How to Identify Wild Mushrooms? A Few Practical Methods

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

Rumors about identifying wild mushrooms

1. Look at the shape: Non-toxic mushrooms have a relatively flat cap, a smooth umbrella surface, no ring on the cap surface, and no volva at the base. Toxic mushrooms have a cap with a convex center, an odd shape, a thick and hard cap surface, a ring on the stem, and a volva with a thin and long or thick and long 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. The secretions of toxic mushrooms are thick and concentrated, reddish-brown, and easily change color in the air after being torn apart.

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 mushrooms are toxic; if it turns yellow, they are non-toxic. If the garlic or rice changes color, the mushrooms are toxic; if it does not change color and keeps its original color, they are 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, filthy places.

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

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

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

Note: Please remember that judging whether a wild mushroom is edible requires professional taxonomic knowledge, and 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 that of someone you trust, and here experience means having eaten it and being able to judge by its appearance, then the only correct method is absolutely not to eat it.

Poisoning symptoms of wild mushrooms

1. Hemolytic type: Hemolytic anemia occurs within 1 to 2 days. The symptoms are sudden chills, fever, abdominal pain, 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 severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and so on. Toxic mushrooms such as Entoloma sinuatum, Russula foetens, Lactarius torminosus, Suillus luteus, and Ramaria formosa can cause this type of poisoning.

3. Photosensitive dermatitis type: The species found in China to cause this type of symptom is Phylloporus leaf-like cup fungus. The symptom is extremely intense itching of the skin. When the skin is exposed to light or wind blows over it, it itches especially badly. Scratching may also make the symptoms worsen and lead to more serious consequences, and it is difficult to treat.

4. Neuro-psychiatric type: More than 60 species are known. The poisoning symptoms are neurological symptoms such as mental excitement, mental confusion, or mental depression. For example, after poisoning by Amanita muscaria and Panaeolus semiovatus, hallucinatory reactions can 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, there are also certain species of the genus Lepiota.

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. Lethal white amanita: The lethal white amanita resembles some traditional edible mushrooms in appearance, making accidental ingestion very easy. 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 white amanita are enough to kill an adult. The toxins of the white amanita cause extremely serious harm to important organs such as the human liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. The mortality rate of poisoned people is as high as over 90 percent, making it the chief culprit in lethal toxic mushroom incidents in the Guangzhou area over the years.

2. Lead-green parasol mushroom: The lead-green parasol mushroom 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 lethal white amanita, mainly causing gastrointestinal symptoms, but it may also contain a small amount of toxins similar to those of the white amanita, causing damage to organs such as the liver and to the nervous system, and it may also be fatal if accidentally eaten. 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 accidentally eaten, 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: Fly agaric is also called fly amanita, toad mushroom, 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. After accidental ingestion, 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 good effects.

5. Dog urine mushroom: Dog urine mushroom 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. The onset is relatively fast, mainly manifesting as mental abnormalities, dancing and singing, wild laughter, and visual hallucinations. Some people become drowsy or have difficulty speaking. The toxins are psilocybin and similar compounds. Because poisoning causes dancing and loud laughing, people call it the dancing mushroom or laughing mushroom. It grows on dung, hence it is also called dung mushroom. In the north it is commonly called “dog urine mushroom”.