The gray-pink fly agaric is a conditionally edible mushroom of the fly agaric family. This mushroom is also called pearl fly agaric, blushing fly agaric and pink fly agaric.
The Latin name of the mushroom is Amanita rubescens.
These mushrooms can be eaten, but they must be boiled for 20 minutes.
The diameter of the gray-pink fly agaric cap ranges from 6 to 20 centimeters, but specimens with a cap diameter of no more than 15 centimeters are more common. The shape of the cap is initially ovoid or hemispherical, then it transforms into a convex one, and in older specimens it becomes flat-spread, without a noticeable tubercle in the center.
The skin of the cap is most often gray-pink in color, but can be red-brown or flesh-red. The skin is shiny and slightly sticky.
The flesh of the pearl fly agaric is fleshy, white, without any particular odor, with a weak taste. If the pulp is damaged, it gradually becomes colored - first it becomes light pink, and then acquires a characteristic wine-pink color.
The length of the fly agaric's stem is 3-10 centimeters, but sometimes it can reach 20 centimeters in length, and the diameter ranges from 1.5 to 3 centimeters. The shape of the leg is cylindrical. At first the leg is solid, and then becomes hollow. The color of the leg is pinkish or white, the surface of the leg is tuberculate. At the base of the leg there is a tuberous thickening; this thickening is often damaged by insects, riddling them with numerous passages.
The plates are white, often located, wide, free. If you touch the plates, they turn red, the same thing happens with the cap and stem. On the leg there is a wide ring - the remnant of the bedspread. The ring is hanging, membranous, at first white, and then it turns pink. There are pronounced grooves on the top of the ring.
The cap contains warty flakes or in the form of filmy fragments, their color ranges from white to off-white. The spores are ellipsoidal in shape. Spore powder is whitish in color.
Places where pearl fly agaric grows
Pearl fly agaric forms mycorrhiza with coniferous and deciduous trees, especially pine and birch. Gray-pink fly agarics can grow on any soil. They are found everywhere in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. These mushrooms bear fruit either singly or in small groups. The harvest season is from spring to late fall, and they are most often found from July to October.
Taste qualities of the fly agaric blushing
Although the gray-pink fly agaric is a conditionally edible mushroom, experienced mushroom pickers consider it to have a very good taste. In addition, these mushrooms appear already at the beginning of summer, which is a big advantage.
When fresh, reddening fly agarics are not suitable for food; most often they are first boiled and then fried. The raw mushroom contains toxic substances that disintegrate during heat treatment. It is recommended to drain the broth after these mushrooms.
Other mushrooms of this genus
The Elias fly agaric is a conditionally edible representative of the numerous fly agaric family; it has no nutritional value. These mushrooms are most commonly found in Euro-Mediterranean regions. But in our country they are considered rare.
Elias fly agarics grow in mixed forests, preferring oak, walnut and hornbeam forests; they can often be found in eucalyptus groves. Elias fly agarics form mycorrhiza with deciduous trees. Fruiting bodies do not appear annually. The fruiting season is from August to September.
Amanita ovata is an edible mushroom, but it should be collected with great care, since in appearance it is very similar to the poisonous toadstool. These are quite nice mushrooms with the same fleshy caps. In our country, fly agaric ovoids are listed in the Red Book.
Amanita Vittadini is an edible mushroom with a white, greenish or brown cap, the diameter of which ranges from 4 to 14 centimeters. These mushrooms grow in the steppe regions of our country. They grow in the Stavropol region, Saratov region, Armenia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan. In addition, Vittadini fly agarics are common in Europe: from Italy to the British Isles. These mushrooms are also found in Asia: Transcaucasia, Israel, Central Asia and the Far East. In addition, they are native to Africa, North and South America. And in Southern Europe, the fly agaric Vittadini is considered a very rare mushroom. The fruiting season is from spring to autumn. Young specimens are edible and have a pleasant taste and aroma. It is better not to eat Vittadini fly agaric mushrooms, since, firstly, they are very rare, and, secondly, they can be confused with poisonous mushrooms.
The royal fly agaric bears fruit from mid-July to November. Royal fly agarics grow in spruce forests or forests mixed with spruce. They live in small groups or alone. Most often they can be found in the northern and western regions. The diameter of the cap of the royal fly agaric ranges from 5 to 10 cm, but in large specimens it can reach 25 centimeters. Royal fly agaric is a poisonous mushroom, it contains toxins that have a hallucinogenic effect.
Edible
Collect if you are 100% sure and can distinguish from poisonous ones!
