Most lovers of quiet hunting know that the mushroom, which is called Amanita, is not suitable for consumption. In addition, most people immediately associate the name fly agaric with a poisonous mushroom, the distinctive feature of which is the presence of a red cap with white dots on its surface.
However, it should be noted that, strange as it may sound, not all fly agarics are poisonous; some of them can be classified as completely edible mushrooms that do not pose a danger to humans. The brightest representative of this family of mushrooms is the so-called gray-pink fly agaric. This mushroom belongs to the Amanitaceae family. It is also popularly known as pearl, pink or blushing fly agaric.
In what places and at what time does it grow?
This fungus is capable of forming so-called mycorrhiza together with different tree species. Mycorrhiza is a kind of symbiosis of fungal mycelium and tree roots. In simple terms, this type of fly agaric is able to germinate due to its penetration into the roots of trees.
In addition, this type of mushroom is able to successfully germinate in almost any soil or substrate (chernozem, sandy loam, and so on). In the vast majority of cases, the pink fly agaric is most often found in the Northern Hemisphere, which has a temperate climate. In most cases, this fungus germinates in small groups in the soil. However, quite often mushroom pickers come across single specimens of this species. The growth period of this fly agaric begins in early spring and ends in autumn, until the onset of the first frost.
Description
The average diameter of the pink fly agaric cap can vary between 6-10 cm. In most cases, there are specimens with fruiting bodies whose diameter does not exceed 12 cm. In young mushrooms, the shape of the fruiting body is ovoid. The fruiting body of mature mushrooms is characterized by its convex shape. It is worth noting that in very old pink fly agaric mushrooms, the fruiting body acquires a flat, outstretched shape, in the center of which there is no tubercle.
A characteristic feature of young fly agaric mushrooms is that they have a dirty brown color, which also contains a red tint. The surface of the glossy mushroom cap is dotted with warty flakes that are white or off-white in color.
The spores, through which the process of reproduction and spread of this fungus occur, have an ellipsoidal shape. Spore powder is characterized by a white color. It should be noted that the pink fly agaric has a fleshy pulp that does not have a specific aroma or pungent odor.
The flesh of this mushroom is white and differs from other types of mushrooms in its weak taste. In case of physical damage, it immediately begins to acquire a light pink tint, and after some time the damaged area of the pulp completely becomes wine pink.
The stem of the mushroom has a pearl color and a cylindrical shape, and its height ranges from 3-10 cm. In rare cases, you can find specimens whose height reaches 20 cm. The average diameter of the stem of the pink fly agaric is 1.5-3 cm. Initially, it has a solid structure, but then, as it grows, it begins to become hollow. It is also known for its light pink or even in some cases white color, as well as its specific lumpy surface.
At the base of the leg there is a special thickening, which in its shape is somewhat reminiscent of a tuber. As a rule, this thickening is attacked by insects, which use it as a place to lay their larvae. This thickening has a filmy structure and hangs under the fruiting body in young mushrooms. It has a white tint, but as the fungus develops, this thickening becomes pink. On its upper part there are pronounced grooves.
The plates of the fruiting body have a wide shape, are located freely and densely, almost next to each other. As a rule, these plates are white, but if they are damaged, they immediately acquire a red tint, just like the stem of the mushroom. The closest related species of the red fly agaric are:
- Panther fly agarics. As they develop, they cease to acquire a red tint. On the stem of these mushrooms there is a ring that has a smooth surface. The edge of the cap is covered with a large number of special folds.
- Chunky fly agarics. A distinctive feature of these fly agarics from their edible relatives is that in case of physical damage they do not change their color and do not begin to turn red. As a rule, these mushrooms have a dark gray color with small inclusions of a brown tint.
It should be noted that when collecting edible mushrooms, you should pay attention to changes in their color and structure. After all, as you know, mushrooms that can be eaten, during physical impact on them, when they are damaged, begin to turn red. In addition, there is a ring on the stems of edible mushrooms, as well as free plates.
