Top 10 Deadliest Mushrooms On The Planet

 

 

The same basic advice will be given to first-timers no matter which mycologist, shroom farmer, or mushroom forager you go to. But positively identifying a mushroom can be daunting: it ain’t always a walk in the park (or forest!?). Mushroom experts have listed around 14,000 distinct species of mushrooms in the world, boxed into several different genera (plural for “genus”). A mushroom genus usually catalogues both edible and inedible species. Unfortunately, a lot of these are almost indistinguishable from each other at first glance. How do you spot the safe-to-eat mushrooms from the deadly ones you come across, growing in the damp soil?

How to Spot a Deadly Mushroom

Should you stumble upon an interesting mushroom, there are a few identifying traits that can make it easier to mark it as either safe or chock-full of poison. We’ve gone into the process in-depth in our handy magic mushroom hunter’s guide. One thing you’ll notice right off the bat is that the most edible species, such as Psilocybe cubensis, aka “magic mushrooms”, don’t display super-definitive characteristics on the outside. The inedible ones, on the other hand, often have features that hint at other creatures to leave them alone. Some of these physical features are the following:

• The presence of white gills will often signal that a mushroom is poisonous. The same applies to those with ringed stems, and those with a “veil” (aka a volva) shrouding its fruiting body. At times the volva is hidden under the soil, so it’s useful to poke around the mushroom’s base to spot it.

• Bright-red caps or stems on a mushroom may signify either poison or hallucinogens inside. The fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) signals both, yet it has been consumed for thousands of years by shamanic cultures. These vision-seeking Amanita eaters include Siberian tribes, Japanese hamlets, and ancient Viking warriors like in The Northman.  

These are just a couple of tips, of course, and should not be read as encouragement to forage mushrooms on your own. But knowing which species are especially dangerous is always a good idea to take with you for the next harvest season.

With that in mind, we’ve made a list of the top 10 deadliest mushrooms on the planet for you to avoid at all costs, if you encounter them. Ranging from the least friendly species of fungi, to the deceptively beautiful Angels of certain death…

10. Gyromitra Esculenta (False Morel)

Morels, specifically of the true variety, are widely favoured for their taste and prized as an edible mushroom snack. False morels, on the other hand, contain poison and are to be avoided as a potential delicacy. Though its species name “esculenta” is Latin for “delicious”, Gyromitra esculenta should not be mistaken as food. In North America, one can find around eight to ten species of Gyromitra, with two or three species in Europe.

False morel, against scientific advice, is often craved by European gourmets. Sadly this type of gastronomic curiosity has caused around 2 to 4 percent of all mushroom-related fatalities. The chemical culprit, you ask? Gyromitrin, a compound that converts into monomethylhydrazine in the human body. Quite a mouthful, eh? And it’s the very same chemical structure as rocket fuel. Though some carefully-controlled cooking conditions may help to “extract” this chemical, eating a false morel raw will most definitely poison your guts.

Fun fact! Did you know that parboiling a false morel will give off a chocolatey odour? That’s due to the gyromitrin evaporating along with the poison. The raw false morel is parboiled three times, replacing the pot with clean water each time. Even so, its Cadbury-scented fumes can still cause illness. Parboiling is also rarely foolproof; traces of poison can remain in the cooked fungi. 

Why not munch on some chocolate-covered magic truffles, instead?

9. Podostroma Cornu-damae (Poison Fire Coral) 

Amateur mushroom hunters, or at least those who’ve foraged before, know it’s foolish to eat wild mushrooms without first ruling out if it’s dangerous. There is a type of mushroom, however, that’s reportedly harmful even to touch: Podostroma cornu-damae, also called Poison Fire Coral. The poison is derived from its trichothecene mycotoxins, which can trigger swelling and irritation when absorbed by the pores of your skin.

