The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of , including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide, as well as some well-regarded Edible mushroom species (and many species of unknown edibility). The genus is responsible for approximately 95% of fatalities resulting from mushroom poisoning, with the death cap accounting for about 50% on its own. The most potent toxin present in these mushrooms is .
The genus also contains many edible mushrooms, but mycologists discourage mushroom hunters, other than experts, from selecting any of these for human consumption. Nonetheless, in some cultures, the larger local edible species of Amanita are mainstays of the markets in the local growing season. Samples of this are Amanita zambiana and other fleshy species in central Africa, Amanita basii and similar species in Mexico, Amanita caesarea and the "Blusher" A. rubescens in Europe, and A. chepangiana in Southeast Asia. Other species are used for colouring sauces, such as the red A. jacksonii, with a range from eastern Canada to eastern Mexico.
Taxonomy
The genus
Amanita was first published with its current meaning by Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1797.
[Persoon, C.H. (1797) Tent. disp. meth. fung.: 65] Under the
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, Persoon's concept of
Amanita, with
Amanita muscaria (L.) Pers. as the type species, has been officially conserved against the older
Amanita Boehm (1760), which is considered a synonym of
Agaricus L.
[J. McNeill et al. (eds)(2006) International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Vienna, 2005), Appendix IIIA Nomina generica conservanda et rejicienda, B. Fungi ]
Etymology
The name is possibly derived from
Nur Mountains (), a mountain in
Cilicia, or from
Amantia, an ancient city in the transboundary region between Epirus or southern Illyria in antiquity.
Toxicity
Several members of the section
Phalloidieae are notable for their toxicity, containing toxins known as
, which can cause liver failure and death. These include the death cap
A. phalloides; species known as
, including
Amanita virosa,
Destroying angel and
Amanita ocreata; and the fool's mushroom,
Amanita verna.
More recently, a series in the subgenus Lepidella has been found to cause acute kidney failure, including A. smithiana of northwestern North America, A. pseudoporphyria of Japan, and Amanita proxima of southern Europe.[Loizides M, Bellanger JM, Yiangou Y, Moreau PA. (2018). Preliminary phylogenetic investigations into the genus Amanita (Agaricales) in Cyprus, with a review of previous records and poisoning incidents. Documents Mycologiques 37: 201–218.]
Edibility
Although many species of
Amanita are edible, including all of
sect. Caesareae and
sect. Vaginatae (together comprising hundreds of species), many fungi experts advise against eating a member of
Amanita unless the species is known with absolute certainty.
Because so many species within this
genus are so deadly toxic, if a specimen is identified incorrectly, consumption may cause extreme sickness and possibly death.
Edible
Edible species of
Amanita include
Amanita fulva,
Amanita vaginata (grisette),
Amanita lanei (coccoli),
Amanita crocea,
A. rubescens (blusher),
Amanita caesarea (Caesar's mushroom), and
A. jacksonii (American Caesar's mushroom).
Inedible
Inedible species of
Amanita include
Amanita albocreata (ringless panther),
A. atkinsoniana,
Amanita citrina (false death cap),
Amanita excelsa,
A. flavorubescens,
A. franchetii,
Amanita longipes,
Amanita onusta,
A. rhopalopus,
A. silvicola,
A. sinicoflava,
Amanita spreta, and
Amanita volvata.
Poisonous
Poisonous species include
Amanita brunnescens,
Amanita cokeri (Coker's amanita),
A. crenulata,
Amanita farinosa (eastern American floury amanita),
A. frostiana,
Amanita muscaria (fly agaric),
A. pantherina (panther cap), and
A. porphyria, but not
Amanita ceciliae.
Deadly poisonous
Deadly poisonous species include
Amanita abrupta,
Amanita arocheae,
A. bisporigera (eastern NA destroying angel),
A. exitialis (Guangzhou destroying angel),
A. magnivelaris,
Amanita ocreata (western NA destroying angel),
A. phalloides (death cap),
Amanita proxima,
A. smithiana,
A. subjunquillea (East Asian death cap),
Amanita verna (fool's mushroom), and
Amanita virosa (European destroying angel).
Psychoactive species
Amanita muscaria
Amanita muscaria was widely used as an
entheogen by many of the indigenous peoples of Siberia. Its use was known among almost all of the
Uralic languages-speaking peoples of western Siberia and the
Paleosiberian-speaking peoples of the Russian Far East. There are only isolated reports of
A. muscaria use among the
Tungusic peoples and
Turkic peoples of central Siberia and it is believed that on the whole entheogenic use of
A. muscaria was not practiced by these peoples.
Amanita pantherina
Amanita pantherina contains the psychoactive compound
muscimol,
but is used as an
entheogen much less often than its much more distinguishable relative
A. muscaria.
Others
Other species identified as containing psychoactive substances include:
See also
Sources
External links
