European blusher
Encyclopedia
The Blusher is the common name for several closely related species of the genus Amanita
. A. rubescens, found in Europe and eastern North America, and A. novinupta in western North America. Both their scientific and common names are derived from the propensity of their flesh to turn pink on bruising, or cutting. Although edible, it can be confused with deadly poisonous species, and should definitely be avoided by novice mushroomers.
(cap), that is up to 15 cm across, and strewn with small cream-coloured warts. It is sometimes covered with an ochre-yellow flush which can be washed by the rain. The flesh of the mushroom is white, becoming pink when bruised or exposed to air. This is a key feature in differentiating it from the poisonous False Blusher or Panther cap (Amanita pantherina), whose flesh does not. The stipe
(stem) is white with flushes of the cap colour, and grows to a height of up to 15 cm. The gills
are white and free of the stem, and display red spots when damaged.
The ring is striate (i.e. has ridges) on its upper side, another feature distinguishing it from Amanita pantherina.
The spore
s are white, ovate, amyloid
, and approximately 8 by 5 µm in size.
The flavour of the uncooked flesh is mild, but has a faint acrid aftertaste
. The smell is not strong.
The mushroom is often attacked by insects.
and eastern North America
, growing on poor soils as well as in deciduous
or coniferous woodlands. It has also been recorded from South Africa, where it is thought to have been accidentally introduced with trees imported from Europe.
Amanita novinupta is highly regarded as a choice edible in the region in which it is found. However, the edibility of blusher species other than A. rubescens and A. novinupta has not been established and experimentation is not advised.
Some experts recommend avoiding the consumption of any species of Amanita. http://www.mushroomexpert.com/amanita.html#bravado
Amanita
The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of agarics including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resulting from mushroom poisoning, with the death cap accounting for about 50% on its own...
. A. rubescens, found in Europe and eastern North America, and A. novinupta in western North America. Both their scientific and common names are derived from the propensity of their flesh to turn pink on bruising, or cutting. Although edible, it can be confused with deadly poisonous species, and should definitely be avoided by novice mushroomers.
Description
The European blusher has a reddish-brown convex pileusPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
(cap), that is up to 15 cm across, and strewn with small cream-coloured warts. It is sometimes covered with an ochre-yellow flush which can be washed by the rain. The flesh of the mushroom is white, becoming pink when bruised or exposed to air. This is a key feature in differentiating it from the poisonous False Blusher or Panther cap (Amanita pantherina), whose flesh does not. The stipe
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
(stem) is white with flushes of the cap colour, and grows to a height of up to 15 cm. The gills
Gill (mushroom)
A lamella, or gill, is a papery hymenophore rib under the cap of some mushroom species, most often but not always agarics. The gills are used by the mushrooms as a means of spore dispersal, and are important for species identification...
are white and free of the stem, and display red spots when damaged.
The ring is striate (i.e. has ridges) on its upper side, another feature distinguishing it from Amanita pantherina.
The spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s are white, ovate, amyloid
Amyloid
Amyloids are insoluble fibrous protein aggregates sharing specific structural traits. Abnormal accumulation of amyloid in organs may lead to amyloidosis, and may play a role in various neurodegenerative diseases.-Definition:...
, and approximately 8 by 5 µm in size.
The flavour of the uncooked flesh is mild, but has a faint acrid aftertaste
Aftertaste
Aftertaste is the taste intensity of a food or beverage that is perceived immediately after that food or beverage is removed from the mouth. The aftertastes of different foods and beverages can vary by intensity and over time, but the unifying feature of aftertaste is that it is perceived after a...
. The smell is not strong.
The mushroom is often attacked by insects.
Distribution and habitat
It is common throughout much of EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, growing on poor soils as well as in deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
or coniferous woodlands. It has also been recorded from South Africa, where it is thought to have been accidentally introduced with trees imported from Europe.
Amanita novinupta
A species found in the western U.S., only recently formally described and until then frequently misidentified as A. rubescens; see MykoWeb - Fungi of California - Amanita novinupta for details.Other species
Closely related species include Amanita brunneolocularis, A. orsonii, A. rubescens var. alba, and A. rubescens var. congolensis.Uses
Both of these species are edible when cooked. European Amanita rubescens is known to contain a hemolytic poison in its raw state; it is unknown whether North American A. rubescens and A. novinupta are similarly toxic in its raw state. This toxin is destroyed by cooking.Amanita novinupta is highly regarded as a choice edible in the region in which it is found. However, the edibility of blusher species other than A. rubescens and A. novinupta has not been established and experimentation is not advised.
Some experts recommend avoiding the consumption of any species of Amanita. http://www.mushroomexpert.com/amanita.html#bravado
External links
- "Tabular and Nontabular Keys to the Rubescent Species of Amanita section Validae" by Rodham E. Tulloss, March 10, 2003.
Amanita rubescens
- "Amanita rubescens" by Michael Kuo, MushroomExpert.Com, March 2003.
- "Amanita rubescens Pers.:Fr." by Rodham E. Tulloss, June 25, 2006.
Amanita novinupta
- "Amanita novinupta" by Michael Kuo, MushroomExpert.Com, March 2003.
- "Amanita novinupta Tulloss & J. Lindgr." by Rodham E. Tulloss, July 25, 2006.
- "Amanita novinupta" by Michael Wood & Fred Stevens, MykoWeb, 2004.
Other species
- "Amanita brunneolocularis Tulloss, Ovrebo & Halling" by Rodham E. Tulloss, October 6, 2006.
- "Amanita flavorubens (Berk. & Mont.) Sacc." by Rodham E. Tulloss, July 25, 2006.
- "Amanita flavorubescens" by Michael Kuo, MushroomExpert.Com, September 2002.
- "Amanita orsonii A. Kumar & T. N. Lakh." by Rodham E. Tulloss, July 25, 2006.
- "Amanita rubescens var. alba Coker" by Rodham E. Tulloss, July 25, 2006.
- "Amanita rubescens var. congolensis Beeli" by Rodham E. Tulloss, July 25, 2006.