Although this mushroom is called "fly agaric", it is quite edible. In terms of taste, it is, of course, a B minus, but you will certainly be able to surprise your guests (and feed the especially brave ones). You can prepare a dish of fly agaric mushrooms for the arrival of your mother-in-law... (just kidding). The most important thing when collecting edible gray-pink fly agarics is not to confuse them with their poisonous counterparts: panther and red fly agarics. The cap of the edible fly agaric is up to 20 cm in diameter, gray-pink or dirty red in color with dirty gray flakes. In damp and humid weather, the mushroom cap is slimy and wet. The flesh of the mushroom is white; if you break it on the stem, it gradually turns red. The plates at the bottom of the cap are white; in adult and overgrown fly agarics, they are slightly reddened with spots. The stem of the mushroom is white, hollow inside, club-shaped at the end. There is a white dense ring on the stem. With age, the leg turns a little red. The smell is inexpressive. The mushroom grows from June to October in deciduous and coniferous forests. Usually grows in large groups. Adult specimens of the mushroom in the area of thickening of the stem are usually worm-like, which is another property of the edibility of the mushroom.
Photos of edible gray-pink fly agarics in nature
Description of edible fly agarics from literary sources
With the word “fly agaric”, every mushroom picker has in their head an association with a bright red mushroom, all sprinkled with white powdery dots. Another thought that immediately comes to the mind of a lover of “silent hunting”: fly agaric is a poisonous mushroom that is not suitable for consumption. However, among the mushroom fraternity that is dangerous to health, there are also those that can be eaten. For example, the fly agaric is gray-pink. How did it happen that a mushroom with such a bad name is considered quite edible?
The gray-pink fly agaric (Amanita rubescens) is a conditionally edible representative of the mushroom kingdom and belongs to the Amanita family, the genus Amanita. It also has other names: blushing fly agaric, pearl fly agaric and pink fly agaric.
The description below will help in identifying the species.
- The cap is quite large in size, up to 15-20 cm in diameter; in young mushrooms it has a round or egg-like shape, later – convex, and in mature ones – prostrate-convex. The skin color is pinkish-brown-gray with white, pinkish or grayish flake plaques. The surface is slightly sticky to the touch and shiny in appearance; a hat without any remnants of the cover around the edges;
- the stem is cylindrical, in adult mushrooms it is hollow inside, quite high: on average it has a length of about 10 cm, but in some individuals it stretches up to 20 cm. Width - up to 3 cm. The color is pinkish or white, the surface has a pronounced sculptural tuberculate pattern , with a ring at the top. At the base of the leg there is a thickening that resembles a tuber - it is usually damaged by insects that lay eggs in it. The pulp, where the passages of the larvae lie, is pink. The remains of the volva are clearly visible at the base of the leg in the form of ridges and belts;
- the ring is usually double, wide, white, flowing, with pronounced grooves on the inner surface;
- the flesh is dense and fleshy, whitish when cut, gradually changing color to pale pink, and later acquires a more saturated pink color. The taste is weak, there is no characteristic smell;
- the plates are wide and frequent, free, whitish in color, when damaged they change color to reddish-pink;
- spores are ellipsoid, whitish in color.
Distribution and fruiting season
The habitat of the gray-pink fly agaric is deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests growing in temperate climate zones of the Northern Hemisphere. This species is often found along roads. Its partner trees are hardwoods: this mushroom usually works with pine or birch.
The fruiting period begins in June and lasts until October. This mushroom can be found quite often growing in small groups or alone on acidic soil.
Similar species and how to distinguish them from them
Due to the characteristic plaques on the skin of the cap, the gray-pink fly agaric is quite easy to confuse with other representatives of the fly agaric genus. For example, with the very dangerous panther (Amanita pantherina) or the inedible fat one (Amanita spissa). The hero of the article differs from the first type by a wider ring with grooves and a smaller base of the leg, as well as pinkish flesh. The thick one has grayish or white flesh, which, like the panther one, does not change its color when in contact with air. Its smell is earthy and unpleasant.
Primary processing and preparation
Experienced mushroom pickers consider this conditionally edible species of fly agaric to be very tasty. But it is not recommended for a beginner to take it - there is a high risk of confusing this mushroom with its poisonous counterparts. Gray-pink fly agaric is used for cooking only after good heat treatment - boiling, after which it is necessary to drain the water. Attention: the pulp of raw mushroom contains toxic substances that are easily neutralized by heat treatment. It is not eaten raw, but it is very good when fried. Some gourmets pickle or salt this mushroom, and also freeze it for the winter, pre-heating it.
Previously, fly agarics were considered exclusively poisonous mushrooms; they were used only in folk medicine or to repel insects from homes. However, now, knowledgeable people are increasingly taking the risk of trying the gray-pink variety and are rarely disappointed - it has a specific, spicy, but very interesting taste. They say it resembles chicken.
