also spread in areas of pine, oak, chestnut groves typical of the Mediterranean forest. Being a fairly ubiquitous species, it can also grow in Holm oaks and beech forests. They can be found both alone and in small groups.
The harvest time is between summer and autumn. It is a fairly toxic species that if ingested in large quantities can cause serious poisoning. This can be reached relatively easily as it does not taste bad. This is one of the main problems of the amanita pantherina. The fact that it has a sweet and pleasant taste can lead to confusion about its toxicity. There is a variety of amanita pantherina and it is the abietum. This is even meatier but less striated and grows close to habitats that feature large amounts of spruce and mountain conifers.
If consumed in large quantities, it presents the same syndrome as Amanita muscaria. These syndromes are somewhat more serious. Exceptionally, if its consumption exceeds normal limits, it can lead to death. The main symptoms that it usually causes after its ingestion are psychomotor excitement, seizures, delusions, drunkenness, dizziness, hallucinations, miosis, diuresis, vomiting, etc. These effects begin to appear more or less between the first half hour and 4 hours after its ingestion. After the consumption of these mushrooms the effect can last up to 3 days.
If you have eaten these mushrooms, it is necessary to go to a medical center as soon as possible to tackle the problem.
Confusions of the amanita pantherina
This mushroom can be confused with others of the same genus. Let's analyze the main ones. It is often confused with amanita rubescens since it has vinous tones in the wounds and the edge of the hat smooth. You have to know how to differentiate that the edge is not striated. Their warts are never totally white but they have reddish coloration on the foot. These colorations they are increased with friction and a volva with a more mealy appearance. The amanita rubescens it is a good edible, as long as it is cooked in high temperatures. It should never be consumed raw.
Another of the main confusions is that of the Amanita Spissa Kummer. This is, unlike the amanita pantherina, an acceptable edible. The main difference is that it has the volva napiforme and the membranous-type hat warts. What's more, It has a gray color and the brim of the hat is not striated.
As a general rule, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the base of the foot, such as the annular weatherstripping and it is clearly circumcised. These are the main characteristics that serve to differentiate this mushroom from the others. As with the rest of toxic mushrooms, it is important to know all the characteristics for their correct identification.
When harvesting, we must take into account whether a mushroom is poisonous or not. Within the genus of amanitas there are a large number of varieties that have poisonous characteristics. This toxicity can present a danger to everyone who collected it or who were to consume it.
As you can see, it is important to recognize the toxicity of mushrooms before going to collect. I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Pantherine Amanita.