​

Poisonous Wild ​Mushrooms​

​​

​​​​

​Flyer​​

​​​​ Poster​​

​​​​​​​​​View our poster and flyers in various lang​uages.  ​

Dangers of picking and eating wild mushrooms

​​Poisonous wild mushrooms grow in many parts of California, especially after periods of rain. They can appear in neighborhoods and parks - not just wilderness areas. Two of the most toxic mushrooms are the Death Cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) and the Western Destroying Angel mushroom (Amanita ocreata). ​​

These toxic mushrooms can look and taste like mushrooms that are safe to eat. They can even look like mushrooms sold in grocery stores, depending on their stage of growth. People who recently immigrated to California may mistake these poisonous mushrooms for safe mushrooms from their home countries. ​​Even people with years of experience picking wild mushrooms can sometimes mistake these toxic mushrooms for safe ones. Mushroom hunters and foragers in California face serious risk.

​

​​Toxic Mushroom​s at Different Stages of Growth​​ During their Lifecycle

​Death Cap Mushrooms​​  (Amani​ta p​hallo​​ides)​​​

Western Destroying Angel Mushrooms (Amanita ocreata)​

​How to stay safe

• ​​The best way to stay safe is to not pick and eat wild mushrooms.

• Avoid eating wild mushrooms picked by friends or family.​

• Watch children closely when they play outside where wild mushrooms grow. 
  

• Keep pets away from wild mushrooms - animals can be poisoned too.​​​​​

• Buy mushrooms from trusted grocery stores and retailers. Take care when buying mushrooms from street vendors.

• ​These toxic mushrooms stay poisonous even after cooking, boiling, freezing or drying them.

​​​​Symptoms of mushroom poisoning

 Mushroom poisoning can lead to serious complications, including:

​​​Liver damage (sometimes needing a liver transplant)​ Kidney ​damage Hallucinations and euphoria Seizures ​Death

​​

The North American Mycological Association has additional information on mushroom poisoning syndromes.

​​What to do if you may have eaten a poisonous mushroom

• ​​Immediately seek medical care and call the California Poiso​n Control Hotline​​ at 1-800-222-1222. The hotline can tell you exactly what to do in the case of a mushroom poisoning. The hotline can also provide guidance to medical providers to help ensure proper care.​​ The hotline is FREE and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 200 languages.​​​
  

• When you go to the hospital: Take any of the uneaten mushroom with you if you can. Experts can identify the mushroom, which can help with your medical care. To preserve the mushroom, place it in a paper bag or waxed paper (not plastic) and refrigerate. ​If you don't have the mushroom, photos of the mushroom (including its cap, stem, and underside) can be helpful.​ ​
  

How to dispose of poisonous mushrooms 

• How to handle poisonous mushrooms:  Touching a poisonous mushroom usually does not pose a risk. But always wash your hands after you touch one.
  

• How to dispose of poisonous mushrooms:  Put the poisonous mushroom into a sealed bag and place them into the regular garbage. Alternatively, you can place them into the municipal compost bin. Do not place poisonous mushrooms in home compost.​​
  

​​Educational materials

​​Help spread awareness ​in communities where Death Cap or Western Destroying Angel mushrooms may grow. Display our posters and flyers in places where people commonly gather:

• Parks - including municipal, regional, state and national parks​
  
• Community centers
• Health clinics
  
• Stores and markets
  
• Other community gathering places, such as laundry mats
  

	This Poisonous Mushroom Poster is available in two sizes:  Poisonous Mushroom Poster: Letter Size - 8.5 x 11 (PDF) Poisonous Mushroom Poster: Legal Size - 8.5 x 14 (PDF)​ ​This poster contains QR codes that link to 1) flyers in eight languages - see flyers below, and 2) a video in Mixteco​ (a primarily oral language). Note: The poster does not include a QR code to our flyer in English.​
	This Poisonous Mushroom Flyer is available in the following languages:​ Poisonous Mushroom Flyer-English (PDF) Poisonous Mushroom Flyer-Spanish (PDF) Poisonous Mushroom Flyer-Mam (PDF) Poisonous Mushroom Flyer-Kiche (PDF) Poisonous Mushroom Flyer-Chinese (PDF) Poisonous Mushroom Flyer-Vietnamese (PDF) Poisonous Mushroom Flyer-Tagalog (PDF) Poisonous Mushroom Flyer-Ukrainian (PDF) Poisonous Mushroom Flyer-Russian (PDF)
	​This video ​​PSA is available in English, Spanish, and Mixteco​ (on ​YouTube​). ​​
	The ​California Poison Control System has ​​​​resources in multiple languages, including social media content and video shorts in English, Spanish​, Tagalog (Filipino)​, Vietnamese​, and Chinese​.​

Additional Resource​s

​Pets and poisonous mushrooms:​

• If your pet may have eaten a poisonous mushroom, contact your veterinarian right away. The American SPCA Animal Poison Control Center​​ offers a hotline for both the public and vetrinarians, providing guidance on proper care (1-888-426-4435​​​).
  

• View guidance on mushroom poisonings in pets from the American SPCA​ or the North American Mycological Association​​​.​​​​​
  

Medical providers and veterinarians should consider reporting a mushroom poisoning:

• The North American Mycological Association encourages medical providers and veterinarians to report cases of mushroom poisoning (after the poisoning incident) by completing Report a Poisoning.​

National data on mushroom poisonings:

• ​View ​the North American Mycological Association's data and reports on mushroom poisonings​​​.​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​