A genus of fungi that includes both edible species and deadly poisonous ones, often characterized by a white-spotted red or white cap.
From Greek amanitai, possibly derived from Mount Amanus in Asia Minor where these mushrooms grew abundantly. The Greek word was adopted directly into scientific Latin nomenclature in the 18th century.
The Amanita genus is nature's ultimate trick—the beautiful red-and-white spotted 'fly agaric' looks like something from a fairy tale but can kill you, while some supposedly edible Amanitas have poisoned the finest chefs in history.
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