Magic mushroom found in Palace garden

THE Amanita muscaria, commonly known as fly agaric or fly mushroom, was found during a walkabout of the private gardens for a television show to be screened on Christmas Day.

Presenter Alan Titchmarsh told The Sun he was surprised to happen upon the red and white-headed toadstool, which has hallucinogenic properties. "That was a surprise but it shows just how varied the species are," said the presenter of The Queen's Garden. Fly agaric are common and are understood to have grown naturally in the palace grounds rather than having been planted there. The hallucinogenic properties of the mushroom have been well-known for centuries and have a long history of use in religious and shamanistic rituals, according to the Kew Gardens website. The fungi is also important to the growth and development of many types of tree, and provides food for flies, and a breeding site for beetles. "For the avoidance of doubt, fungi from the garden are not used in the palace kitchens," a Buckingham Palace spokesman told the paper. The drug contains poison which, although rare, can cause death if consumed.