There are edible and even delicious species in the fly agaric family, but most of these mushrooms are more or less poisonous. The gray fly agaric is no exception in the company of “poisoners,” although it contains relatively few toxins.
The poisonous gray fly agaric or porphyry fly agaric (Amanita porphyria) from the genus of fly agarics of the fly agaric family is distinguished by the following characteristic features:
- The ovoid, bell-shaped cap becomes flat as it develops, with slightly grooved edges and a rounded tubercle in the central part. Its diameter is in the range of 4-10 cm, the color combines gray-brown, bluish-violet and purple tones, on the surface you can see a few remains of the bedspread - large whitish flakes, which may be completely absent;
- the plates are free or weakly adherent to the stem, thin, soft, frequent, whitish or cream in color;
- white spores;
- a cylindrical white or straw-yellow leg, sometimes grayish-brown, hollow inside, swollen at the base, which is covered by an adherent volva with a free edge, initially light, later darkening. Reaches a thickness of 2 cm, a length of 10 cm, occasionally grows up to 13 cm. A light hanging ring remains in the middle of its height; in mature mushrooms, only a girdle trace may remain from it;
- The pulp is thin, white and soft with a noticeable odor that is reminiscent of fresh potatoes.
Places of distribution and fruiting period
Porphyritic fly agaric occurs singly or in small groups in coniferous forests, forming mycorrhiza with spruce and pine, less often with birch. It gravitates towards the northern regions, populating mountain forests up to an altitude of 1600 m. Prefers poor soils with an acidic reaction. Fruits from mid-summer until the last days of October.
Similar types and differences from them
The porphyry fly agaric has similarities with representatives of the same family:
- gray-pink fly agaric (Amanita rubescens). Edible species with a different shade of cap. Its pulp is devoid of a certain odor, and when broken and cut it gradually acquires a wine-red color.
- the most poisonous panther fly agaric (Amanita pantherina). This dangerous mushroom is characterized by a brown cap without gray or purple tones. As a rule, it is densely dotted with small light flakes.
- inedible thick fly agaric (Amanita spissa), colored in grayish-brown tones. This mushroom is larger, more massive, and has no potato smell.
- inedible fly agaric (Amanita mappa). It has a similar smell of pulp, but the cap is colored grayish-yellow, sometimes greenish.
Poisonous and hallucinogenic properties
In the pulp of the gray fly agaric, in addition to the toxic muscarine common to the family, there are also psychoactive toxic substances - bufotenine and tryptamine alkaloids. The concentration of these dangerous compounds is not as high as that of the panther, but their combined effect disrupts the digestive tract, disrupts the heart rate and causes hallucinations.
Signs of poisoning and first aid
Poisoning with gray fly agaric manifests itself after about two hours: the face becomes red, sweat and saliva are released profusely, shortness of breath, indigestion develop, bouts of laughter and crying are noted, visual perception is distorted, and hallucinations occur.
First aid for such symptoms is repeated gastric lavage and cleansing enemas, taking sorbents, warming the feet and, of course, urgently consulting a doctor.
The gray fly agaric is not the most poisonous in the family, but it should not end up in the mushroom basket. This species is similar to its dangerous panther relative, and it itself can accumulate more toxins in specific local conditions.
Attitudes towards edible fly agarics in the world are slowly changing towards more and more positive, which cannot be said about our country. Of course, it’s easier for them - they have in their assets the delicious Caesar fly agaric, which for thousands of years has latently formed a favorable image of these mushrooms in the minds of Europeans, large and tasty edible fly agaric mushrooms from Asia and Latin America are massively collected and sold in markets, etc., and etc. Mushroom-fearing Europeans are now even changing the status of the red fly agaric from “poisonous” to “edible after boiling.” In our country, only the most advanced mushroom pickers know what floats (small edible fly agarics) are and collect them, and there’s not even any talk about collecting large edible fly agarics (gray-pink, thick, knobby, bristly). By the way, the Caesar mushroom is already growing in full force in our south, and in the Far East its almost equally tasty relative, the fly agaric caesar mushroom, is found.
In this review, I want to tell you about the edible fly agaric reddened, or as it is more often called in our literature - gray-pink.
Gray-pink fly agaric - a delicious edible mushroom, the collection of which is the lot of experienced mushroom pickers. They tried to “rescue” me several times when they saw gray-pink fly agarics in the basket. Since not everyone dares to talk to a strange bespectacled man with fly agarics, it can be funny to catch looks of bewilderment (are they eating?!), sympathetic (what a fool...) and suspicious (drug addict, probably...). One kind-hearted grandmother once chased me from the bus stop to the train (which was half a kilometer). She swore touchingly at the town idiot and even tried to take away the basket...
