Amanita muscaria

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a <a href="/facts/Basidiomycete/LuFeC7D2">basidiomycete</a> fungus of the genus <a href="/facts/Amanita/SeajBxmT">Amanita</a>. It is a large white-<a href="/facts/Lamella_(mycology)/V18VY7tJ">gilled</a>, white-spotted mushroom typically featuring a bright red cap covered with distinctive white warts. It is one of the most recognizable fungi in the world.
A. muscaria exhibits complex genetic diversity that suggests it is a species complex rather than a single species. It is a widely distributed mushroom native to temperate and boreal forests of the <a href="/facts/Northern_Hemisphere/EFwyqL25">Northern Hemisphere</a>, now also naturalized in the <a href="/facts/Southern_Hemisphere/QfJ4z9L5">Southern Hemisphere</a>, forming symbiotic relationships with various trees and spreading invasively in some regions.
Its name derives from its traditional use as an <a href="/facts/Insecticide/1xYL3MSD">insecticide</a>. It can cause poisoning, especially in children and those seeking its <a href="/facts/Hallucinogen/gn35weCu">hallucinogenic</a> effects, due to psychoactive compounds like <a href="/facts/Muscimol/B0vIWlcv">muscimol</a> and the <a href="/facts/Ibotenic_acid/QPa9w0H8">ibotenic acid</a>; however, fatal poisonings are extremely rare. Boiling it reduces toxicity by removing water-soluble ibotenic acid into the discarded water. Drying converts ibotenic acid into muscimol, lowering toxicity but retaining psychoactive effects. Some cultures use it as food after preparation. <a href="/facts/Indigenous_peoples/zyzBMXBS">Indigenous</a> peoples of <a href="/facts/Siberia/oaCoPEjF">Siberia</a> used A. muscaria as an inebriant and <a href="/facts/Entheogen/6boCAmyy">entheogen</a>. It has been controversially linked to <a href="/facts/Santa_Claus/9hg3kDdD">Santa Claus</a>, Viking <a href="/facts/Berserker/XEkRhR1g">berserkers</a>, <a href="/facts/Vedic/yQgc8B2x">Vedic</a> <a href="/facts/Soma/26yHURKT">Soma</a>, and <a href="/facts/Early_Christianity/LmdNJmea">early Christianity</a>, though evidence is sparse and disputed. Its rise in the 2020s as a legal hallucinogen alternative has led to <a href="/facts/Food_and_Drug_Administration/rCEnh9WB">Food and Drug Administration</a> scrutiny.
A. muscaria has appeared in <a href="/facts/Art/ILbnQHHb">art</a> and <a href="/facts/Literature/CmUDxokU">literature</a> since the <a href="/facts/Renaissance/4D9Bc6KU">Renaissance</a>, becoming iconic in <a href="/facts/Fairy_tale/ex3X7qku">fairy tales</a>, <a href="/facts/Children%25E2%2580%2599s_literature/ggVfDDVo">children’s books</a>, and media like the <a href="/facts/Super_Mario/NBH5SHu2">Super Mario</a> games and Disney’s <a href="/facts/Fantasia_(1940_film)/tE8lKae9">Fantasia</a>. It has also influenced literary depictions of altered perception—most notably in <a href="/facts/Alice%25E2%2580%2599s_Adventures_in_Wonderland/xIcypuRd">Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland</a>—and has been referenced in novels by writers including <a href="/facts/Oliver_Goldsmith/g5IerStu">Oliver Goldsmith</a>, <a href="/facts/Thomas_Pynchon/EbJhc8dS">Thomas Pynchon</a>, and <a href="/facts/Alan_Garner/LR0Bqlvc">Alan Garner</a>.

Amanita muscaria open-in-new

Amanita muscaria