Yes, it is on of the Amanitas. It has a few pretty names like Fly mushroom, Happiness mushroom, gnome mash room. And yes, it is deadly poisonous, but it is said that if dried and eaten in VERY small doses it is supposed to work like Hash or Marihuana - give a sense of happiness, hence the name "Happiness mushroom".
I'm given to understand that if you cut up just one of these bad boys and add it to a kettle of spaghetti sauce, that would be enough to kill 6 or 8 people. The pity is that for 24 hours they would feel just fine....then they'd start feeling poorly while the Amanita kills their livers and in 3 or 4 more days it would be all over. Cruel way to go.
Well, I was brought up to believe that it is deadly poisonous and then in my twenties people called them magic mushroom and a few fellow soldiers of my husbands said that they have eaten them and that they ARE not supposed to kill if eaten in VERY small doses. So yes, a whole one of these would kill a few people. I don't know what to believe about the magic of it, the soldiers might have been just bragging.
Please wait... 
