Caesar's mushroom or Fly agaric
Amanita caesarea and relatives · Amanita muscaria
Ibotenic acid and muscimol
Confusion, agitation, distorted perception, deep sedation and vomiting for up to a day, occasionally seizures. Deaths are very rare, but this is a poisoning that puts people in hospital overnight.
Check in this order
Most decisive first
| Feature | Caesar's mushroom | Fly agaric |
|---|---|---|
| 01Gill and stem colour | GOLDEN YELLOW gills and a yellow stem. | Pure white gills and a white stem. |
| 02Cap surface | Smooth orange-red, usually with no patches once the veil has fallen away. | Scarlet scattered with white wart-like patches, though rain can wash them all off. |
| 03Base | A large, loose, white membranous sac. | A swollen bulb with concentric scaly bands rather than a free sac. |
Where people go wrong
Caesar's mushroom is one of the few Amanitas eaten deliberately, which puts a forager inside the most dangerous genus in the world by choice. A washed fly agaric is red with no visible warts, and at that point the only thing separating them is the colour of the gills.
This page tells you what to check. It does not tell you the mushroom in your hand is safe, and it cannot. If you are not certain, do not eat it, and if you have already eaten something and feel unwell, contact a poison centre immediately and keep an uncooked specimen for identification.
Other pairs