Should you manage to survive its touch by sheer luck, eating the Poison Fire Coral’s fruiting bodies is a guaranteed trip⁠ — to the emergency room. Victims have reported various signs, like their skin peeling off, hair falling out in clumps, shaky movement and slurred speech, a shrunken cerebellum, and a drastic drop in their white blood cell and platelet count. If left untreated, the Poison Fire Coral’s toxins can cause your organs to stop functioning, leading to necrosis and eventual death.

The symptoms don’t always show at the same time. A person who didn’t exactly eat Podostroma, but rather drank it as a tea, can still get symptoms after many weeks. Most “poisonous-only-on-paper” mushrooms don’t always cause death, so first-time foragers don’t have to expect the Grim Reaper if they eat one by accident. However! Podostroma cornu-damae’s danger extends to its appearance because it looks like an edible mushroom. The Poison Fire Coral resembles Cordyceps and Ganoderma lucidum, which are both staples in traditional healing circles.

Poison Fire Corals may be spotted in the damp rainforests of Queensland, Australia, where the species has thrived for decades. 

8. Pholiotina Rugosa (Conocybe Filaris)

Better known by its junior synonym Conocybe filaris, the mushroom Pholiotina rugosa is flat-out poisonous to anyone who dares consume it. It has been shown to be full of amatoxins, which damage the liver and are the main cause of poison-related deaths by Amanita and Lepiota mushrooms. Due to an uncanny resemblance to Psilocybe’s pileus (aka its “cap”), Conocybe has been mistaken for magic mushrooms by the uninitiated. 

Up until 2013, when a molecular phylogenetics study ruled the mushroom as part of the Pholiotina genus, it was classified under Conocybe. This explains why most foragers’ field guides in print refer to it as Conocybe and not by its actual scientific name. Either way! Like most fungi on the planet, Conocybe can be found growing on damp, fertile soil and dung. 

7. Pleurocybella Porrigens (Angel Wings)

Legend says that the Devil appears not as a hideous gargoyle with bat wings and a forked tail, but rather as a sweet, innocuous angel of light. Well, here’s the perfect analogue to this ancient folkloric idea: the mushroom Pleurocybella porrigens, also known as Angel Wings.

Back in the autumn of 2004, 59 individuals living in 9 prefectures in Japan got sick from eating Pleurocybella porrigens. One of the effects was acute encephalopathy of which 17 people died. The victims were mostly 70 years of age, with weak kidneys. Another case in Japan, this time in 2009, had a 65-year-old man on hemodialysis die from the mushroom, as well. Experts have pointed towards an unstable amino acid in Angel Wings called Pleurocybella Aziridine as the cause of these deaths.

Believe it or not, Angel Wings mushrooms remain a popular snack in Japan. Called Sugihiratake by locals, the mushrooms enjoyed a peak harvest in 2004, after the heavy rains. There was more than enough to eat⁠ — or so the villagers thought. 

In 13 to 18 days, symptoms showed up in those who consumed Angel Wings mushrooms. It would begin as a quiet tremor, weak fingers and toes, followed by “mind spasms” and seizures. A blazing-hot fever would be present during all this. After three to eight days, brain scans would show large lesions in the brain. The victims would die 10 days after the first seizure began.

It’s worth noting, though, that most if not all of Pleurocybella’s victims had compromised kidneys. Such a condition would greatly hamper the body’s natural ability to flush out toxins. So! After reading through all that, would you still risk a heavenly bite? 

6. Galerina Marginata (Autumn Skullcap)

Funeral bell. Deadly galerina. Autumn Skullcap.

Like verses in a gothic mantra, these are some of the badass names for a small brown galerina mushroom, known scientifically as Galerina marginata. And just like its coffin-themed cousin, the villainous death cap mushroom, Galerina’s poison is amanitin. A single bite of an Autumn Skullcap would leave permanent effects on the victim’s organs. Scientists have marked 12 Galerina mushrooms, though, as the official lethal dosage. Pretty surprising for a fungus with some of the tiniest caps anywhere: only 1 to 2.5 inches wide.