Although the mushroom is edible fresh (and even raw), it is usually consumed fried after preliminary boiling. This is what Europeans do, who boil it well and drain the water before cooking. Red fly agaric is good pickled and salted, it is great for drying. It is from the dried, not raw, caps of this mushroom that the most delicious soup is obtained. Young fruiting bodies with unopened caps can be grilled like sausages, or eaten raw, added to vegetable salads. A very good result with them is either a salad with a marinade containing a little vinegar and sugar, or a salad with boiled squid, quail eggs and mayonnaise added. Boiled blushing fly agarics behave well when frozen, remaining until the next season. The taste of the flesh of this mushroom is reminiscent of chicken, accompanied by a characteristic subtle fly agaric taste, which is difficult to describe to a person who has not tried it.
What does the blushing fly agaric look like and where does it grow?
Its cap is large, 8-20 cm in diameter, dirty-reddish or gray-pink (the British call the gray-pink fly agaric “Blusher”, which means “blush”, thus conveying the characteristic uneven pink color of the cap), less often reddish-brownish , covered with dirty gray flakes, first round-ovoid, then prostrate, slimy in wet weather. The pulp is white, without any special taste or smell, and turns pink or red at the break and in places where there are wormholes. The taste of the flesh is a bit like white chicken meat. The plates are white, slightly reddened and spotted in mature mushrooms. The stalk is 7-15 x 1.5-2.5 cm, hollow, tuberous-thickened at the base, white, then reddish, with a hanging white wide membranous ring, striped above, with pinkish fibers below. Volva adheres to the base of the leg, in the form of concentric folds.
The mushroom inhabits light deciduous and mixed forests. Grows on any type of soil, everywhere in the temperate climate zone of the Northern Hemisphere except western North America. Since the end of the 20th century, the fungus has spread to South Africa, where it was introduced along with seedlings brought from Europe. The fruiting period is June-October, throughout the forest zone of Russia. The mushroom has a rare and very beautiful variety, which differs from the usual one by a bright yellow ring. In all my years, I was lucky to find such a mushroom only once. There is also an albino (white) form.
White form of the blushing fly agaric
In dry weather, as well as at the very beginning of the season, the redness of the flesh on the scrap may be less pronounced, so some care should be taken not to confuse the gray-pink fly agaric with the light-colored panther fly agaric or the red fly agaric faded after rain. It has been noticed that gray-pink and panther fly agarics often grow nearby. Sometimes the mushroom is confused with the edible fly agaric, which, however, is not dangerous.
In the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe and other countries of Central Africa, since the 30s of the last century, specialists have known the so-called Congolese form fly agaric blushing. When young, it is quite light-colored, like its northern relative, but with age both the cap and the stem become orange-brown or brown-red. Despite the rather bitter taste of the pulp, local tribes Shona And bemba They enjoy collecting it and eating it.
Amanita muscaria is different and medicinal properties. Betaine (a vitamin-like substance, a choline derivative) with physiological activity was found in fresh fruiting bodies. Betaine is used as a medicine and food additive. Traditionally, betaine has been used as a hepatoprotective and metabolic agent. Included in a number of drugs to improve liver function. Attempts are being made to use betaine as a means to correct obesity, but there is no serious scientific data on the effect of betaine on the development of excess weight. Attempts to use betaine for Alzheimer's disease are being studied. There is evidence that high betaine intake may prevent the risk of breast cancer.
I wonder what the mushroom contains one of the so-called “non-poisonous poisons”. Such poisons include either toxins that are dangerous for animals, but not for humans, or poisons that can only act if they enter the blood in their pure form (they must be injected with a syringe), and they are not absorbed by the digestive system and therefore are not dangerous. Examples of such non-toxic poisons include phallo- and virotoxins of the toadstool, flammutoxin of the winter mushroom, pleurotolysin of the oyster mushroom and rubescenslysin of the blushing fly agaric. Rubescenslysin is a hemolytic, i.e. a toxin that destroys the blood. It is an acidic protein that directly destroys the cell membranes of red and white blood cells (as well as muscle, liver and kidney cells) due to its surfactant properties. When administered intravenously (experiments on mice and rats), it is very toxic. LD50 averages 0.25 mg/kg. Poisoning is accompanied by extensive intravascular destruction of blood, massive release of plasma due to increased vascular permeability, and additional disturbances in the functioning of the heart and central nervous system.
At large doses, mice die within 10-15 seconds and are accompanied by seizures. Doses in the LD50 region or slightly higher kill mice in 30 seconds to 1 hour, rats in 7-15 minutes. Death occurs as a result of hemorrhagic pulmonary edema.
