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Like all other mushrooms, honey agarics have poisonous counterparts that pose a danger to health and even human life. Experienced mushroom pickers have long been able to distinguish edible fruit bodies from inedible ones. However, less experienced “quiet hunters” can easily get confused, especially when not “armed” with the necessary knowledge.

Every year, on the eve of the collection of honey agarics, most novice mushroom pickers begin to wonder what this or that representative of this species looks like. Such interest is fully justified, because it is necessary not only to know, but to correctly distinguish between “good” fruiting bodies from “bad” ones. Otherwise, the consequences of eating a false mushroom can be dire.

Are false mushrooms poisonous or not?

But are all false mushrooms poisonous or not? Interestingly, even an edible mushroom may well become poisonous if you do not follow the rules for its storage, as well as improper processing. For example, everyone knows that fruiting bodies are a perishable product, therefore it is strictly forbidden to keep them fresh for a long time. Otherwise, they will begin to turn black very quickly and release harmful substances that are hazardous to health. In addition, it is important to make the right preparation for processing, and it is different for each type of mushroom. Therefore, not always even a false honey fungus can be called a poisonous mushroom.

Inedible fruiting bodies are not necessarily considered poisonous. This type includes non-poisonous mushrooms that have a bad taste and an unpleasant odor. In this regard, it is simply not eaten.

In this article, you will learn about poisonous mushrooms and see their photos, which will help to examine their appearance in detail. In addition, the information provided will help you learn to distinguish false mushrooms from edible ones.

Poisonous substances in false mushrooms

False or poisonous species of mushrooms are mushrooms that outwardly are very similar to edible ones. These two representatives have a lot in common, including habitat and growth characteristics. False mushrooms can even settle in the same area with edible ones. In addition, both those and others grow as whole families on stumps, forest clearings, fallen and dead trees. Some types of false mushrooms are poisonous, others are inedible, and still others are conditionally edible. However, all mushroom pickers are strongly discouraged from experimenting with the collection of such mushrooms. Anyone, especially a beginner lover of "quiet hunting", needs to remember the main rule of successful use of the gifts of the forest: "At the slightest doubt - pass by!" Take only those mushrooms in which you are absolutely sure. False mushrooms emit toxic substances, so carelessness or lack of information can play a cruel joke on your health.

So, are all false mushrooms poisonous? As it turns out, conditionally edible mushrooms are also considered false species, which, subject to certain heat treatment, can be eaten. However, you need to be very careful, because even here it is impossible to give an absolute guarantee of safety.

How poisonous are false mushrooms and what do they look like?

Moreover, the mushroom mushroom is capable of partially mutating. Such transformations are the result of changes in weather conditions, and also depend on the type of wood on which the fruit body grows. Experienced mushroom pickers are often already ready for such "surprises", so they turn to additional signs. But some beginners, unfortunately, do not always realize how poisonous false mushrooms are, therefore they often ignore additional signs, limiting themselves to only superficial knowledge. In this case, it is highly advisable, even before you go for your first harvest, to complete the "course of a young fighter" under the guidance of an experienced mushroom picker.By the way, it is not at all necessary to study the entire group of twins of each species. It is enough just to deepen your knowledge of one or two species, the most famous in a particular area. If we know what appearance the edible species of fruit bodies have, then we need to determine what poisonous mushrooms look like? After all, as already mentioned, false representatives can be very similar to their edible "brothers".

We invite you to familiarize yourself with a detailed description and photos of poisonous mushrooms, which are the most common in most territories of the Russian Federation.

Poisonous autumn mushrooms: photos and distinctive features of false mushrooms

Autumn honey fungus is considered the most popular among all other species of its genus. It is very popular for its high nutritional value, taste and aroma. However, the autumn honey agarics have poisonous twins: sulfur-yellow and brick-red false foams.

Latin name:Hypholoma fasciculare.

Family: Stropharia.

Synonyms:Naematoloma fasciculare, Geophila fascicularis, Agaricus fascicularis, Dryophila fascicularis, Pratella fascicularis, Psilocybe fascicularis.

Hat: convex, fleshy, at a young age the size is 4-6 cm in diameter. As it grows, the cap straightens slightly and increases in size by 1-2 cm. The surface of the cap is yellow, in the center there is a reddish or rusty-brown spot. On closer inspection, a greenish tint can be seen along the edges of the cap, and the fruiting body itself in these places has barely noticeable remnants of the veil.

Leg: high, up to 10 cm, cylindrical, hollow, often curved. It has a yellow color, a brownish tint appears closer to the base. A distinctive feature of the poisonous mushroom false honey fungus is the absence of a ring-skirt, which is inherent in edible species.

Pulp: whitish or light yellow, has a strong bitterness and an unpleasant odor.

Plates: thin, densely set, greenish or olive-black, adherent to the peduncle.

Edibility: the mushroom is poisonous. When eaten, the first signs of poisoning appear after 2-4 hours.

Spreading: grows in families on old and rotten stumps of predominantly deciduous trees. Also found at the base of live and dead trunks, as well as on fallen branches.

Collection season: August-October, with favorable weather it grows until mid-November.

