Location Summary

Range: Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the southern hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species

Substrate: Underneath various deciduous & coniferous trees

Identification Characteristics

 

Colour: white-gilled, white-spotted, usually deep red mushroom

Lookalikes: subspecies with differing cap colour have been recognised to date, including the brown regalis (considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolvata, guessowii, formosa, and the pinkish persicina

Human Uses

Edibility: Although it is generally considered poisonous, deaths from its consumption are extremely rare, and it is eaten as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling.

Bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria, special thanks to 2012 U.C. Berkeley Fungus Fair

Photos & Database Entry:  Distance Everheart  1-14-14