Guide

Poisonous mushrooms: learn the killers first

The survival manual is blunt: do not eat mushrooms in a survival situation. There is no taste test or folk rule that tells a safe mushroom from a deadly one. What you can learn is how to spot the few that cause most deaths, so you leave them alone and keep children and pets away.

American Fly Agaric — A real photo taken in the US. Credit is under Photo credits below.

Before you rely on thisNever eat a wild plant or mushroom unless you are 100% sure what it is; many deadly ones look like safe ones. This page helps you avoid it, not eat it. Poison Help line (free, all day, every day): 1-800-222-1222. If someone stops breathing, has a seizure or passes out, call 911.A learning tool, not a replacement for training. In an emergency, call 911.

The deadliest group: Amanitas

Most mushroom deaths in the US come from Amanita mushrooms such as the death cap and the destroying angel. Look for three things together: white gills under the cap, a skirt-like ring on the stem, and a cup or sac around the base of the stem. The cup is often underground, so it gets missed when someone picks the mushroom.

Myths that kill

Peeling the cap, cooking, drying or boiling does not make a poisonous mushroom safe.
Animals eating a mushroom does not mean people can.
A pleasant taste or smell means nothing. Death cap victims have said it tasted good.
Feeling better a day after eating one is not the end. With death caps it can come before liver failure.