Fly Agaric - Amanita muscaria

Types of Mushrooms

Types of Mushrooms Bird's Nest Boletes Halloween Mushrooms Jelly Mushrooms Lobster Mushroom Pacific Golden Chanterelle Puffball Mushrooms Polypores Red Waxy Cap Types of Mushrooms

Fly Agaric is the common name for Amanita muscaria, a mushroom in the larger Amanita genus.

Amanita are known as veiled mushrooms. They develop in a white cocoon looking skin, or veil. As they grow, the veil stretches and eventually breaks, leaving a few spots on the top of the mushroom.

The orange spotted top, as shown in the picture, represents the last stage of fruiting.

This red or orange polka dotted mushroom often is depicted as the stereotypical mushroom in commercial products. For example, it is fairly easy to find examples of smiling mushrooms with polka dot tops in any toy store.

While they may be fun to observe and photograph, like many species in the genus, they are also poisonous.

© 2007 Patricia A. Michaels