''Amanita chrysoblema'', with the common name American fly agaric, white variant, is a

basidiomycete Basidiomycota () is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya (often referred to as the "higher fungi") within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. More specifically, Ba ...

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from t ...

of the genus ''

Amanita The genus ''Amanita'' contains about 600 species of agarics, including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide, as well as some well-regarded edible species. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resul ...

''. Although named ''chrysoblema'', it is traditionally thought to be an '' Amanita muscaria'' variant, a group of fungi commonly known as fly agarics. ''A. chrysoblema'' is an uncommon fungus, distinguishable by an off-white to silvery-white cap with white warts. The cap has cuts on the side, but is otherwise similar to the usual fly agaric form. The fungus is

poisonous Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

due to high levels of

ibotenic acid Ibotenic acid or (''S'')-2-amino-2-(3-hydroxyisoxazol-5-yl)acetic acid, also referred to as ibotenate, is a chemical compound and psychoactive drug which occurs naturally in ''Amanita muscaria'' and related species of mushrooms typically found i ...

and

muscimol Muscimol (also known as agarin or pantherine) is one of the principal psychoactive constituents of '' Amanita muscaria'' and related species of mushroom. Muscimol is a potent and selective orthosteric agonist for the GABAA receptors and displa ...

Taxonomy

This white fly agaric was first described by science in 1880 by Peck, who classified it as an ''Amanita muscaria'' variant as ''A. muscaria var. alba''. In 1918, Kauffmann named it ''Amanita chrysoblema'' during a study from Michigan, but the var. alba (or var. albus) name has been used in parallel to this since then.Amanita chrysoblema
/ref> It is possible that this Amanita is not a muscaria, or fly agaric, but a species in its own right. This issue is currently under scientific scrutiny. The muscaria classification, may stem from it being wrongly treated as a white variant of the '' Amanita muscaria var. flavivolvata''.

References

chrysoblema Poisonous fungi Fungus species {{Amanitaceae-stub