Panther cap
Encyclopedia
Amanita pantherina var. pantherina, also known as the Panther cap and False Blusher due to its similarity to the true Blusher (Amanita rubescens), is a species of Europe
and western Asia.
Other than the brownish cap with white warts, distinguishing features of Amanita pantherina include the collar-like roll of volval tissue at the top of the basal bulb, and the elliptical, inamyloid spores.
, especially beech
and, less frequently, coniferous woodland and rarely meadows throughout Europe
, western Asia
in late summer and autumn. It has also been recorded from South Africa
, where it is thought to have been accidentally introduced with trees imported from Europe.
It is an ectomycorrhizal
fungus, living in root symbiosis
with a tree, deriving photosynthesis
ed nutrients from it and providing soil nutrients in return.
and muscimol
, it is used as an entheogen
much less often than the related Amanita muscaria
because of the extremely high levels of these compounds found in the mushroom. It also contains some alkaloid
s, though these are in non-deadly concentrations. They are however sometimes dried or cooked at a low temperature and ingested.
Europe
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 western Asia.
Description
- Cap: 4 – 11 cm wide, Hemispheric at first, then convex to plano-convex, deep brown to hazel-brown to pale ochraceous brown, densely distributed warts that are pure white to sordid cream, minutely verruculose, floccose, easily removable. Viscid when wet, with a short striate margin, The flesh is white, unchanging when injured.
- Gills: free, close to crowded, white becoming grayish, truncate.
- Spores: white in deposit, broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid to elongate, infrequently globose. 8 — 12 × 5.5 — 8 µm.
- Stipe: 5 – 14 cm long × .6 – 2 cm wide, subcyclindric, somewhat narrowing upward, white, becoming slightly tannish in age, stuffed then hollow, finely floccose becoming smooth above the ring, and with small appressed squamules or creamy floccose material below. The volva is white, becoming gray with age, forming one or sometimes two narrow hoop-like rings just above the bulbous base. The flesh is white, unchanging when injured.
- Odor: Unpleasant or like raw potatoes
- Microscopic features: Spores are 8-14 x 6-10 µ, smooth, elliptical and inamyloid.
Other than the brownish cap with white warts, distinguishing features of Amanita pantherina include the collar-like roll of volval tissue at the top of the basal bulb, and the elliptical, inamyloid spores.
Habitat and distribution
The panther cap is an uncommon mushroom, found in both deciduousDeciduous
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...
, especially beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
and, less frequently, coniferous woodland and rarely meadows throughout Europe
Europe
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...
, western Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
in late summer and autumn. It has also been recorded from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where it is thought to have been accidentally introduced with trees imported from Europe.
It is an ectomycorrhizal
Mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
fungus, living in root symbiosis
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
with a tree, deriving photosynthesis
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
ed nutrients from it and providing soil nutrients in return.
Biochemistry
The European Panther contains ibotenic acidIbotenic acid
Ibotenic acid is a chemical compound that is naturally occurring in the mushrooms Amanita muscaria and Amanita pantherina, among others...
and muscimol
Muscimol
Muscimol is the major psychoactive alkaloid present in many mushrooms of the Amanita genus. Unlike psilocin , which is a serotonergic psychedelic and agonist for the 5-HT2A receptor set, muscimol is a potent, selective agonist for the GABAA receptor set and is a deliriant as a opposed...
, it is used as an entheogen
Entheogen
An entheogen , in the strict sense, is a psychoactive substance used in a religious, shamanic, or spiritual context. Historically, entheogens were mostly derived from plant sources and have been used in a variety of traditional religious contexts...
much less often than the related Amanita muscaria
Amanita muscaria
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita , is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita...
because of the extremely high levels of these compounds found in the mushroom. It also contains some alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
s, though these are in non-deadly concentrations. They are however sometimes dried or cooked at a low temperature and ingested.
External links
- MushroomHobby -- Amanita pantherina in California and beyond...
- http://home.wanadoo.nl/abiemans/e_ama_pant.html
- http://www.amanitaceae.org/?Amanita+pantherina+var.+pantherina