Amanita muscaria
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Like most fungi, Amanita muscaria has a symbiotic relationship with the tree it grows under. Its hyphae and the tree roots intertwine. This sometimes causes problems for the plant, but often enhances the ability of the roots to extract moisture and minerals from the ground.
This is the fungi of fairy books, and is easily identifiable. It is sometimes called Fly Agaric. According to popular culture, slicing up a fresh fungi and placing the slices in a saucer of milk proves irresistible -and fatal - to flies. There seems to be no evidence for the veracity of this claim, and indeed, there is a lot of evidence that it is called "fly" as in "bug" because its hallucinogenic properties puts 'bugs' in your head.
Amanita Muscaria contains ibotenic acid and muscimol. Musicmol is what affected Siberian shamans when they ate the mushroom in order to have mystic visions. Evidence for human use of this mushroom dates back at least 6000 years to the Uralic peoples of western Siberia, from where it eventually spread into shamanic traditions and witchcraft throughout Eurasia. It will certainly get you high, and will also make you sick. The toxins are water soluble, and some internet sites maintain people have eaten this fungus, without ill effect, after parboiling the sliced mushroom and discarding the liquid. Given the effect of some other Amanita species on the liver and other vital organs, it's not something to be recommended.
Amanita Muscaria often grows alongside Lactarius delicious. If you are not familiar with either mushroom, you need to be careful when picking Lactarius deliciosus that you don't pick a muscaria by accident. Old muscarias lose their spots and can turn an orange colour - very similar to the untrained eye to deliciosus.
Amanita Muscaria is edible, so long as the mushroom is cut into thin slices and boiled well first.
- Amanita muscaria, Wingelo State Forest, near Bundanoon, Southern Highlands, NSW Australia, March, 2008. Under pine. Caps
- Amanita muscaria, Belanglo State Forest, Southern Highlands, NSW, March 2012. Growing under pines.
- Amanita muscaria, Belanglo State Forest, Southern Highlands, NSW, March 2012. Growing under pines.
- Amanita muscaria, Belanglo State Forest, Southern Highlands, NSW, March 2012. Growing under pines.
