Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1906-11-08
DEADLY MUSHROOMS.
THE BEAUTIFUL BUT VENOMOUS
AMANITA FAMILY.
Beneath the Pleasing Exterior oi
This Brilliant Fungus Turks II
Vicious Poison That Is Fatal to til,
Lives Of Men and Cattle.

This Brilliant Fungus Turks
Vicious Poison That Is Fatal to the
Lives of Men and Cattle.
In the dark shade of lofty pine tree.
and under spreading oaks in morn
open woods mushroom is found 50
remarkable in color and graceful IL
form that its beauty has excited ad
miration for hundreds of years. The
color of its bright orange cap and its
chalk white stem and gills is height
ened by the surrounding darkness o,
the woods and presents a contrast a.
singular as it is beautiful.
But beneath the pleasing exterior Of
this brilliant fungus a poison turks so
fatal to the lives of men and catt,n
that it Is called the deadly amanta
and in different countries mothers eau
tion their children to beware OF II.
charms.
Amanita muscaria the deadly, or
fly, amanita, is completely incascd IN
a fleece-ike covering during the early
stages Of its growth. which makes II
decidedly egg shaped in form. AS
the stem lengthens this covering either
adheres in loose patches to the top or
the cap or it slips away and forms Il
sheathing to the cup at the base of the
stem.
Another inner covering breaks away
In its turn from the cap rs the muSh.
room expands and forms Il conspcuou
collar about the upper part of the
stem. The Dubious base of the stem
and these ruptured, fleecy coverings
are pronounced characteristics which.
are most helpful in distinguishing this
! dangerous fungus from the other vnr;c-
| ties Of mushrooms.
It Is strong. free from pests anG
grows to a height from four to siXtec.l
inches. In color the cap is sometimes
bright scarlet again orange or yellow
or reddish in the center and light vel
low toward the edges, and it has no
ticeable wartlike patches spread over
the top. On old plants the color fades
out, and late in the season particularly
forms of the deadly amanita are found
which are almost white. The stem is
easily separated from the cup at its
base.
| This mushroom is more generally
known than any Of the other poison
Gus species. 1t has long been used as
fly poison In Europe, and it takes its
name, muscaria, from the Latin word
for fly. Its poisonous effect upon hui
man beings begins few hours after
It has been eaten. The symptoms are
nausea and faintness, with cold per
| spiration and stupor, followed in Sc
we're cases by death from a gradual
weakening Of the heart
| A strong emetic should be given ~
once, and in all cases a physician
should be called. Sulphate Of atropfN
Is the only known chemical antidote
for this poison, and to save the patient
1t must be promptly administered by
hypodermic injections.
The poison may also be absorbed
through the pores Of the skin, and bad
cases Of poisoning have been produced
by simply holding an amanita in the
closed hand or breathing its exhala
| lions in a warm room.
If poisonous mushrooms are packed
in the same box with edible ones the
virus from the poisonous fungi is alb
sorbed by the harmless mushrooms,
and they become as dangerous to eat
as the original offenders.
J In certain countries the deadly anna
nita seems to lose some of its virulen-
cy, and in the north of Russia and
parts of northeastern Asia it is used in
the same manner as wine for it's in
| Of
gathered in hot weather and are hung
up in the air to dry or they are some
times picked fresh and put into soup
or sauces. A small amount swallowed
whole is enough to produce days in
| toxication.
Another fatally dangerous member
Of the amanta family is the death
cup (Amanita phalloides). a beautiful
mushroom which also grows in the
woods, especially in pine forests. 1t is
not so highly colored as the deadly
amanita, and, unlike that mushroom,
1t has smooth, satiny cap. 1t is usu-
| ally white or straw colorcd, but speci
mems are found which are light brown,
green, yellow and spotted. The stem
is white and nearly smooth, and the
! cup at the base of the stem is invaril-
bly, present.
| The death cup is even more poison
Gus than the deadly amanita and
stands first among all noXious fungi
| for it's poisonous qualities. 1t grows
in the eastern and middle states and
in particularly large quantities near
the city of Washington.
Another amanita (Amanita vernus),
found in the woods in spring, is also
very poisonous and may be told by
its color, which is creamy white
throughout.
Although it is said that the amanit0s
are the only mushrooms which have
proved fatal to human life, there are
other varieties which cause such acute
| distress that it is well to guard against
eating them.
/ The boleti, for instance, have several
varieties which are nonedible, although
many kinds, on the other hand, make
delicious food. The boleti are distin-
gulshed by a sponge-like surface OF
pores instead Of gills beneath the cap
The harmful varieties are bitter, as g.