Upon closer inspection you’ll notice yellow gills sticking out of the Galerina’s stalk. There are white rings, too, along with tiny “hairs” on its stalk. The perfect conditions for an Autumn Skullcap are on damp wood, which can host its dense white mycelium very well. Like its fruiting body, the Galerina’s spore print is brown. 

If you eat a Funeral Bell, don’t be surprised to hear its toll for you. Minutes after it enters your body, the poison amanitin will begin destroying your liver. 8 to 24 hours later, the nausea will come in waves, followed by heavy vomiting and diarrhoea. That alone will deplete your body of its water and minerals. But if you manage to survive all that, the Autumn Skullcap will cement the deal after a few days by shutting down your liver or kidneys completely. 

5. Lepiota Brunneoincarnata (Deadly Dapperling)

One deadly mushroom that grows almost anywhere from the temperate parts of Asia, including China, to the grassy regions in Europe, is Lepiota brunneoincarnata, otherwise known as Deadly Dapperling. Due to its brown scaled cap with a brownish-pink stem and white gills, the deadly dapperling has been mistaken for edible fungi by unwary folks. It doesn’t help either that the deadly dapperling simply adores all grassy areas: such as parks, gardens, and fields. All of which are places where people are bound to stumble upon them.

Unlike other similar-looking mushrooms such as the fairy ring champignon (Marasmius oreades) and the grey knight mushroom (Tricholoma terreum), the deadly dapperling is extremely poisonous. The kill rate is high, thanks to a chemical called alpha-amanitin. The deadly dapperling killed people who ate it in Spain in 2002, four young members of a Tunisian family in 2010, and caused a mass-scale outbreak in Iran during 2018. 

Symptoms occur mostly in the gut. 10 hours after eating the deadly dapperling, one will get nausea and vomiting, followed by severe liver damage a few days after. Experts have determined 100g of Lepiota to be the breaking point before the liver starts to shut down.

What makes the deadly dapperling so nefarious is that ordinary residents, especially those who enjoy mushrooms as part of their cuisine, can easily mistake it for something else. For example: In Salon-de-Provence, a family foraging for grey knight mushrooms in their garden was poisoned after picking up the dapperling instead. 

4. Cortinarius Rubellus (Deadly Webcap)

Now this specific mushroom is a lot harder to stumble upon than the ones that came before it. Due to its out-of-reach habitats mostly in Northern Europe, Cortinarius rubellus is rarely recorded as having poisoned mushroom hunters. In fact, the last known instance of poisoning by Cortinarius was in 1979 in the UK. The reason? Those who consumed it mistook the mushroom for the Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius). 

Had they looked closely, they would have noticed that the deadly webcap has no decurrent gills that run down its stem. Plus, there’s the “snake-skin” pattern upon it, which helps to warn people of its danger. Just like all other mushrooms in the Cortinarius genus! 

Like the other deadly mushrooms on this list, the deadly webcap causes flu-like symptoms along with vomiting. If left untreated, its poison can give rise to kidney failure in two days or less. Which is why despite its relatively “hard to find” status, foragers should still avoid the deadly webcap where it grows like weeds. Especially in Northern Europe! 

3. Amanita Verna (Fool’s Mushroom)

Everyone is familiar with the iconic red-and-white polka pattern of Amanita muscaria, also known as fly agaric mushroom. But what about its cousin, Amanita verna? As with all Amanitas, this deadly white mushroom has a volva or “veil” that covers its gills and stipe, or the “stalk” under the mushroom cap. And like all Amanitas, the Amanita verna aka “Fool’s Mushroom” is a poisonous basidiomycete mushroom. Where the Fool’s Mushroom distinguishes itself from its cousins is by its pale white colour and a silky hat that may appear to shine. 

Should you be in a silly goofy mood and decide to eat a Fool’s Mushroom, you can expect a killer dose of alpha-amanitin to shut down your liver in days. During the first 6 to 24 hours after eating it, it may seem like nothing is happening. After this “calm” period, though, you will experience unease, followed by mind-numbing cramps and diarrhoea. On the third day, the symptoms will repeat and then stop —making a Fool out of its victim with false signs of recovery. At this point, the person may actually need to undergo a liver transplant. But since the symptoms tell otherwise, the victim usually goes to hospital too late and ends up dying.

