Fly Agaric vs Panther Cap
Amanita muscaria and Amanita pantherina are confused for one another often enough to be worth putting next to each other.
The storybook red-and-white mushroom. Rarely fatal, but ibotenic acid and muscimol cause delirium, nausea and seizures.
Like a brown Fly Agaric but considerably more toxic — a frequent cause of severe poisonings in Europe.
Side by side
| Amanita muscaria | Amanita pantherina | |
|---|---|---|
| In this game | Poisonous | Poisonous |
| Habitat | Under birch, pine and spruce, almost anywhere they grow. | Broadleaf woodland, especially beech and oak on lighter soils. |
| Season | Late summer to early winter. | Summer to autumn. |
| Spore print | White. | White. |
This comparison cannot make a mushroom safe to eat. It sets out the few characteristics this game records, in general terms, for two species that vary by region, age and growing conditions. Real specimens overlap in ways no table and no photograph can separate, and the deadly one here is deadly in a single meal. Ask a qualified local expert, every time.
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Amanita muscaria is also confused with Gemmed Amanita.
Amanita pantherina is also confused with Gemmed Amanita.
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