Some mushrooms have made their way into popular culture through fairytales of enchanted forests. This attractive red mushroom with white spots known as Fly Amanita is one that you would expect to find in a magical forest with a fairy perched on top of it. Speaking of fairytales, this mushroom is featured in the story of Alice in Wonderland, and in the 1940 Walt Disney movie Fantasia. More recently it was featured in a Nintendo game. Looking at this brightly-colored pretty mushroom, that is poisonous, it is no wonder why it has made its way into popular culture.
Many cultures in the world consider mushrooms sacred and use them in rituals. Several subspecies of the Fly Amanita grow around the world including the Northeastern United States. Found in North America, the Amanita Muscaria var. guessowii mushroom is part of the Amanita mushroom family and is sacred to Native Americans. There is not a lot of documentation on what Native American communities use this mushroom for, although experts believe that many tribes use it for ceremonial purposes.
The North American variety of Amanita muscaria is known as the American Yellow Fly Amanita Muscaria var. guessowii and abounds in forests across North America. It grows in moist soil and often pops up after heavy rain. It can be found growing alone or in "fairy rings" near conifers or deciduous trees, most often in the spring and fall. It has a more muted appearance than its Asian and European cousins with a yellow-orange cap that is more orange or reddish-orange toward the center. The surface of the cap is hairless and slimy when wet. It has pale cream-colored cottony spots that wash away with rain. Its white gills are closely packed and not joined to the stem. The white somewhat shaggy stalk is tapered with a bulbous base with two white rings with yellow edges. The spores are white and oval. It is commonly found in northeastern North America from Newfoundland and Quebec through Connecticut all the way south to Tennessee. This mushroom is poisonous and does not change color when cut.
As with other amanita muscaria the guessowii variety contains ibotenic acid and muscimol which can cause hallucinations. The Ojibwa shamans use Amanita muscaria in ceremonies where the shaman fell into a dream-like state followed by a deep sleep that produce vivid dreams. This state allows the shaman to interact with his surroundings and connect with the spirits who will reveal prophecies that foretell the future of the tribe. The smoke from the mushrooms is also used by shamans to perform ritual medicinal diagnoses. There are extremely deadly look a likes - the (Destroying Angel) Amanita bisporigera, Amanita ocreata, and the Amanita phalloides (Death Cap) so don't go out foraging.
This fungus has a long history of religious and ritual ceremonies not only by Native Americans but throughout the world, particularly in Asia. It is the main ingredient in a sacred and hallucinogenic ritual drink in India and Iran called "soma" and in Siberia, shamans would give it out as a gift in late December.
The Mayan Indians of Mexico and Guatemala used this mushroom in relation to the Thunderbolt Legend.
This showy red and white mushroom was common on Christmas cards in Victorian and Edwardian times as a symbol of good luck. It is thought to have inspired the suit that Santa Claus wears.
It is part of the Super Mario Brothers video game and its Super Power Up.
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