Poisonous mushrooms

[Jolanta Zofia Nowak]

How common are the more lethal varieties of fungus and how easy are they to misidentify?

[cybershot]

The Rogers Mushrooms website lists 383 poisonous /suspect species of which a further 19 are classified as deadly; with many easily mistaken for edible species. The link will help to identifying those and indicate how common they are, but the golden rule is: Never eat any mushroom unless you are 100% sure it is edible!

Rogers Mushrooms | Mushroom Pictures & Mushroom Reference

David

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Jolanta Zofia Nowak

How common are the more lethal varieties of fungus and how easy are they to misidentify?

I would say that most are inedible, and will do no harm when cooked. The problem is that the nasty ones really are nasty. One forkful of a Death Cap might kill an adult. Also there is the problem that nasty ones often grow alongside edible ones. Clitocybe dealbata (deadly) is often next to Marasmius oreades (edible). And Galerina marginata (deadly) is easily confused with Kuehneromyces mutabilis (edible). Even the white mealy smelling Entoloma sinuatum (deadly, Autumnal) can occur in the Spring and be mistaken for the white mealy smelling Calocybe gambosa (edible, Spring). So you cannot even identify one, and pick all in the vicinity. You have to examine each one.

Really the only safe approach is to only eat a fungus which you have identified with 100% certainty.

But then again, many of us know almost no wild plants, and yet we do not hesitate to pick blackberries. We do not worry that we might mistake it for Deadly Nightshade. And IMO it is the same with fungi. It is not hard to learn a few good species, and leave the rest. The safest include Hedgehogs, Chanterelles, Black Trumpets, Lactarius deliciosus, and Penny Buns. Though even those can confuse people, as a few years back some Germans in Scotland suffered serious injury and death when they picked 'Chanterelles' that were in fact a Cortinarius species (C. orellanus I think).

A Calabrian I knew came from an Italian village where they ate any bolete, and no gilled fungi. As far as I know there are no deadly boletes, though a few are suspect.

[flaxton]

On similar lines to Leif I was going to say that if you turn the question round it becomes much easier. There are IMHO only a few that are really worth collecting for the pot and these are not difficult to identify with a little study. If you insist on trying all of those that are classified as edible then you are at serious risk. Initially I would follow the advice of the Italians mentioned and stick to Boletes. Avoid the big ugly/beautiful red ones depending on your point of view and you will be fine. If you make a mistake in identifying your tasty Cep you will only end up with a less tasty Leccinum or similar. But you won't end up sick or worse.

Mal

[Fungus Ken]

Originally Posted by flaxton

If you make a mistake in identifying your tasty Cep you will only end up with a less tasty Leccinum or similar. But you won't end up sick or worse.

Mal

... and you'll soon know about it if you've slipped a Bitter Bolete into the mix!

Ken

[NickCantle]

You literally took the words out of my mouth Ken

On a side note, has anyone ever had the unfortunate experience of ever accidentally popping in a bitter Bolete?

[Fungus Ken]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

On a side note, has anyone ever had the unfortunate experience of ever accidentally popping in a bitter Bolete?

Not me personally but I have a friend who made that mistake. (Really... it was a friend, not me... honest.)

The funny thing was it happened many years ago and he was a lot more experienced at identifying fungi than I was. He was picking some large tasty looking ceps and telling the tale of how he'd once made a fool of himself in front of some friends by serving up a meal of ceps which tasted absolutely foul because he'd misidentified a Bitter Bolete in amongst his day's collections.

The ceps he was collecting were big and chunky and I was jealous that he had got to them first.

And then I said to him, "Do ceps always have pink pores like that?"

... well, he didn't live that one down for a long long time.

Ken

Nick'll explain if anyone has missed the point.

[flaxton]

I took a small group round our golf course and tried to id what we found. The Prince was the highlight unfortunately they already had "occupants" but it didn't stop some of the group trying and enjoying them. Unfortunately one chap was so excited by the experience a few days later said he had tried some Bay Boletes he found on the course but they were really bitter. When I checked what he had attempted to eat I located



They turned blue just as they should have he said
He hasn't tried them again.

Mal

[NickCantle]

LOLOL Mal, that one certainly made me chuckle. Boletus radicans eh? I've never seen those