Poisons leave no mushroom for error

Springtime is a prime time for mushroom foraging. Depending on a mushroom hunter’s location, a variety of species might be found to delight the palate – chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), black morel (Morchella elata), and St George’s mushrooms (Calocybe gambosa), just to name a few. While mushroom hunters are on the lookout for these and other edible fungi, they must be vigilant. Of the thousands of mushroom species known, approximately 100 are toxic, with about 30 of these containing fatal toxins.1

Due to the toxicity of various species of Amanita mushrooms, non-experts are advised to avoid the entire genus. The deadliest of this genus’ species have names like destroying angel (Amanita virosa) and death cap (Amanita phalloides), and have played roles in real-life and fictional fatalities – accidental and intentional. Both fungi are listed as two of the world’s seven most poisonous mushrooms; indeed, the death cap ‘accounts for more than 90 percent of mushroom-related poisonings and fatalities worldwide’.