Laclarius Volemus
The Fly Agaric belongs to the childhood world of fairy tales. Apart from Boletus, it is the most popular mushroom. The red colour of its cap has always been taken as a poison warning, but, although the Fly Agaric is poisonous, its effects are not as dangerous as those of the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) or the white Amanita species. The alkaloid called muscarine is the main component which causes poisoning if fresh or dry fruit-bodies of this mushroom are consumed in some quantity.
The gills are permanently white or whitish and this feature distinguishes it from champignons, whose gills are pink when young and later turn a dark brown or black. The base of the Death Cap’s stipe widens out into a tall, membranous, whitish volva, whose upper edge has irregular lobes. The ring on the upper part of the stipe is fine, limp, white or whitish and has a smooth surface. Its white flesh has a mild, sweet, delicate taste and thus great care must be taken when picking Field mushrooms, because the Death Cap sometimes occurs in a pure white form.
Its closest relative is Amanita regalis, whose distinctive feature is a liver-like, yellowish-brown cap; it grows in mountainous spruce forests and is as poisonous as the Fly Agaric, containing the same muscarine alkaloid.
It surprises some people to discover that there are some Amanita species that can be consumed without deleterious effects and that some of them are even very tasty mushrooms. This can be said of the Blusher, which grows in all types of forests. It is easily distinguished by its flesh, which turns pink especially et the base of the stipe, which is nearly always attacked by insect larvae. However, cases of mistaken identity leading to poisoning occur every year, for it is often confused with the Panther Cap. This species can be recognized by the different colour of its cap and the constant colour of its flesh. The shape of the widened base of the stipc is also different. While the Panther Cap has a low border near its base with the addition of 2-3 rings, the base of the Blusher is not bordered and is merely covered with several circles of protruberanccs.
The stipe is either smooth or has rings of wart-like patches. Its white flesh does not change colour and smells of raw potatoes or beetroot. It is not poisonous but best avoided as it can so easily be confused with dangerous species.
The Panther Cap regularly grows under oak trees and is very poisonous. It contain mycoatropine, which causes brain damage. The nature of the poisoning is very similar to that caused by an excessive consumption of alcohol.
