Amanita Mushroom Varieties and Their Unique Characteristics

The genus Amanita is most known for the red-capped, white-spotted Amanita muscaria. In fact, this mushroom is used as a symbol for all psychoactive mushrooms. It’s arguably one of the most recognizable mushrooms in the world.

However, despite it being the most famous Amanita, it isn’t the only one. There are nearly 600 Amanita species, all with unique appearances, native environments, and effects when consumed. Let’s dive into these Amanita varieties and see what makes each of them unique!

What is an Amanita Mushroom?

“Amanita” is a genus of mushrooms in the family Amanitaceae. Amanita mushrooms all share a few distinct traits:

• Pale gills that aren’t attached to the stem
• A white spore print
• Universal veil
• Distinctive features on the stem like a volva at the base
• Umbrella-shaped caps that are generally dry

Additionally, although they aren’t universal, warts on the caps and rings on the stem are commonly found on Amanitas.

Even if you’ve never seen species other than Amanita muscaria mushrooms, you can easily observe these features on the red-capped fungi. But where do Amanitas differ?

Amanita Varieties and Their Traits

The hundreds of Amanita species are categorized into 11 sections in three subgenera. That’s a lot of categories and even more species, so we’ll explain what makes each subgenus unique and describe the four sections that share the same subgenus as Amanita muscaria.

But first, a quick reference guide for mycological terms we’ll be using here:

• Agaricoid: Shaped like a traditional mushroom with a cap and stem.
• Sequestrate: Closed top, similar to a bulb or a puffball.
• Volva: Sack-like structure the mushroom grows out of, like the exterior of a seed. Parts of the volva can remain on the mushroom, known as “volval remnants.”
• Basal bulb: Swollen and rounded part at the bottom of the stem.
• Warts: Bumpy bits on a mushroom.
• Annulus: Ring-like structure found on the stem.
• Gleba: Inner spore-producing part of the mushroom.
• Basidia: Cells that produce spores.
• Sterigmata: Stalks that hold the spores on the basidia.

While these mushrooms may share physical attributes with Amanita muscaria, there are very few other Amanitas that are used medicinally like fly agaric. In fact, many Amanita varieties are either not safe to eat or require a very specific preparation process. If you forage these mushrooms in the wild, make sure you can confidently identify them.

1. Amanita

Yes, this is different from the genus Amanita. Most of these mushrooms are agaricoid, though some Amanita species are sequestrate. Agaricoid amanitas have grooves on the ends of their cap, but the caps don’t necessarily have volval remnants and none of them have flaps hanging over the edges. The gills of agaricoid species are truncated and don’t reach the stem.

Amanita

Traditional agaricoid cap and stem, with a cap that always has volval remnants on it. There is a basal bulb at the base of the stem. Amanita muscaria belongs to this Amanita variety. Most of these mushrooms are known for psychoactive or neurological-affecting compounds like muscimol and ibotenic acid.

Vaginitae

Agaricoid variety of Amanita with grooves on the side of the cap. Nothing hangs from the edges of the cap, nor are there volval remnants. There is no bulb at the base, but there is a sac-like structure at the base of the stem. Warts grow along the base, but don’t form a complete ring.

Amarrendiae

There are both agaricoid and sequestrate Amanita species in the Amarrendiae section.

Agaricoid variants have flat caps with grooved edges and volval remnants. The flesh and gills are white and yellow. The stem also has volval remnants at the base, as well as an annulus in the middle of the stem.

Sequestrate varieties of Amanitas have gleba divided into small chambers. These chambers are either open or closed and empty or filled with liquid. Usually, basidia produce four spores, though sometimes you'll only see two, with the spores forming right on the basidia.

Caesareae

Like Amarrendiae, there are two variants of Amanita species in the Caesareae section: agaricoid and sequestrate.

Agaricoid Amanitas have caps with grooved sides and no volval remnants. The stems have a sack-like volva at the base with an annulus somewhere on the stem.

There is only one sequestrate Amanita variety in this section: Amanita torrendii. It has a bulbous, closed cap and a stem.

2. Amanitina

Mushrooms of this Amanita variety are typically agaricoid, but there are a few sequestrate species. However, unlike the Amanita subgenus, there are no grooves on the sides of the caps of agaricoid Amanitina species.

The gills taper before touching the stem instead of abruptly stopping. And while the Amanita subgenus might have colorful caps like Amanita muscaria’s, the same can’t be said for Amanitinas, which are usually somewhere between white and gray-brown in color.

3. Lepidella

Lepidella is the subgenus of only one section, also named Lepidella. Mushrooms of this Amanita variety are ectomycorrhizal, which means they form symbiotic relationships with trees to exchange nutrients.

Volval remnants that are cone-shaped, bumpy, warty, or fluffy adhere to their caps. The stems are long, with bases slightly wider than their tops, and pieces of volva scattered across the stems' surfaces.

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Without Amanita mushrooms, MN Nice Ethnobotanicals wouldn’t exist. It was our passion for learning more about Amanita muscaria, our favorite Amanita species, that led to us founding our online store. Now, we’re proud to offer a variety of Amanita mushroom supplements that range from dried fly agaric caps to Amanita muscaria gummies infused with full-spectrum extract.

However, we don’t just offer Amanita mushrooms. We’ve curated a massive collection of premium ethnobotanicals for sale. Shop everything from blue lotus products for relaxation and sleep to functional mushrooms like Lion’s Mane that boost cognitive abilities, relieve digestive issues, and more.

If you have any questions about how to integrate these botanicals into your lifestyle, check out the articles on our alternative medicine blog or contact us directly. Discover the benefits of nature’s medicine today with MN Nice Ethnobotanicals!