Green death cap mushroom
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Amanita phalloides ( Amanita phalloides ) |
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| ( Vaill. Ex Fr. ) Link |
The Green Knollenblätterpilz or greenish poison Amanita ( Amanita phalloides ) is a species of fungus from the family Amanitaceae belonging to the genus of Wulstlinge counts. It is a mycorrhizal fungus associated with deciduous trees . Consumption of even small amounts of a fruiting body of this poisonous mushroom can lead to fatal fungal poisoning , as the toxins it contains ( amatoxins and phallotoxins ) cause liver failure .
features
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The green cap mushroom forms fruiting bodies with the typical habit of such a cap mushroom. The hat is about 5 to 15 centimeters wide and smooth and only rarely carries remnants of the upper part of the former overall shell that are glued on. Its surface is somewhat sticky when it is wet, but has a silky sheen when dry; the cap skin of the mushroom is removable. The color of the hat ranges from pale yellow-green over various shades to olive-green or brown-olive, the edge of the hat is usually lighter than the middle of the hat; the hat can fade whitish with age. When young, the fruiting body is enveloped by a complete velum . In contrast to other types of amanita, usually no remains of the Velum universale remain on the surface of the cap in the case of the green death cap. The velum remains at the base of the stem as a membranous, lobed volva . The velum partiale remains as a clearly grooved, whitish, hanging ring ("cuff") on the stem. The stem becomes 5 to 15 (<18) centimeters high, it is pale olive green on a white background; its base is bulbous and thickened and is in an upright, membranous sheath. The stalk is up to 2 centimeters thick, it is full when young, pithy to hollow when old. The narrow lamellae are white, the spore powder is also white. The flesh of the fruit body is white, the smell is sweet (like artificial honey), the taste is described as mild and nutty (due to the extreme toxicity of the fungus, however, taste tests should be avoided) .
Varieties
The alba variety is pure white, but resembles the phalloides variety in all other characteristics .
A smaller, Mediterranean, closely related species that can occur in southern areas of Germany, is the Amanita Verna ( Amanita verna ). It is only 4 to 8 inches wide and 7 to 10 inches high; the hat is flat from the start, partially recessed in the middle. The stalk is compact and beneath the brittle cuff is neither ruffled nor flaky, but rather frosted with a silky smooth to finely flaky frost. The volva is white, sometimes a little olive on the inside. The meat is odorless.
ecology
The Green Death cap is a mycorrhizal fungus that with deciduous trees - in Central Europe, especially with book plants such as oaks , beeches and chestnuts - mykorrhitisch associated fruiting bodies formed. In addition, there are allegedly symbioses with birch , hazel and other deciduous trees, probably only extremely rarely with conifers. In Central Europe, the green capillary mushroom grows in sparse red beech forests with many oaks, in mixed oak forests, and more rarely in other forest types. The species also likes to grow on the edges of forests near oaks, in arboretums , parks and cemetery facilities and similar biotopes . The green cap mushroom does not place high demands on the pH value of the soil, but prefers soils that are well supplied with nutrients and bases and that are fresh to moderately moist. Dry and strongly acidic, base-poor soils are avoided. In Central Europe, the fruiting bodies appear mainly from late July to October.
distribution
The natural distribution area in Europe and North Africa extends from the Mediterranean region to southern Scandinavia and the Baltic States, as well as from the British Isles to Russia and the Balkans. However, due to spreading, the green cap mushroom also occurs in parts of Asia (Asia Minor and the Middle East, possibly even in China and Japan), South Africa, North and South America (e.g. on the coastal region of California), as well as Australia and New Zealand. Its northern limit of distribution coincides with that of the oaks.
Toxicological properties
The poisons of the green amanita are mainly various cyclic oligopeptides : the amatoxins (α-amanitin, β-amanitin, γ-amanitin) and phallotoxins (phalloin, phalloidin, phallicin, phallacidin). According to more recent findings, phallotoxins are not dangerous when consuming tuber mushrooms because they are not absorbed in the intestine. The extremely toxic amanitin of the green amanita mushroom is not rendered harmless by cooking, but remains completely intact. The Amanitins are heat stable.
The lethal dose of Amanitin in humans is 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, for a person weighing 70 kilograms it is around 7 milligrams. This amount of substance is already contained in less than 35 grams of fresh mushrooms. Since a fully grown fruiting body can weigh 50 grams or more, a single eaten mushroom can lead to death.
