{"id":9553,"date":"2021-09-26T11:26:02","date_gmt":"2021-09-26T11:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?page_id=9553"},"modified":"2022-04-13T18:24:57","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T18:24:57","slug":"death-cap","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/death-cap\/","title":{"rendered":"Death Cap Mushroom: Key Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Did you know that the poisonous death cap mushroom<\/a> is easy to mistake for several edible mushroom species<\/a>? Keep reading to learn more about this and other death cap mushroom key facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quick Facts About Death Cap Mushrooms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Scientific Name<\/strong><\/td>Amanita Phalloides<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Physical Description<\/strong><\/td>Small to medium-sized mushrooms with smooth, circular caps. Gills and stems are white, while the caps may be white, greenish, or yellowish in color. These mushrooms begin as small, egg-shaped growths; they grow taller and the caps flatten as they mature. At first, the entire mushroom is covered in a thin veil, which breaks as the mushroom matures. Death caps have a prominent volva, or cup, at the base of the stem.<\/td><\/tr>
Distribution<\/strong><\/td>Widespread throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America.<\/td><\/tr>
Habitat<\/strong><\/td>Found mostly in temperate regions, death caps grow near oak, beach, pine, and other types of trees in forests, woodland areas, lawns, parks, and neighborhoods.<\/td><\/tr>
Edible or Toxic?<\/strong><\/td>Highly toxic<\/td><\/tr>
Symptoms of Poisoning<\/strong><\/td>– Nausea
– Vomiting
– Diarrhea
– Jaundice
– Seizure
– Coma
– Organ failure
– Death<\/td><\/tr>
Aroma<\/strong><\/td>Mild; death caps may smell slightly sweet, potato-like, or may have no aroma at all.<\/td><\/tr>
Growth Patterns<\/strong><\/td>May grow singularly or in small clusters; if you find one, there will likely be more nearby. They grow generally in shady areas<\/a> under deciduous hardwood trees and some evergreens.<\/td><\/tr>
Lookalikes<\/strong><\/td>– Wood mushrooms
– Field mushrooms
– Paddy straw mushrooms
– Green russula mushrooms
– Albino blushers
– Puffballs Destroying angels (toxic)<\/strong>
– False death cap (toxic)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Identifying Features<\/strong><\/td>– Distinctive volva, or cup, at the base
– Pure white flesh
– Thin veil that breaks and leaves a ring around the stem as the mushroom matures<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Are Death Cap Mushrooms?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Death cap mushrooms are quite possibly the world\u2019s most toxic mushrooms. According to the Australian National Botanic Gardens<\/a>, as little as half a death cap mushroom can kill an adult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Death caps are easy to confuse with several different types of edible mushrooms because they are very generic looking. Sometimes they are all white, though most often they have greenish or yellowish caps. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At their base, each death cap grows from a distinctive volva. Their volva, stem and gills are pure white, and if you were to cut open a death cap, you would find that it is solid and white inside as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the following video to learn more about properly identifying death cap mushrooms<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0VvNp-utxA0<\/a>