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Recognizing poisonous mushrooms

Recognizing poisonous mushrooms can be life-saving. Do you know which mushrooms are edible and which are poisonous? Discover it quickly and avoid picking poisonous mushrooms in the autumn.

Mushroom picking in the wild

Soon autumn will start again and you can find plenty of mushrooms in the woods again. Mushrooms grow in many places. More than 100 species are simply edible. Most contain B vitamins, copper, protein and dietary fiber. However, there are also a number of (very) poisonous mushrooms, some of which are even deadly. This article provides some general information about mushrooms and discusses some poisonous mushrooms.

General information about mushrooms

Deciduous forests, especially beech forests, provide a good environment for autumn mushrooms. Mushrooms are most abundant in beech forests in late summer and early autumn, before the first frost. Easily recognizable species are:

1. Chanterelles (bright yellow trumpets)

2. Horn of plenty , which are funnel-shaped and dark brown

3. Forest parasol mushroom , whose hat has a diameter of 3 to 8 cm

4. Cep , with bulbous, spongy hat

5. Meadow mushroom

If the hat shows red or purple spots, it is better to leave the porcini mushrooms. It can then be poisonous. The easiest to recognize is the meadow mushroom, which grows on open heaths. The lamellae of young mushrooms are pink, but later turn brown.

Medicinal mushrooms

Mushrooms are particularly healthy and are also used as natural medicine. Medicinal mushrooms are mainly used in the Asian world. Fortunately, more and more Westerners are seeing the benefits of using healthy mushrooms. Recommended are shiitake and reisehi, which can cure even seemingly incurable diseases thanks to their healing powers.

Collect wild mushrooms

Always consult a good mushroom guide or go to an expert if you are not sure about the mushrooms you have picked. Only collect mushrooms that are definitely edible.

Mushrooms are best transported in an open wicker basket, so that the spores can fall to the ground. This also prevents the mushrooms from spoiling or becoming slimy due to lack of air.
Keep the stems intact so that mushrooms can be compared with the pictures in a mushroom guide afterwards. This can prevent a lot of inconvenience.

Recognize poisonous mushrooms

As indicated earlier, there are also a number of (very) poisonous mushrooms. Below are six of these poisonous mushrooms:

Yellow tuber armonite

The yellow tuber amonite resembles the meadow mushroom. However, when you cut through the thick bottom of the stem you will see a deep yellow color. Initially, the cap of the yellow tubercle is white, but later it turns yellow. Just like the bottom of the stem. The symptoms of poisoning are limited in small quantities:vomiting and unconsciousness.

Panteramanite

The pantera manite is brown with white flakes and a white stem with several cuffs on the underside. ATTENTION:this panther amanita is probably DEAD!

Early turnip manite

The early tuberous manite can be recognized by a pure white cap, lamellae and stem. Furthermore, this tuberous manite is thin with a slack cuff. CAUTION:DEATH!

Fly agaric

The most recognizable among the poisonous mushroom species is the fly agaric. This often comes back in fairy tales and drawings with gnomes. The fly agaric is bright red with white flakes (spots), white lamellae and has a rough, white stipe. Precisely because of its familiarity with gnomes, the fly agaric has great appeal to children. Symptoms of poisoning:rarely fatal, but does cause hallucinations and severe stomach disorders.

Toxic fiber head

This poisonous mushroom is characterized by the bell-shaped, ocher-coloured hat with a pink haze and sometimes red veins. The most striking thing about the poisonous fiber head is the fact that the lamellae turn red when touched. This can be seen as a kind of warning. CAUTION:can kill!

Green tuber manite

The green tuberous manite can be recognized by a yellow-green or brown-green cap with white stem and white lamellae. If the hat is cut, the flesh has a sweet, unpleasant odor. Growing in deciduous forests and under oak trees, it is one of the deadliest mushroom species. The venom becomes effective after 6-24 hours and there is no known antidote. CAUTION:DEADLY! Unfortunately, there are still people who pick the green tuberous manite and suffer the consequences.

Do you ever pick mushrooms in the wild? Have you ever encountered poisonous mushrooms?