Identify a Death Cap Mushroom
As a food item, mushrooms are used as toppings on hamburgers and pizza, as well as in soups and sometimes eaten by themselves. Many mushroom lovers choose to hunt mushrooms in the wild, but not all wild mushrooms can be eaten safely. One of the most deadly mushrooms is the Death Cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides); it and other toxic Amanita mushrooms attack the body by inhibiting the formation of certain proteins in the liver and kidney, leading to coma and death. The Death Cap's toxins are present throughout its tissues and are concentrated, that 3 g of Death Cap tissue are considered lethal. Because of the serious threat it poses, it is important to know how to identify a Death Cap mushroom.
Steps
- Look for the whitish stalk that is about 6 inches (15 cm) long, with a large, round bulb and white, sac-like volva, a remnant of the tissue that protected the mushroom's gills while it grew, at its base.
- Measure the cap of the mushroom and look for a green or yellow color. The cap should be about 2.25 to 6 inches (6 to 15 cm) wide and can be olive green, pale green, or yellow, and sometimes white or brown, with 1 or more patches of thin white veil tissue.
- Dig down a bit into the soil to find the lower part of the mushroom's stalk. The lower part of the mushroom's stalk, including the bulb and volva, is often buried in the soil around the tree it is attached to. The bulb may also break away or fall apart over time, so if it isn't present, the mushroom could still be an Amanita mushroom.
- Look at the flat, wave-like edge of the cap. The cap is convex in younger specimens, but flattens as the mushroom ages, developing a wave-like edge.
- Look for many crowded, white gills underneath the cap. The Death Cap, and other Amanita mushrooms, display white gills on the underside of the cap that are densely crowded together but do not extend all the way to the stem. The gill color is another way to distinguish a Death Cap mushroom from the Paddy Straw mushroom and other edible mushrooms. The Paddy Straw's gills are pinkish brown. Other mushrooms, such as those of the genus Agaricus, also have pink gills, although theirs later turn brown.
- Look for a white spore print by placing the mushroom cap on a piece of paper with the gills facing downward and leaving it overnight. A Death Cap mushroom will leave a white spore print, while a Paddy Straw will leave a pink print.
- Smell the mushroom's flesh. A Death Cap mushroom smells slightly like rose petals; this test can be used if you can't tell from its physical appearance whether the mushroom is a Death Cap or other variety.
Warnings
- The Death Cap mushroom is found during late summer to late fall in temperate latitudes. In North America and Europe, this would be from late August to late November. In Australia and South America, this would be from late February to late May.
- If you accidentally eat a poisonous member of the Amanita mushroom family, seek treatment immediately. The longer you wait, the longer the toxins have to work on your body. Aggressive hydration (water consumption) is also recommended. Treatment for Amanita mushroom poisoning begins with administering milk-thistle extract to inhibit the toxins in Amanitas from attacking the liver, coupled with albumin dialysis to remove those toxins. In severe cases, a liver transplant may be necessary.
- Know the range of the Death Cap mushroom. The Death Cap mushroom derives from European in origin, where it is found among cork trees and Norway spruce. From there, it has spread to both North America and North Africa and is now reaching Australia and South America, as well. Accidentally imported with seedlings of both species, it has developed an affinity for oak and pine trees as well and has been found among oaks in coastal areas, such as New Jersey, Oregon, and the San Francisco Bay Area of California, as well as some beech, birch, chestnut, and eucalyptus trees, and even in some grassy areas. It lives in symbiosis with the tree, taking carbohydrates from the tree roots it attaches to and providing magnesium, phosphorus, and other nutrients in exchange.
- The Death Cap is often mistaken for the benign Paddy Straw (or simply Straw) mushroom (Volvariella volvacea). The 2 mushrooms are similar in appearance, but there are differences, as described elsewhere in this article.
- The Death Cap mushroom is not the only member of the Amanita mushroom family that's deadly. Other Amanitas--Amanita virosa, Amanita bisporigera, Amanita ocreata, and Amanita verna--collectively known as "Destroying Angel" are equally poisonous mushrooms, differing in appearance from the Death Cap only in that they're white and have drier caps. Amanita virosa is found in Europe, while A. bisporigera and A. ocreata are found in eastern and western North America, respectively. (Some Amanita mushrooms, such as Amanita caesarea or Caesar's mushroom, can be eaten safely, but unless you can tell them apart from their deadly cousins, you should avoid them.)
Things You'll Need
- Paper (for making a spore print)
- Mushroom field guide
