Amanita vaginata

Amanita vaginata

The grisette or grisette amanita (Amanita vaginata (Bull.) Lam., 1783) is a mushroom belonging to the Amanitaceae family.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Fungi Kingdom,
Division Basidiomycota,
Class Basidiomycetes,
Order Agaricales,
Amanitaceae family,
Genus Amanita,
Species A. vaginata.
The term is basionym:
– Agaricus vaginatus Bull..
The terms are synonymous:
– Agaricus albus Bull.;
– Agaricus fungites Batsch;
– Agaricus hyalinus Schaeff.;
– Agaricus hyperboreus P.Karst.;
– Agaricus plumbeus Schaeff.;
– Agaricus plumbeus subsp. plumbeus;
– Agaricus strangulatus Fr.;
– Agaricus urceolatus Viv.;
– Agaricus urceolatus var. spadiceus Viv.;
– Agaricus vaginatus f. fulvus Britzelm.;
– Agaricus vaginatus subsp. albida Fr.;
– Agaricus vaginatus subsp. griseus DC.;
– Agaricus vaginatus var. albidus (Fr.) Fr.;
– Agaricus vaginatus var. albus De Seynes;
– Agaricus vaginatus var. albus Fr.;
– Agaricus vaginatus var. cinereus De Seynes;
– Agaricus vaginatus var. griseus DC.;
– Agaricus vaginatus var. lividus (Pers.) Sommerf.;
– Agaricus vaginatus var. nivalis Grev.;
– Amanita hyperborea (P.Karst.) Fayod;
– Amanita livida Pers.;
– Amanita livida subsp. livida;
– Amanita livida var. fuscescens Pers.;
– Amanita livida var. hyalina (Schaeff.) Pers.;
– Amanita livida var. pallescens Pers.;
– Amanita plumbea (Schaeff.) Secretan;
– Amanita strangulata (Fr.) Quél.;
– Amanita vaginata (Bull. ex Fr.) Vittad.;
– Amanita vaginata f. cinerea (De Seynes) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanita vaginata f. fuscescens (Gillet) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanita vaginata f. grisea (DC.) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanita vaginata f. grisea (DC.) Veselý;
– Amanita vaginata f. hyalina (Schaeff.) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanita vaginata f. hyperborea (P.Karst.) Veselý;
– Amanita vaginata f. livida (Pers.) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanita vaginata f. luteoumbrina Veselý;
– Amanita vaginata f. olivaceoviridis Fábry;
– Amanita vaginata f. pallescens (Gillet) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanita vaginata f. plumbea (Schaeff.) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanita vaginata f. plumbea (Schaeff.) L.Maire;
– Amanita vaginata f. radicans Kutafjeva;
– Amanita vaginata f. violacea (Jacz.) Veselý;
– Amanita vaginata subsp. battarrae (Boud.) Veselý, 1933;
– Amanita vaginata subsp. grisea (DC.) Quél. & Bataille, 1902;
– Amanita vaginata subsp. livida (Pers.) Gillet, 1874;
– Amanita vaginata subsp. lutescens (Boud.) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanita vaginata subsp. plumbea (Schaeff.) E.-J.Gilbert, 1918;
– Amanita vaginata subsp. plumbea (Schaeff.) Konrad & Maubl.;
– Amanita vaginata subsp. urceolata (Sacc.) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanita vaginata subsp. violacea (Jacz.) Veselý, 1933;
– Amanita vaginata var. alba (De Seynes) Gillet;
– Amanita vaginata var. alba Velen.;
– Amanita vaginata var. albida (Fr.) Hongo;
– Amanita vaginata var. alutaceovergens Contu;
– Amanita vaginata var. argentata Contu;
– Amanita vaginata var. cinerea Gillet;
– Amanita vaginata var. fungites (Batsch) J.E.Lange;
– Amanita vaginata var. fuscescens Gillet;
– Amanita vaginata var. grisea (DC.) Quél. & Bataille;
– Amanita vaginata var. hyalina (Schaeff.) Quél. & Bataille;
– Amanita vaginata var. hyperborea (P.Karst.) Romagn.;
– Amanita vaginata var. livida (Pers.) Gillet;
– Amanita vaginata var. major Gillet;
– Amanita vaginata var. pallescens Gillet;
– Amanita vaginata var. plumbea (Schaeff.) Quél. & Bataille;
– Amanita vaginata var. roseilamellata Bresinsky;
– Amanita vaginata var. spadicea (Viv.) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanita vaginata var. strangulata (Fr.) Quél.;
– Amanita vaginata var. violacea Pers.;
– Amanita violacea Jacz.;
– Amanitopsis albida (Fr.) S.Imai;
– Amanitopsis hyperborea (P.Karst.) P.Karst.;
– Amanitopsis plumbea (Schaeff.) Fayod;
– Amanitopsis plumbea (Schaeff.) J.Schröt.;
– Amanitopsis strangulata (Fr.) Roze;
– Amanitopsis urceolata Sacc.;
– Amanitopsis vaginata (Bull.) Roze;
– Amanitopsis vaginata f. cinerea (de Seynes) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Amanitopsis vaginata subsp. battarrae Boud.;
– Amanitopsis vaginata subsp. plumbea (Bull.) Konrad & Maubl., 1924;
– Amanitopsis vaginata subsp. violacea (Jacz.) E.-J.Gilbert, 1941;
– Amanitopsis vaginata var. alba Sacc.;
– Amanitopsis vaginata var. cinnabarina Killerm.;
– Amanitopsis vaginata var. crassivolvata Peck;
– Amanitopsis vaginata var. lutescens Boud.;
– Amanitopsis vaginata var. olivaceoviridis (Fábry) Wasser;
– Amanitopsis vaginata var. plumbea (Schaeff.) Konrad & Maubl.;
– Amanitopsis vaginata var. plumbea Anon.;
– Amanitopsis vaginata var. tota-alba Sacc.;
– Amanitopsis vaginata var. violacea (Jacz.) E.-J.Gilbert;
– Collybia ventricosa var. alba Sacc.;
– Fungus phalloides Bull.;
– Pseudofarinaceus hyperboreus (P.Karst.) Kuntze;
– Pseudofarinaceus strangulatus (Fr.) Kuntze;
– Pseudofarinaceus urceolatus (Sacc.) Kuntze;
– Vaginata hyperborea (P.Karst.) Kuntze;
– Vaginata livida Gray;
– Vaginata strangulata (Fr.) Kuntze.
Within this species the following subspecies and forms are recognised:
– Amanita vaginata subsp. alba (De Seynes) Veselý;
– Amanita vaginata subsp. vaginata;
– Amanita vaginata f. alba (De Seynes) Veselý;
– Amanita vaginata f. olicaceoviridis Fabry;
– Amanita vaginata f. vaginata.