The first symptoms of amatoxin syndrome triggered by Amanitin - cholera-like vomiting diarrhea lasting 6 to 9 hours with potentially threatening loss of fluid and salt - do not usually appear until 8 to 12 hours after consumption - too late to be effective by pumping the stomach to intervene. Symptoms appear less often after 6 or only after 12 to 24 hours. After a brief improvement in general condition, the liver damage phase begins around 24 to 48 hours after consumption, with an increase in liver values with maximum values on the second to fourth day; with severe poisoning accompanied by a blood clotting disorder. In the case of severe poisoning, liver disintegration begins on the third to fourth day after consumption, with severe bleeding disorders and confusion. Death in hepatic coma usually occurs between about six to ten days after consumption. The only possible salvation is a liver transplant in the late stages and with severe poisoning . The green cap mushroom also contains an antidote, antanamide , but in too small amounts to offset the poisonous effect.
The green capillary mushroom is responsible for around 90 percent (approx. Five deaths annually) of fatal mushroom poisoning. At the beginning of the 20th century, almost every poisoning with the fungus resulted in death. By the beginning of the 21st century, the proportion of fatal poisonings could be reduced to around 10 to 15 percent thanks to early detection and intensive therapy. Several mass poisonings have also been documented from the past, such as in 1946 in Berlin with 50 dead or in 1918, when 31 boys were killed during a holiday camp near Posen.
In English-speaking countries, the mushroom is called Death Cap (literally: death cap ).
Famous victims
Various historically significant people are or have been suspected of having died of tuber agaric poisoning, either as a result of an accident or a deliberately planned murder . Famous victims include the Roman Emperor Claudius , Pope Clement VII , Tsarina Natalja Kirillowna Naryshkina and Emperor Charles VI. Mycologist R. Gordon Wasson examined the details of these deaths regarding the likelihood of Amanita poisoning :
Clement VII suffered from the illness that led to his death for about five months. This duration of illness clearly stands in the way of the usual morbid course of such fungal poisoning.
Natalja Naryshkina is said to have eaten a large amount of pickled mushrooms before her death . However, it is unclear whether the mushrooms themselves were responsible for the death or if she fell victim to food poisoning .
Charles VI complained of indigestion after eating a plate of sauteed mushrooms. He died of the following illness ten days later - symptomatic of this type of poisoning. His death led to the War of the Austrian Succession . Voltaire wrote about it:
“Ce plat de champignons a changé la destinée de l'Europe. »
"This mushroom dish has changed the fate of Europe."
Emperor Claudius' case is more complex: it is known that Claudius was very fond of the Kaiserling . After his death, many suspected that he had eaten death cap mushrooms instead. The historical historians Tacitus and Suetonius , however, disagree on whether Claudius ate poison mushrooms or poisoned edible mushrooms. Wasson assumes that the deadly poison was obtained from the cap mushrooms and that the sick emperor was also given a lethal dose of colocinte .
Use in art
The punk band Die Toten Hosen dedicated in 2002 on the album Away game of Amanita phalloides an eponymous song.
literature
- German Josef Krieglsteiner (Ed.), Andreas Gminder : Die Großpilze Baden-Württemberg . Volume 4: Mushrooms. Blattpilze II. Ulmer, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-8001-3281-8 .
- Denis R. Benjamin: Mushrooms: poisons and panaceas - a handbook for naturalists, mycologists and physicians . WH Freeman and Company, New York 1995, ISBN 0-7167-2600-9 .
- Steinbach's nature guide: Pilze Mosaik Verlag GmbH, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-576-01162-5 .
Web links
- Amanita phalloides, green mushroom, Toxicological Department, Rechts der Isar Clinic, Munich
Individual evidence
- ↑ Max Frimmer: What we have learned from phalloidin . In: Toxicology Letters . tape 35 , no. 2-3 , 1987, pp. 169-182 , doi : 10.1016 / 0378-4274 (87) 90204-9 ( sciencedirect.com ).
- ↑ AMATOXIN SYNDROME Zilker Th; Glue JJ; Haberl B; 2000; Toxicological Department, Rechts der Isar Clinic, Munich, accessed June 3, 2018
- ↑ Interesting facts from the world of mushrooms. Edible mushrooms and poison mushrooms. On: www.pilzepilze.de
- ↑ Melanie Meyer: The sad fate of the mushroom children . November 14, 2012 ( waz.de [accessed January 9, 2019]).
- ↑ a b c d Robert Gordon Wasson: The death of Claudius, or mushrooms for murderers . In: Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University . 23, No. 3, 1972, ISSN 0006-8098 , pp. 101-128.
- ^ Benjamin, p. 35
- ↑ Voltaire: Mémoires pour servir a la vie de M. de Voltaire . 1759. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
- ^ Benjamin, pp. 33-34
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