We offer you to see photos of poisonous mushrooms, similar to autumn species:

Summer Poisonous Brick Red Honey mushrooms

Latin name:Hypholoma lateritium.

Family: Stropharia.

Synonyms:Agaricus carneolus, Agaricus perplexus, Deconica squamosa, Geophila sublateritia, Hypholoma perplexum, Hypholoma sublateritium, Naematoloma sublateritium, Psilocybe lateritia.

Hat: with a diameter of 4 to 10 cm, spherical, opens with age. Dense, fleshy, red-brown or yellow-brown color. The crown has a much darker shade than the base color.

Leg: up to 10 cm in height, up to 1.5 cm in thickness, even, at the base - narrowed, brown. The rest of the leg is yellow, the ring is missing.

Pulp: dense, dark yellow, bitter, unpleasant smelling. It is better not to taste the taste, as you can get poisoned.

Plates: dense, narrowly accreted, with a light gray tint in young individuals and olive gray in old ones.

Edibility: poisonous, although some experts classify it as conditionally edible.

Spreading: deciduous and coniferous forests of Eurasia and North America. It grows from July to October in large families on stumps, deadwood, forest clearings, as well as near the roots of trees.

I must say that the above poisonous mushrooms can be confused with summer species, and not only with autumn ones. Therefore, for a start, it is recommended to find out what real edible mushrooms look like, and then start studying the material about false doubles.

What other mushrooms are poisonous?

What other poisonous mushrooms can be found in our territory? No less famous is Candol's false foil, also known as Psatirella Candol. First of all, it is important to remember that this species is very cunning.The fact is that everything affects its appearance - age, habitat, air temperature, humidity. In this case, only an experienced mushroom picker can know how to distinguish poisonous mushrooms from edible ones.

We suggest you see it with a photo and description.

Latin name:Psathyrella candolleana.

Family: Psatirella.

Synonyms:Agaricus violaceolamellatus, Agaricus candolleanus, Drosophila candolleana, Hypholoma candolleanum, Psathyra candolleanus; Candoll's False Foam, Candoll's Fragile.

Hat: hemispherical, with a diameter of 4-8 cm, as it grows, it becomes bell-shaped, then flat. There is a tubercle in the center, the edges are wavy-sinuous, often cracked. The surface is almost smooth with small brown or yellow-brown scales that disappear rather quickly. The color of the cap is yellow or cream, the surface itself is matte, dry, the edges are quite brittle. The picture below clearly shows how the poisonous mushrooms of this species look.

Leg: 4-10 cm in length, 0.5 cm in thickness, smooth, hollow, easily breaking. It thickens towards the base, sometimes a tapered appendage is observed. White or delicate cream in color, velvety at the top.

Pulp: whitish, brittle, thin, does not have a pronounced taste or smell.

Plates: adherent, frequent, thin, as they grow, change color from white to gray-violet and even dark brown.

Edibility: poisonous mushroom, however, discussions about whether honey mushrooms of this species are poisonous continue to this day. Sometimes it is classified as conditionally edible.

Spreading: grows on the territory of the Eurasian continent and North America. Selects hardwood as well as soil near tree stumps. Grows in large groups, sometimes there are single specimens. The bountiful fruiting season begins in June and ends at the end of September.

How can you check if honey mushrooms are poisonous or not?

How can you distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous ones, and what are the signs for this? The question is quite natural, because hardly anyone wants to harm their health by eating one of these fruiting bodies. The most correct and logical way to understand this issue will be a trip to the forest together with an experienced mushroom picker. However, no one has yet forbidden to get a preliminary consultation on the Internet, comparing photos of edible and poisonous mushrooms:

The main distinguishing feature of real honey agarics is the presence of a skirt ring, which the false ones do not have. However, it is worth remembering that old overgrown fruiting bodies can lose this trait, despite their edibility.

In addition, in poisonous fruit bodies, the color will always be brighter, and in edible representatives it will be more modest. How else can you check if honey mushrooms are poisonous or not? You can smell the fruiting body and even lightly touch the pulp with your tongue. The false honey smell is unpleasant, and the pulp is bitter. In addition, poisonous species do not have scales on the cap, their surface is often completely smooth. However, the presence of such "flakes" distinguishes only young mushrooms, while in old specimens they completely disappear.

Look also at the color of the plates under the cap: in real mushrooms they are white or cream, and in false ones they are yellow, as they age, they are greenish. In addition, the place of cut in false agarics instantly becomes brown-black, while in edible mushrooms it darkens, and gradually.

How to identify poisonous mushrooms when cooking?

Is it possible to identify poisonous mushrooms during cooking and how to do it? There are several ways, but it cannot be said for sure that they are all effective. For example, you can put a silver piece in water. If it darkens, it means that the mushroom is poisonous. However, silver can also darken from edible species.

There is also an opinion that you can put a peeled head of onion or garlic in a saucepan. In the presence of toxic substances, the product should acquire a brown or blue tint. Although it is noted that the shade can also change when exposed to edible fruiting bodies.

Some add milk when boiling mushrooms, believing that toxic substances will cause the product to curdle. However, this feature does not come from the presence of dangerous enzymes.