Back Rooihoedamaniet AF Amanita muscaria AN غاريقون الذباب Arabic امانيت الطائر ARZ Amanita muscaria AST Milçəkqıran AZ Fliangschwammal BAR Mosmėris BAT-SMG Мухамор чырвоны BE Чырвоны мухамор BE-X-OLD
| Amanita muscaria | |
|---|---|
| |
| Showing three stages as the mushroom matures | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Amanitaceae |
| Genus: | Amanita |
| Species: | A. muscaria
|
| Binomial name | |
| Amanita muscaria | |
| Subspecies and varieties | |
| |
Amanita muscaria | |
|---|---|
 | Gills on hymenium |
 | Cap is convex or flat |
 | Hymenium is free |
 | Stipe has a ring and volva |
 | Spore print is white |
 | Ecology is mycorrhizal |
 | Edibility is poisonous or psychoactive |
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita,[5] is a basidiomycete of the genus Amanita. It is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, and usually red mushroom.
Despite its easily distinguishable features, A. muscaria is a fungus with several known variations, or subspecies. These subspecies are slightly different, some having yellow or white caps, but are all usually called fly agarics, most often recognizable by their notable white spots. Recent DNA fungi research, however, has shown that some mushrooms called "fly agaric" are in fact unique species, such as A. persicina (the peach-colored fly agaric).
Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, A. muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine and birch plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.
Although poisonous, death due to poisoning from A. muscaria ingestion is quite rare. Parboiling twice with water weakens its toxicity and breaks down the mushroom's psychoactive substances; it is eaten in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. All A. muscaria varieties, but in particular A. muscaria var. muscaria, are noted for their hallucinogenic properties, with the main psychoactive constituents being muscimol and its neurotoxic precursor ibotenic acid. A local variety of the mushroom was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the indigenous peoples of Siberia.[6][7]
Arguably the most iconic toadstool species, the fly agaric is one of the most recognizable fungi in the world, and is widely encountered in popular culture, including in video games—for example, the frequent use of a recognizable A. muscaria in the Mario franchise (e.g. its Super Mushroom power-up)—and television—for example, the houses in The Smurfs franchise.[8] There have been cases of children admitted to hospitals after consuming this poisonous mushroom; the children may have been attracted to it because of its pop-culture associations.[9]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
tulloss1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Infraspecific taxa of muscaria". amanitaceae.org.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
tulloss2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
tulloss3was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Standardized Common Names for Wild Species in Canada". National General Status Working Group. 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
nyberg1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Carboué, Quentin; Lopez, Michel (2021). "Amanita muscaria: Ecology, Chemistry, Myths". Encyclopedia. 1 (3): 905. doi:10.3390/encyclopedia1030069.
- ^ Li, Chen; Oberlies, Nicholas H. (2005). "The most widely recognized mushroom: Chemistry of the genus Amanita" (PDF). Life Sciences. 78 (5): 532–538. doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2005.09.003. PMID 16203016.
- ^ Biderman, Chris (2023-10-14). "They look delightful but California hospital warns against eating these poisonous mushrooms". Health & Medicine. Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California, U.S. Retrieved 2024-02-23.