Amanita_hygroscopica

<i>Amanita hygroscopica</i>

Amanita hygroscopica

Species of fungus


Amanita hygroscopia (/æməˈnaɪtə /ha͡ɪɡɹəskˈo͡ʊpi͡ə), also known as the pink-gilled destroying angel is a deadly poisonous fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita.

Quick Facts Amanita hygroscopica, Scientific classification ...
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Taxonomy

The species was first described by William Chambers Coker in 1917.[1]

Description

The cap is 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) wide and hemispheric. The gills are adnate, crowded, medium broad, entire, white, unchanging.

The stem is about 30 by 5–8 millimetres (1+18 in × 14 in–38 in), narrowing upward, smooth, glabrous, white, unchanging when bruised. The ring is fixed 10 mm (38 in) from the top of the stem, very short, skirt-like, grooved by the gills above, white, persistent. The bulb is ovoid, white, 20 mm × 15 mm (34 in × 58 in). The volva is neither appressed nor widely spreading, the edge is either 3-lobed or ragged.[2] The mushroom is odorless and tasteless.

Similar species

A. hygroscopia resembles several edible species, most notably Agaricus campestris.

Toxicity

The principal toxic constituent is α-Amanitin, an elective inhibitor of RNA polymerase II and III, which causes liver and kidney failure. 15% of those poisoned will die within 10 days and those who survive are at risk of lifelong, permanent liver damage.[3]

There is no antidote for amanitin poisoning; treatment is mainly supportive (gastric lavage, activated carbon, and fluid resuscitation).

Amatoxins, the class of toxins found in these mushrooms, are thermostable: they resist changes due to heat, so their toxic effects are not reduced by cooking.

See also


References

  1. "Amanita hygroscopia". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 9 September 2022.



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