Can it be eaten?
Most people try to avoid fly agarics during a quiet hunt, considering them dangerous and poisonous mushrooms. However, it should be noted that the red fly agaric, or as it is also called, the gray-pink fly agaric, is completely edible and absolutely safe for human health and life. The only thing to keep in mind when consuming this mushroom is that it must be properly cooked and should never be eaten raw.
During cooking, it should be well fried and heat-treated. It should also be noted that this mushroom is not recommended to be dried and used in its dry form for cooking. However, it is perfect as a main product for making pickles or canning.
What beneficial properties does it have?
Red fly agaric contains large amounts of betanin. It is worth noting that special medications are produced from this substance, which are used during the treatment and elimination of liver diseases. In addition, this type of mushroom is capable of destroying harmful and hazardous bacteria in the body.
The beneficial properties of red fly agaric include the following:
- Allows you to correct body weight.
- It has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and also stimulates the metabolic processes of useful substances in the body.
- Quickly eliminates infectious diseases in the body.
In addition, gray-pink fly agaric can be used during the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Also, when consuming it, the risk of developing and appearing breast cancer is significantly reduced.
Are there any contraindications?
Gray-pink fly agaric mushrooms are not compatible with alcoholic beverages. Therefore, if you use them, it is recommended to completely stop drinking alcohol. In addition, they should not be consumed by those people who are susceptible to allergic reactions or are allergic to one of the constituent components of this mushroom. It is also strictly forbidden to be consumed by children or women who are pregnant.
Video: gray-pink fly agaric (Amanita rubescens)
Kira Stoletova
The gray-pink fly agaric belongs to the mushroom genus of the same name from the Amanitaceae family. Unlike most fly agarics, this variety is conditionally edible.
Botanical characteristics
The mushroom cap grows from 6 to 20 cm, most often not reaching more than 15 cm in diameter. Initially it has the shape of a hemisphere, later it becomes convex, and in overripe mushrooms it becomes flat and spread out. There is no tubercle in the central part, or it is weakly expressed and almost invisible.
The cap is gray-pink in color; sometimes adult specimens are found with a red-brown color. Covered with warty or filmy fragments like fly agaric flakes, ranging in color from white to dark pink and brown. The skin on the cap is slightly sticky, with a characteristic shine.
The gray-pink fly agaric has several synonyms: blushing and pearly.
The mushroom pulp is white, which upon mechanical action acquires a light pink color, then becomes a contrasting red. The structure can be fleshy or thin-meaty. It has mild taste and no special smell.
The species has the peculiarity of turning red when cut, hence its name.
The mushroom stalk has the shape of a cylinder with a height of 3 to 10 cm, sometimes it grows up to 20 cm, with a thickness of 1.5-3.0 cm. Initially, the stalk has a solid structure, becoming hollow as it grows. The surface has tubercles, smooth or powdery, the color ranges from white to pink with purple. The lower part is thickened and is often an object for insects, as a result of which the fungus develops stained passages. On the expanded tuberous part of the mushroom stalk, the volva characteristic of the fly agaric genus, weakly expressed, consists of one or several rings.
Belongs to basidiomycetes, reproducing by spores formed in club-shaped basidia.
The hymenophore plates are white, often set, wide in size, free from stalks. When subjected to mechanical impact, they begin to turn red. The mushroom has a wide ring formed from the remains of the blanket. Its structure is filmy and hangs down.
Geography of distribution
This fly agaric is common in areas where deciduous and coniferous trees grow, forming with them symbiotic associations of fungal mycelium with their root system (mycorrhiza), especially with birch and pine trees.
The fruiting period begins in early spring and continues until the late autumn season, mass fruiting is observed between July and October.
Able to grow on different types of soil. It is found everywhere in the temperate latitude zones of the Northern Hemisphere, with the exception of the North American continent. Since the last century, it has appeared in South Africa, where it was introduced by Europeans. Grows in small colonies or singly.
