Amanita hygroscopica
Amanita hygroscopia (/æməˈnaɪtə /ha͡ɪɡɹəskˈo͡ʊpi͡ə), also known as the pink-gilled destroying angel is a deadly poisonous fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita.
| Amanita hygroscopica | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Amanitaceae |
| Genus: | Amanita |
| Species: | A. hygroscopica |
| Binomial name | |
| Amanita hygroscopica Coker | |
| Amanita hygroscopica | |
|---|---|
| Gills on hymenium | |
| Cap is convex or flat | |
| Hymenium is free | |
| Stipe has a ring and volva | |
| Spore print is white | |
| Ecology is mycorrhizal | |
| Edibility is deadly | |
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+1⁄8 in × 1⁄4 in–3⁄8 in), narrowing upward, smooth, glabrous, white, unchanging when bruised. The ring is fixed 10 mm (3⁄8 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 (3⁄4 in × 5⁄8 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). In severe cases the only effective treatment may be a liver transplant.
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.
References
- "Amanita hygroscopia". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- "Amanita elliptosperma G.F. Atk., A. gwyniana Coker, A. hygroscopica Coker, A. parviformis (Murrill) Murrill, A. pseudoverna (Murrill) Murrill, A. verniformis (Murrill) Murrill". 2011-07-14. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
- Benjamin, Denis R. (1995). "Amatoxin syndrome". Mushrooms: Poisons and Panaceas – A Handbook for Naturalists, Mycologists and Physicians. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. pp. 198–214.