Etymology –
The term Amanita derives from the Greek Ἀμανὶτης (Amanitos), mushroom of Mount Amano, from Ἄμανος (Amanos), Amano, a chain of mountains between Cilicia and Syria, in Asian Turkey, where this species seems to have been abundant in ancient times.
The specific epithet vaginata derives from the Latin vaginatus, protected by a sheath, due to the type of sheathing volva.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
The Amanita vaginata is a species present in a vast range, widely distributed in North America and is also found in the Azores, Australia, Iran, Scotland and other countries.
It is a symbiotic fungus that grows singly or numerously in both coniferous and deciduous forests. It is also frequently found in grassy areas at the edges of forests, in overgrown meadows and in suburban areas where the soil has recently been disturbed. It grows in the period between summer and autumn. In the event of a prolonged lack of rainfall, it is not uncommon to come across perfectly intact dried specimens.

Recognition –
The Amanita vaginata is a mushroom that has a cap of 4-8 cm in diameter, first bell-shaped, then expanded, shiny when dry, silvery-grey in colour, generally without warts, moderately striated at the margin,
The gills are white, dense, free at the stem.
The stem is cylindrical, tapered at the top, hollow; white colour, often covered in flakes of the same color as the cap, with slight swelling at the base; missing ring like all the Amanitas of the group it represents.
The volva is whitish, persistent, membranous.
The flesh is white in color, tender in texture and very fragile, especially in the stem. Easily perishable and therefore it is advisable to consume the mushroom within a short time. It has a light and pleasant smell, slightly aromatic in adult specimens, and a sweet, delicate flavour.
Under the microscope, approximately spherical spores are identified, 8-12 μm in diameter, thin-walled and non-amyloid (i.e. they do not absorb the iodine stain in Melzer’s reagent). The cap cuticle is composed of intertwined filamentous hyphae, 2–7 μm in diameter, gelatinized. The spore-bearing cells, the basidia, are 36-52 by 4-13 μm, 4-sterigmata, without hooks. The volva is largely made up of filamentous hyphae, 2–8 μm in diameter, broadly elliptical, elliptical, fusiform, club-shaped, swollen cells, 40–85 by 10–35 μm, mostly terminal. The stem tissue is made up of filamentous hyphae with a diameter of 2–6 μm; the inflated cells are terminal, club-shaped, longitudinally oriented, with dimensions up to 289 x 31 μm.

Cultivation –
Amanita vaginata is not a cultivated mushroom.

Customs and Traditions –
The Amanita vaginata is the most representative species of the Vaginata group, easily recognizable by its silvery cap, the characteristic striation on the edge of the latter and the absence of a ring.
It belongs to the group of so-called combs, Amanita without ring and with the edge of the cap strongly striated in a radial direction. There are many and not easy to determine.
Similar species include: Amanita phalloides var. alba, which is distinguished by the absence of a ring on A. vaginata and, as mentioned, other Amanitas of the Vaginata group.
They are all valuable edibles, but only after adequate cooking (due to the presence of thermolabile toxins), and using only the cap for food purposes.
However, although this species is not poisonous, most authors advise against its consumption due to the possibility of confusing other poisonous Amanita species with it.

Preparation Method –
Amanita vaginata is a poisonous raw mushroom. When cooked it becomes an excellent edible mushroom. However, as mentioned, collection is strongly discouraged for less experienced people, as it can easily be confused with Amanita phalloides or verna.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Cetto B., 2008. Mushrooms from life, Saturnia, Trento.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.

Photo source:
– https://image.laji.fi/MM.2863258/Amanita-vaginata-20230917.jpg

Attenzione: Le applicazioni farmaceutiche e gli usi alimurgici sono indicati a mero scopo informativo, non rappresentano in alcun modo prescrizione di tipo medico; si declina pertanto ogni responsabilità sul loro utilizzo a scopo curativo, estetico o alimentare.