Watch the video: One of these forest mushrooms is poisonous – can you recognize which one?
One of those mushrooms in your mushroom pan could kill you. Do you recognize which one it is? After the rain, mushrooms sprout in many forests. Collectors set out armed with a pocketknife to fill their baskets or cloth bags. There are more known toadstool species in Germany than edible mushrooms. Some of them are even deadly. Some hardly differ from their tasty relatives. Let’s start with these two mushrooms: Which of these wild mushrooms would you use in your mushroom pan? If you have chosen this mushroom, you have made a good choice. The gray amanita is edible, but does not belong to the high-quality edible mushrooms. This fungus, on the other hand, could have fatal consequences. Panther mushrooms are very poisonous – although they also belong to the Amanita genus. A quantity of 100 grams can already lead to death. Panther mushrooms are high in ibotenic acid, a psychoactive substance. This toxic amino acid is also found in smaller amounts in fly agaric, which is easily recognizable as a toadstool by its color. This is the closest pair we can find in the forest: Which of these mushrooms could be fatal? The death cap mushroom is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in our forests. 90 percent of mushroom poisoning in Germany is attributed to him. The toxin amantine is stored in large quantities in its pulp. That’s what makes it so dangerous – even a small death cap can have a fatal effect. It is easy to confuse with this edible mushroom: the pearl mushroom is a popular edible mushroom. It is also called Red Amanita. The reddish discoloration of its flesh is a typical identifying feature. In addition, the collar on the stem of the mushroom and its bulb offer specific clues to identify it. We continue walking in the forest and stand in front of this couple: which of the mushrooms would you take home? This mushroom is edible and is also a forest mushroom popular among mushroom connoisseurs: the chestnut boletus. Typical are the yellow tubes under the hat, which turn bluish when pressure is applied. However, the poisonous Satan’s boletus also has a bluish discoloration. These fungi cause severe stomach and intestinal problems. The red web covering its yellow stalk is just one of its distinguishing features. As these examples show, poisonous and edible mushrooms can hardly be distinguished at first glance. Basically, the following applies to mushroom picking in the forest: You should only take it with you if you can identify a mushroom with absolute certainty based on various characteristics. Apps and guides can serve as a guide, but should be used with caution