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The fly agaric toadstool in some printed publications is called conditionally edible, that is, suitable for consumption if certain rules of processing and preparation are observed. This opinion is refuted by the results of practical experiments conducted by a number of scientists and indicating the content of numerous toxic substances.
Many mushroom pickers fail to determine at first glance that they are looking at a toadstool. This is due to the fact that its surface is not red, which is typical of poisonous mushrooms, but yellow-lemon. Because of this color feature, the toadstool representative received the name lemon fly agaric.
Description of the toadstool
Mushroom of the Amanita genus of the Amanitaceae family. Latin name: Amanitacitrina. Other names: Yellow-green Amanita, Lemon Amanita, Yellow Pale Toadstool. It is inedible and belongs to the category of slightly poisonous.
From a distance, due to its white color and semicircular shape, the toadstool mushroom looks like many of its edible counterparts. But upon careful examination, the wart-tubercles characteristic of many types of fly agarics become noticeable.
In appearance and description, the grebe is very similar to its closest relative, the pale grebe, shown in the photo below.
In Russian open spaces it is found in 2 color variations:
- white – the most common form;
- grey - occurs much less frequently.
Amanita toadstool has white flesh, with a yellow tint under the skin. It has an unpleasant taste and smell, reminiscent of raw potatoes. A little hollow inside.
At first, the small, still unformed, toadstool-shaped fruiting body resembles a dumbbell with 2 balls at the edges.
Gradually, the upper part of the toadstool fly agaric increasingly takes on the shape of a cap.
The white plates located on the underside are first connected by film to the stem. As it grows, it breaks, leaving a ring on the stem.
Description of the cap
During the growth of the toadstool, the shape and size of the cap undergo significant changes.At first it has a spherical, hemispherical appearance.
Then the edges straighten, and the surface of the toadstool becomes convexly spread out, gradually becoming almost flat. The diameter can reach 3-8 cm.
The cap has smooth edges and dense flesh. The surface is covered with light yellow-brown warts and large grayish flakes remaining from the film that previously connected the cap and leg of the toadstool. The presence of such remains and their characteristics are important in determining the species of fungi.
On the underside of the toadstool, there are white plates with a yellow tint along the edges.
The hat can have a gray, lemon or green tint. Sometimes it is very light, and these colors are almost invisible.
Description of the leg
The lower part of the leg of the toadstool fly agaric is strongly swollen. It is thicker and has a tuberous shape resembling a ball.
Over time, it stretches out, becoming smoother and more even.
The color of the leg of the toadstool is white, with a possible yellow tint. The length reaches from 5 to 12 cm, the diameter from 1 to 2 cm. A finely grooved ring runs along the entire circumference - a characteristic groove-groove.
Where and how does it grow
The toadstool mushroom grows in all forests of the globe. In Russia, it is distributed everywhere, including the regions of the North, forest-steppe and tundra. It can also be caught by avid mushroom pickers in the mountains, at an altitude of no more than 1000 m.
Unpretentious toadstools grow singly or in small groups, both in deciduous and coniferous forests. They are most often found in acidic and sandy soils of pine groves, as they enter into symbiosis with these trees.
The fruiting period lasts only 3 months, from August to October and reaches its activity in September.
Doubles and their differences
Amanita toadstool is similar in appearance to a number of edible and inedible mushrooms. In order not to confuse it with doubles, it is necessary to pay attention to some distinctive features of this species:
- The greatest percentage of similarities is observed in the toadstool fly agaric with poisonous toadstool. It is very dangerous and is distinguished by the fact that it has no odor. If you compare the caps, you can see that the caps of the pale grebe are rougher. In the toadstool fly agaric, the shell, which protects the fruiting body at a young age, grows to the stem. The double does not have this sign.
Important! The toadstool is easily confused with the deadly pale grebe, from which it gets its name. - Found in some regions, the uncolored form of the toadstool is similar to the spring variety of the toadstool. It can be distinguished by its wide, smooth cap in the shape of a curved saucer, the color of which ranges from white to light cream. The rough surface is covered with a sticky, poisonous coating that quickly penetrates into the flesh of other mushrooms.
- Stinky fly agaric is also a poisonous relative of the toadstool. It has a conical cap with a shiny sticky surface covered with mucus. Abundantly secreted secretion flows from the edges and attracts various insects. It differs from the toadstool by an unpleasant, repulsive odor.
- Porphyry fly agaric differs from the toadstool in the darker color of the cap. The surface is smooth, without scales. In its raw form, it is slightly poisonous and can have a hallucinogenic effect.
- During the period of growth and development, the toadstool fly agaric can be confused with float. The cap of this edible mushroom is smaller in size, lacks scaly spots and has small serrations along the edges. There is no ring on the double's stem.
