Where did these dots for Amanita muscaria come from?
Hat can be of different shapes. In young fruiting bodies it is usually spherical or ovoid, with time it develops into a semicircle, later it becomes flat, and finally in old mushrooms it can become concave. Hat diameter up to 20 cm, but unit sizes are also much larger. The surface of the hat is smooth, and in rain or wet conditions it can be sticky and slimy with white dots.
Where did these dots come from? Many people believe that it is this toxic, poisonous substance that the fly agaric contains. Nothing could be more wrong! The white dots are the remains of the white shell of a young fruiting body, resembling a ball or egg. Over time, as it grows and matures, residues in the form of hyphae and dots are visible on the surface of the toadstool's hat.
The gills are most often white or white-pink, sometimes slightly yellowish, quite densely spaced. The leg may be about 20 cm high and up to 3 cm in diameter, quite brittle in a young fruiting body, full inside. In adult toadstools the stem is hollow. It has a ring that is attached to the leg. Color most often white or yellowish. The base in the form of a characteristic tuber. Flesh, white in color, crisp, odorless, mild flavor.
Occurrence: The red fly agaric is a cosmopolitan species distributed in the temperate zone, mainly in Central Europe in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests. It grows best under pine, fir, larch, birch and spruce trees. The fruiting bodies can be found from June to November. Very common in Poland.
Does Amanita muscaria have hallucinogenic properties?
Meaning: In all mushroom atlases it is described as poisonous mushroom, but the lethal dose for an adult is a dozen or so eaten mushrooms (10-15). Toadstools are known to be eaten by humans both in culinary applications and as an intoxicant. In the past, the fly agaric was used as a poison for housefly - hence the name Fly Agaric. You can buy the dried red fly agaric in its entirety or in a powdered form in the so-called "collector's version" on auction sites. Sellers do not take responsibility for the way this powder is used, but it is known that if you are a collector, you are definitely not powdered toadstools: D The red fly agaric contains ibotenic acid, which is poisonous in high concentrations, but in small amounts has intoxicating, narcotic and hallucinogenic properties. Two hours after consumption, a person most often falls into a deep and picturesque sleep which lasts an average of 8 hours. The fly agaric also contains poisonous muscarine in very small amounts.
NOTE: Unfortunately, the red fly agaric is not always recognizable by the dots, as it may lose them after rain and resemble other edible mushroom species.
