How to Identify Wild Mushrooms? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Identification Methods

There are about 400 species of wild mushrooms in China, of which more than 300 are edible, and about 100 are poisonous mushrooms, 12 of which are highly toxic. Nowadays, wild mushrooms are widely sold in vegetable markets, and because of their particularly delicious taste, they are quite popular with consumers. However, tragedies caused by accidentally eating wild mushrooms occur every year. Let us take a look below at how to identify wild mushrooms!

Myths About Identifying Wild Mushrooms

1. Look at the shape: The caps of non-toxic mushrooms are relatively flat, with a smooth umbrella surface, no ring on the cap surface, and no volva underneath. Toxic mushrooms have a convex center on the cap, an odd shape, a thick and hard cap surface, a ring on the stem, and a slender or thick and long volva and stem that breaks easily.

2. Look at the secretions: Tear apart the stem of a freshly picked wild mushroom. The secretions of non-toxic mushrooms are clear as water, and the torn cap surface does not change color. Toxic mushrooms have thick secretions that are reddish-brown and easily change color in the air after tearing.

3. Boiling test: When boiling wild mushrooms, add a few stalks of rush pith or some garlic or rice and boil them together. If the rush pith turns blue-green or purple-green, the mushroom is toxic; if it turns yellow, it is non-toxic. If the garlic or rice changes color, it is toxic; if it does not change color and keeps its original color, it is non-toxic.

4. Look at the growing area: Edible non-toxic mushrooms mostly grow on clean grassland or on pine and oak trees, while toxic mushrooms often grow in dark, damp, dirty places.

5. Look at the color: The cap surface of toxic mushrooms is brightly colored, with colors such as red, green, ink black, and purple, and purple ones in particular are often highly toxic and easily change color after picking.

6. Scallion test: When picking wild mushrooms, you can rub a scallion on the mushroom cap. If the scallion turns blue-brown, it proves the mushroom is toxic; otherwise, if it does not change color, it is non-toxic.

7. Smell the odor: Non-toxic mushrooms have a special fragrance. Toxic mushrooms have strange odors, such as pungent, sour, astringent, or foul fishy smells.

Note: Please remember that identifying whether wild mushrooms are edible requires professional taxonomic knowledge. Folk legends are completely unreliable. When no professional is present, if you cannot be 100 percent certain that a certain wild mushroom is edible based on your own experience or the experience of someone you trust, and here experience means having eaten it and being able to judge by appearance, then the only correct method is absolutely do not eat it.

Symptoms of Wild Mushroom Poisoning

1. Hemolytic type: Hemolytic anemia occurs within 1 to 2 days. Symptoms include sudden chills, fever, abdominal pain and headache, pain in the lower back and limbs, pale complexion, nausea, vomiting, general weakness and fatigue, restlessness, and shortness of breath. This type of poisoning symptom is mainly caused by Gyromitra.

2. Gastrointestinal poisoning type: More than 80 species are known. The usual poisoning symptoms are strong nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and so on. Toxic mushrooms such as Entoloma sinuatum, Russula foetens, Lactarius torminosus, Suillus flavidus, and Ramaria formosa can cause this type of poisoning.

3. Photosensitive dermatitis type: In China, the species found to cause this type of symptom is Phylloporus leaf-shaped ear cup fungus. The symptom is extremely intense itching of the skin. When the skin is exposed to light or wind blows across it, it itches especially badly, and scratching may worsen the lesions and lead to more serious consequences that are difficult to treat.

4. Neuropsychiatric type: More than 60 species are known. The poisoning symptoms are neurological symptoms such as mental excitement, confusion, or mental depression. For example, after poisoning by Amanita muscaria and Panaeolus semiovatus, hallucinatory reactions may occur.

5. Liver damage type: About 20 or more species are related to causing this type of poisoning. In addition to the species already mentioned that contain toxic peptides and amatoxins, some species in the genus Lepiota are also included.

6. Respiratory and circulatory failure type: The main toxic mushroom causing this type is Russula subnigricans, and the mortality rate is relatively high.

What Are the Wild Toxic Mushrooms?

1. Deadly white amanita: The deadly white amanita looks quite similar to some traditional edible mushrooms and is extremely easy to eat by mistake. Its toxins are mainly amatoxins and toxic peptides. The toxin content in fresh toxic mushrooms is very high. The toxins contained in about 50 grams of the fruiting body of the deadly white amanita are enough to kill an adult. The toxins of the deadly white amanita cause extremely serious harm to important organs such as the human liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. The mortality rate of poisoned patients is as high as over 90 percent, making it the chief culprit in deadly toxic mushroom incidents in the Guangzhou area over the years.

2. Lead-green parasol: The lead-green parasol is one of the common highly toxic mushrooms and is also one of the chief culprits in toxic mushroom incidents. It grows in groups or scattered in summer and autumn, and prefers to grow on lawns and banana plantation ground after rain. Its toxicity is weaker than that of the deadly white amanita and mainly causes gastrointestinal symptoms, but it may also contain a small amount of toxins similar to those of the deadly white amanita, causing damage to organs such as the liver and to the nervous system, and it may also be fatal if eaten by mistake. There are many similar species, especially confusion with the edible Macrolepiota procera, making it highly deceptive.

3. Big Gyromitra: Big Gyromitra is one of the common toxic mushrooms in China. The fruiting body is small to medium-sized, with an indistinct saddle shape, slightly flat, slightly wrinkled, and yellow-brown. The stem is cylindrical, lighter in color than the cap, and hollow. It is distributed in areas such as Jilin and Tibet in China, and grows singly or in groups on the ground near decaying wood in coniferous forests. Its toxicity varies from person to person, and it must not be eaten. Once eaten by mistake, methods such as inducing vomiting, gastric lavage, catharsis, and enema should be used as early as possible to quickly remove the toxins.

4. Fly agaric: The fly agaric is also called Amanita muscaria, toadstool, and so on. It grows in groups on forest ground in summer and autumn, and is named because it can kill flies. Its toxins include muscarine, muscimol, ibotenic acid, and pantherine, among others. After accidental eating, symptoms appear within about 6 hours, producing severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, mental confusion, sweating, chills, muscle twitching, slowed pulse, difficulty breathing or lockjaw, dizziness, blurred vision, and unclear consciousness. Treatment with atropine has a good effect.

5. Dog urine moss: Dog urine moss is also called Panaeolus semiovatus, hallucinogenic mushroom, and so on. It is smoke-gray to brown, with the top eggshell-colored or slightly darker. After poisoning, there is generally no gastrointestinal reaction, and onset is relatively fast. The main manifestations are mental abnormality, dancing and singing, wild laughter, and visual hallucinations. Some people become drowsy or have difficulty speaking. The toxins are psilocybin and related compounds. Because poisoning causes dancing and laughter, people call it the dance mushroom or laugh mushroom. It grows on dung, so it is also called dung mushroom, and in the north it is commonly known as “dog urine moss”.