- Many mushroom pickers note the similarity of the young toadstool mushroom with yellow russula, the cap of which can be rough or smooth. At first, the edible mushroom also looks spherical, then takes on an elongated shape. Distinctive features are located on the stem. Russula has a tuber, but no ring or volva.
- Another edible counterpart of the toadstool fly agaric is forest champignon. This similarity is especially obvious at the early stage of fungal development. But distinguishing them is quite simple. The hat of the edible double is painted in a darker color. There is a small ring on the stem. The base is straight, there is no volvo. The pulp of raw champignon has a woody smell, and after processing it acquires a pleasant taste.
- Umbrella white (field, meadow). An edible mushroom, resembling a toadstool-like fly agaric in appearance, has a pleasant smell and taste. The thickened leg at the base is white, below the ring it acquires a cream or brown tint. It darkens slightly when touched. The ovoid cap opens over time and becomes flat with a convex tubercle in the central part. Volva is missing, the remains of the cover look like a wide, movable ring.
Mushroom pickers should exercise extreme caution and, even if there is some doubt, refuse to collect suspicious mushrooms that resemble the yellow-green relative of the toadstool.Photos and descriptions of the toadstool's fly agaric counterparts will help you avoid mistakes in the forest.
Is the fly agaric mushroom suitable for consumption?
A number of substances contained in the pulp, especially in the cap, can lead to poisoning, hallucinations and psychedelic perception disorder. Therefore, the toadstool fly agaric is considered inedible. Severe intoxication of the body can even lead to death.
Folk healers in some regions prepare decoctions and tinctures from the toadstool fly agaric, which activate the body's defenses and relieve various pains. It is believed that if mushrooms are subjected to prolonged heat treatment, harmful substances will disintegrate and cannot lead to intoxication.
Symptoms of poisoning and first aid
Poisoning with the toadstool fly agaric can lead to both mild digestive upset and severe disruption of the functioning of internal organs. The poison has a negative effect on certain parts of the cerebral cortex, which causes visual and auditory hallucinations.
Symptoms of toadstool poisoning:
- convulsions;
- increased physical activity;
- loss of consciousness;
- vomit;
- nausea;
- diarrhea;
- salivation;
- cyanosis;
- intestinal pain.
The first clinical manifestations can be observed for a long time, from 30 minutes to 6 hours after consuming the toadstool. The intensity of individual symptoms may vary depending on the amount of poison that enters the body.
In case of poisoning with a toadstool, it is necessary to send the victim to the hospital as quickly as possible, having first provided first aid:
- Put to bed, as the effect of poisons on the body manifests itself in impaired blood circulation and heart function.
- Apply a heating pad to your legs and stomach.
- Rinse the stomach in order to reduce the degree of intoxication from the toxic substances of the toadstool mushroom entering the body. To do this, you need to drink 1 liter of water, in which you first dissolve a small amount of baking soda or potassium permanganate. After this, induce vomiting by pressing your fingers on the base of the tongue. Repeat the procedure several times until the liquid coming out of the stomach becomes clear.
- After cleansing the stomach, it is recommended to take sorbents, for example, regular activated carbon, at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight.
- Emptying the bowel. Boiled water should be administered through an enema into the rectum. For an adult, 1-2 liters is enough. Taking 1-2 tablets of antispasmodics will help eliminate pain.
- Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages, which accelerate the absorption of toxins.
- Milk, strong tea, coffee and cold salted water are allowed in small quantities.
Carrying out these activities before the arrival of doctors will help stabilize the condition of a patient who has been poisoned by a poisonous mushroom. Timely medical assistance can save a person's life.
Interesting Facts
In the process of studying the lemon relative of the toadstool, several interesting facts were established related to the history of its distribution and use:
- Despite its inedibility, the mushroom finds unconventional uses in some categories of the population.Since ancient times, priests have used it for ritual rites and cult ceremonies. The prepared tinctures helped shamans enter a state of trance and communicate with the other world, summoning the souls of the departed. There is no scientific evidence for this.
- It is a proven fact that some toxins of this species are similar to those produced by certain rare species of amphibians.
- The growing area of these inedible mushrooms is so wide that it even covers New Zealand and Australia.
Fly agarics are often used to prepare compounds that attract flies and then die. This is where the name of the genus comes from.
Conclusion
Due to its inedibility, fly agaric toadstool is not recommended to be collected, much less eaten. Inexperienced mushroom pickers should be especially careful when picking mushrooms, since the similarity of the lemon relative of the toadstool with champignons, umbrellas and russula can lead to poisoning and disruption of the entire body.
