Poison My Pretty...
Found this little beauty while on a walk through Hamsterly Forest, County Durham, England.
Fly Agaric
Scientific name:
Amanita muscaria (L.) Lam.
Common name:
fly agaric, fly mushroom
Conservation status:
Not considered to be of conservation concern. Widespread, and frequent to common throughout its range.
Habitat:
In woodland, or beside isolated trees. Ectomycorrhizal (forming a relationship with tree roots) especially with species of Betula (birch) and Pinus (pine), and occasionally with other tree species.
Key Uses:
Religious and recreational uses related to its hallucinogenic properties. Insect pest control. Medicinal uses. Forms a food source for some fly larvae.
Known hazards:
Contains small amounts of the toxin muscarine, which causes sweat-inducing poisoning. Also contains the alkaloids muscimol, ibotenic acid and muscazone, causing psychotropic poisoning, which may be severe in some cases, although deaths are very rare.
Poison My Pretty...
Found this little beauty while on a walk through Hamsterly Forest, County Durham, England.
Fly Agaric
Scientific name:
Amanita muscaria (L.) Lam.
Common name:
fly agaric, fly mushroom
Conservation status:
Not considered to be of conservation concern. Widespread, and frequent to common throughout its range.
Habitat:
In woodland, or beside isolated trees. Ectomycorrhizal (forming a relationship with tree roots) especially with species of Betula (birch) and Pinus (pine), and occasionally with other tree species.
Key Uses:
Religious and recreational uses related to its hallucinogenic properties. Insect pest control. Medicinal uses. Forms a food source for some fly larvae.
Known hazards:
Contains small amounts of the toxin muscarine, which causes sweat-inducing poisoning. Also contains the alkaloids muscimol, ibotenic acid and muscazone, causing psychotropic poisoning, which may be severe in some cases, although deaths are very rare.