Similar varieties
According to the description, the pearl fly agaric in nature has several similar mushrooms that are poisonous:
- panther - it always has white mushroom pulp, the size is already a smooth ring, the base of the stem is different in shape from the gray-pink appearance;
- thick - has gray mushroom pulp, which does not change color when exposed to air, and also has an unpleasant odor and earthy taste.
Gastronomic qualities
Pearl fly agaric is considered a conditionally edible mushroom, but in its fresh form it is unsuitable for food purposes. The chemical composition of raw reddened fly agaric contains heat-labile substances that have a toxic effect on human health. More often it is consumed fried after a long preliminary boiling with frequent replacement of water. Suitable for marinades and pickling.
Written by Nikolay Budnik and Elena Mekk.
The gray-pink fly agaric is the only unconditionally edible of all fly agarics. The mushroom is found in all types of forest (except for dry pine forests and open swamps). Its striking distinctive feature is the pinking and then reddening areas of damage.
But if you are not one hundred percent sure that this is a gray-pink Amanita, do not take it!
We tried fried gray-pink fly agaric. Its taste is sweetish, and we didn't like it much. But, as they say, there are no comrades according to taste.
1. We avoided the gray-pink fly agaric for a long time.
2 On Ulom Zheleznaya, naturally, no one takes it.
3. So we acted within the framework of tradition.
4. But one day we finally decided.
5. We decided and tried the gray-pink fly agaric.
6. We can’t say that we particularly liked the mushroom.
7. Of course, you can eat it, but for our taste it is too sweet and has a slightly strange smell.
8. We ate fried gray-pink fly agaric several times in order to form our own idea of the mushroom.
9. We met the first gray-pink fly agaric in mid-July,...
10. ...and the last one is at the end of September.
11. It happens that a mushroom grows alone...
12. ...but more often it occurs in small groups.
13. We met a mushroom in light, sparse forests.
14. Sometimes it’s a birch forest...
15. ...sometimes mixed with pine and fir.
16. In 2012, gray-pink fly agarics were found in such quantities.
17. Usually it was in a birch-spruce-pine forest.
18. Every year several gray-pink fly agaric mushrooms grow on our site.
19. The size of this mushroom is medium.
20. This is the usual diameter of the cap.
21. This is the height of a young mushroom.
22. These mushrooms are already mature.
23. And here you see mushrooms of different ages.
24. The cap of the gray-pink fly agaric is completely covered with warts - the remnants of the common blanket.
25. Sometimes they are frequent, almost white,...
26. ...sometimes - brownish,...
27. ...sometimes - grayish.
28. And the warts have almost disappeared from this hat.
29. The color of the cap is mainly gray-pink,...
30. ...but it can also be dark gray...
31. ...and light brown.
32. Sometimes radial darker spots appear along the edge of the cap.
33. Young mushrooms have a ball-shaped cap.
34. In more mature ones, its edges open up.
35. By old age, the cap can be almost bare, as the warts gradually fall off from it.
36. This is how the cap is attached to the leg.
37. The plates of the mushroom are initially white.
38. But they can become very red with age.
39. Let's take a closer look at this.
40. At first, the cap fits tightly around the leg, so the plates are not visible.
41. Then the hat opens and the cover turns into a ribbed ring.
42. Look carefully at this scar. This is a distinctive feature of the gray-pink fly agaric.
43. The records darken with age.
44. They lose their evenness and neatness.
45. The leg of the gray-pink fly agaric is slender and tall.
46. Near the ground it becomes tuberously thick.
47. Volva adherent to the leg.
48. It is presented in the form of several rows of warts.
49. Once again we need to stop at the ring. It is ribbed, which is especially noticeable in young mushrooms.
50. With age, the ring becomes wide, white, and drooping.
51. Please note: at the bottom the leg becomes tuberously thick and covered with rows of warts.
52. The leg is hollow inside.
53. At first it is almost white, but then it becomes more and more reddish in color.
54. Redness is especially noticeable in areas of insect damage.
55. Here you can see that all the flesh is white, except for the wormy places.
56. Sometimes pinkness is visible only in the color of the leg.
Fly agaric gray-pink ( lat. Amanita rubescens) - a mushroom of the genus Amanita (lat. Amanita) of the Amanitaceae family (lat. Amanitaceae).