Whats with the fungi family Phalloideae that drives its mushrooms to go on a killing spree? At least it’s easy to avoid the Fool’s Mushroom, since it only grows in springtime (“verna”) instead of the usual harvest season around September. 

2. Amanita Virosa (Destroying Angel)

This next deadly mushroom can be found thriving in the mountain regions of Britain and Scotland, in the lowlands of northern Scotland, and in the conifer forests of Scandinavia. Behold! Yet another dark angel in the mushroom pantheon: Amanita virosa, also known as “Destroying Angel”.

The same type of poison in Amanita phalloides (Death cap mushroom) can also be found in Amanita virosa. But unlike the death cap mushroom, the Destroying Angel is distinguished by its pure white colour. It also lacks the offensive odour of the deathcap, which helps to signal its presence to forest dwelling creatures.

Like the symptoms brought about by the Fool’s Mushroom, the effects of eating Destroying Angel mushrooms will manifest — and then fade away for a few hours, up to a day or two. The same cruel trick to make the victim think they’re “healing”. Soon the symptoms return: nausea, stomach pains, and diarrhoea, this time damaging the kidney and liver entirely. If left untreated, the poor fellow may end up in a coma and suffer an inevitable death.

Most of the time, the Destroying Angel’s victims are brought to hospital too late after being poisoned. At this point the only recourse would be a liver transplant. Even that is not a guarantee for survival. Recovery is a dangerous, painful tight-wire act of your body getting used to a foreign organ. 

1. Amanita phalloides (Death Cap)

For thousands of years, the final mushroom on our list has been used as a tool for murder. It kills quietly, and has no fear of assassinating kings and philandering husbands alike. Its ability to grow circles of fruiting bodies, called “fairy rings”, has linked it to the mythology of witches and nature spirits. It kills with just the tiniest amount, earning its reputation as the perfect invisible murder weapon. Ladies and gentlemen, beware…the Death Cap!  

In Ancient Rome, it was rumoured that Emperor Claudius was murdered by his wife, Agrippina, by drizzling one of his favourite meals — Caesar’s mushrooms (Amanita caesarea) — with the translucent juice of the death cap. The Emperor didn’t suspect a thing since the symptoms only showed a few days after. The poison worked, of course, and Claudius died to the sheer joy of his wife. Or so the legend goes…

The French philosopher Voltaire had also said that Charles VI was assassinated with the use of death cap mushrooms. There are countless other deaths they have caused throughout history. The common mistake? Thinking that the death cap was edible, especially at its button stage.

Where does the death cap grow? This deadly mushroom can be found in groups, spaced apart, specifically under oak and beech trees. Death caps can be found easily in the majority of the UK, Ireland, and mainland Europe. 

Unlike some previous deadly mushrooms we’ve included here, the amatoxin in the death cap cannot be killed by any cooking or heating method. A mere pinch of Amanita phalloides is lethal. This makes a single death cap mushroom poisonous enough to murder several enemies of the court!

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Always keep in mind that certain types of mushrooms can be mesmerizingly beautiful and extremely dangerous at the same time — like the aptly-named Destroying Angel. Plus, deadly mushrooms can look harmless to the untrained eye. A sprouting Amanita, for instance, resembles a baby puffball. And you can’t be sure which is which unless you poke the veil and spot the gills inside, which would confirm its toxicity. 

The golden rule is that if you’re ever in doubt, leave those mushrooms alone. An easy-to-understand online mushroom guide will provide a safety net to those looking to forage for mushrooms. The good versions often include full-colour pictures of deadly mushrooms to match their descriptions. But the best ones should have a searchable database for you to enter specimen traits, so you can identify any species.

Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about mushrooms and truffles of the magic variety, especially with our grow kits. The Psilocybe species look cute enough to snack on, and they are!