Subject: Re: Poisonings

From: [email-masked] (Nathan Wilson)
Date: 15 Apr 1996 10:52:59 -0700

>>Of course, Amanitas don't stain red.
>except here in California, Amanita rubescens, "The Blusher".
>it is a fair edible, though often buggy.

Actually, the corrent name for the Californian/Western North American
species is A. novinupta.  Amanita rubescens has a brown cap even when
young.  A. novinupta is pure white.  There are also a host of microscopic
differences.  Both species stain red and both species appear to be edible.

As for the identity of the Asian species, the story that I have heard from
Gary Lincoff (author of the Audubon field guide to mushrooms of North
America) is that they are confusing American Amanitas with Asian Amanita
species that they commonly eat -- probably forms of Amanita hemibapha.  The
biggest problem is that deadly Amanita species seem to be either absent or
very rare in some Asian countries.  _The Fungi of Japan_ lists a number of
deadly Amanita species (A. verna, A. virosa and several others).  However,
notably missing is A. phalloides.  This book also shows three different
color forms of A. hemibapha.

This is the first I've heard of the red staining theory.  It's a very
interesting one, but as pointed out, none of the red staining species in
the US appear to be toxic.  Note that I say appear.  I firmly believe in
treating all Amanitas with special caution.  I personally eat A. velosa and
A. "calyptraderma"/"calyptrata", but only after David Arora taught me to
recognize them.  I've never eaten any of the red staining species.

   -------------------------    _________
         Nathan Wilson         <_________>
         [email-masked]            _|_|_       It is no dream!
                                  \___/    Matsutake are growing
       Minister Emeritus           | |        On the belly of the mountain.
Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz    \_/ *83--                -Shigetaka