About Amanita rubescens Pers.
Amanita rubescens Pers., commonly known as the blushing amanita, has a reddish-brown convex cap that measures 5–15 centimetres (2–6 inches) across. The cap is covered in small warts that range in color from white to mahogany, and it may sometimes have an ochre-yellow coating that can be washed away by rain. The mushroom’s flesh is white, and turns pink when bruised or exposed to air. Its stem (stipe) is white with patches of the same color as the cap, and reaches a height of 5–15 cm. The gills are white, do not attach to the stem, and develop red spots when damaged. The upper surface of the partial veil ring has distinct ridges (striations). Amanita rubescens produces white, ovate, amyloid spores that measure approximately 8 by 5 micrometers. Uncooked flesh has a mild flavor with a faint acrid aftertaste, and its scent is not strong. The related species Amanita novinupta has a 5–15 cm wide whitish cap, a stem up to 12 cm long, also blushes pink when damaged, has a mild scent, and produces a white spore print. In terms of distribution and habitat, A. rubescens is common across much of Europe and Asia. It grows on poor soils as well as in deciduous and coniferous woodlands, and appears from June through November in the United Kingdom. It has also been recorded in South Africa, where it is thought to have been accidentally introduced alongside trees imported from Europe. A. novinupta is found in western North America, particularly in California. Several other North American species belonging to the A. rubescens group are known as A. amerirubescens. In eastern North America, species in the A. rubescens group are frequently parasitized by the fungus Hypomyces hyalinus. Parasitized fruiting bodies are extremely hard to identify unless they grow alongside healthy specimens, though some retain the characteristic blushing trait of the group. A. rubescens is edible when fully cooked. In its raw state, it contains a toxic hemolytic protein, though the toxin is destroyed by cooking. Some mushroom guides list A. rubescens as poisonous; mycologist David Pegler notes that eating large quantities of raw A. rubescens can cause severe anemia if left untreated, and classifies the species as a blood cell-damaging (haemolytic-poisoning) mushroom. A. rubescens also closely resembles several toxic mushroom species.
