Mushrooms or summink nasty!!!

[smilingcat]

just a word of caution. sometimes, pictures can be quite deceiving.

Agraicus bisporus (AKA horse mushroom is a very large specie of white button mushroom) very good eats.

Agaricus xanthodermus (SP) is mildly toxic. They look identical to A.bisporus. A simple distinction between the two is that xanthodermus will bruise to a pale yellow when scratched with your finger nail.

DO NOT TRUST OLD WIVES TALE ABOUT TESTING FOR EDIBLE VERSUS POISONOUS MUSHROOM. All of them are incorrect.

One of the old wives tale: if an animal has taken a bite of the mushroom its safe to eat. Answer is NO. Some animals can tolerate the toxin while we humans can not. One specie of rat is able to eat some mildly poisonous mushroom with very little side effect. By the time enough toxins accumulate in the mouse body to be fatal, the mouse will have died of old age.

The other look alikes are Amanita Velosa(sp) (aka death angel) pure white cap with pure white stalk similar ot A.bisporus. Difference is that velosa is whiter in color and the color of the gills is pure white on velosa while bisporus has a brownish gill. Another distinction is vulva sac on the base. velosa has a vulva sac at the base. looks like the mushroom grew out of a very small round bag while bisporus does not have the vulva sac.

Sometimes identification require a check on spore print and a microscope to look at the shape of the spores themselves.

two to three ounces (50g) of A.velosa will kill an adult male in about three to five days. Amanita toxin destroys your liver and there is no antidote. Death is due to complete liver failure. Victims all claim that the taste of velosa is extremely wonderful and good.

how do I know this? cause I hung around the LA Mycological Society many years ago.

jack-o-lanterm mushroom is also bio-luminescent. It can grow to be very large. Deadly poisonous as well. If you are not familiar with mushrooms, an old jack-o-lantern can be mis identified as a chantrelle. Similar color similar shape but very different gill pattern and where it grows.

smilingcat