Other names:
- Amanita pearl
- Fly agaric pink
- Fly agaric blushing
It forms mycorrhizae with deciduous and coniferous trees, especially birch and pine. It grows on any type of soil, throughout the temperate climate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. It bears fruit singly or in small groups, and is common. The season is from spring to late autumn, most often from July to October.
The cap is ∅ 6-20 cm, usually no more than 15 cm. Initially, hemispherical or ovoid, then convex, in old mushrooms it is flat-spread, without a noticeable tubercle. The skin is most often grayish-pink or red-brown, to flesh-red, shiny, slightly sticky.
The pulp is white, fleshy or thin-fleshy, with a rather weak taste, without much odor. When damaged, it gradually turns light pink, then a characteristic intense wine pink color.
The leg is 3-10 × 1.5-3 cm (sometimes up to 20 cm high), cylindrical, initially solid, then becomes hollow. The color is white or pinkish, the surface is lumpy. At the base it has a tuberous thickening, which even in young mushrooms is often damaged by insects and its flesh turns out to be riddled with colored passages.
The plates are white, very frequent, wide, and free. When touched, they turn red, as do the flesh of the cap and legs.
Remains of the bedspread. The ring is wide, filmy, hanging, at first white, then turns pink. It has clearly visible grooves on the upper surface. The volva is weakly expressed, in the form of one or two rings on the tuberous base of the stalk. The flakes on the cap are warty or in the form of small filmy fragments, from white to brownish or dirty pink. The spore powder is whitish. Spores 8.5 × 6.5 µm, ellipsoidal.
A conditionally edible mushroom, knowledgeable mushroom pickers consider it to have a very good taste, and love it because it appears already at the beginning of summer. It is not suitable for food when fresh; it is usually consumed fried after preliminary boiling. The raw mushroom contains non-heat-resistant toxic substances; it is recommended to boil it thoroughly and drain the water before cooking.
Taxonomy:
- Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
- Family: Amanitaceae
- Genus: Amanita (Amanita)
- View: Amanita rubescens (Amanita rubescens)
- Other names for the mushroom:
Other names:
Fly agaric pink
- Amanita pearl
Amanita muscaria forms mycorrhizae with deciduous and coniferous trees, especially birch and pine. It grows on any type of soil, throughout the temperate climate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Amanita muscaria fruits singly or in small groups and is common. The season is from spring to late autumn, most often from July to October.
Hat ∅ 6-20 cm, usually no more than 15 cm. Initially semi-spherical or ovoid, then convex, in old mushrooms flat-spread, without a noticeable tubercle. The skin is most often grayish-pink or red-brown, to flesh-red, shiny, slightly sticky.
Pulp white, fleshy or thin-meaty, with a rather weak taste, without much odor. When damaged, it gradually turns light pink, then a characteristic intense wine pink color.
The leg is 3-10 × 1.5-3 cm (sometimes up to 20 cm high), cylindrical, initially solid, then becomes hollow. The color is white or pinkish, the surface is lumpy. At the base it has a tuberous thickening, which even in young mushrooms is often damaged by insects and its flesh turns out to be riddled with colored passages.
The plates are white, very frequent, wide, and free. When touched, they turn red, as do the flesh of the cap and legs.
Remains of the bedspread. The ring is wide, filmy, hanging, at first white, then turns pink. It has clearly visible grooves on the upper surface. The volva is weakly expressed, in the form of one or two rings on the tuberous base of the stalk. The flakes on the cap are warty or in the form of small filmy fragments, from white to brownish or dirty pink. The spore powder is whitish. Spores 8.5 × 6.5 µm, ellipsoidal.
Video about the mushroom Amanita blushing:
