7 ms·

I think I read somewhere before about how if a mushroom is white, then stay away from it. How true is this from your experience?

by ncann 4y ago

dmitrybrant 4y ago
Using that rule of thumb, you would successfully avoid Amanita virosa (destroying angel), but you could still get poisoned by Amanita phalloides (death cap) which has a pale-green cap. I don't endorse any rules-of-thumb for foraging, but a much better differentiator for beginners is whether the mushroom has pores vs. gills under the cap. There are virtually no deadly varieties that have pores.
- trhr 4y ago
  > There are virtually no deadly varieties that have pores. Never heard this one before. Adding it to my bug out notes. Thanks!
  - Matticus_Rex 4y ago
    Note that there's at least one, and that a number of them will still make you sick. Put a few common pored edibles (Laetiporus sp., Cantharellus sp., Grifola frondosa, etc.) in your notes for sure though, with basic descriptions, as even their few remote lookalikes (at least pored ones -- some people think Omphalotus sp. look like Cantharellus for some reason) are just going to give you a moderate stomach upset at worst, and may be edible themselves.
    - e12e 4y ago
      > Put a few common pored edibles (... Cantharellus sp Chantarelles don't have pores?
      - Matticus_Rex 4y ago
        Derp; I meant non-gilled. Thanks for the correction. The false gills on chanterelles are a major part of why they're so accessible to new foragers.
- bergenty 4y ago
  They’re not deadly but there are quite a few ones with pores that will make you very sick.
franze 4y ago
I avoid white and white-ish (i.e.: green-white). It significantly a but not totally- reduces the risk in my area. Everything else a good book for identification. If its not 100% clear that it is editable, it gets thrown away.
malermeister 4y ago
The parasol mushroom [1] is one of the most popular foraged mushrooms in my part of the world and is white-ish. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrolepiota_procera https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrolepiota_procera

I think I read somewhere before about how if a mushroom is white, then stay away from it. How true is this from your experience?

by ncann 4y ago

I think I read somewhere before about how if a mushroom is white, then stay away from it. How true is this from your experience?

dmitrybrant 4y ago

Using that rule of thumb, you would successfully avoid Amanita virosa (destroying angel), but you could still get poisoned by Amanita phalloides (death cap) which has a pale-green cap. I don't endorse any rules-of-thumb for foraging, but a much better differentiator for beginners is whether the mushroom has pores vs. gills under the cap. There are virtually no deadly varieties that have pores.

trhr 4y ago
> There are virtually no deadly varieties that have pores. Never heard this one before. Adding it to my bug out notes. Thanks!
- Matticus_Rex 4y ago
  Note that there's at least one, and that a number of them will still make you sick. Put a few common pored edibles (Laetiporus sp., Cantharellus sp., Grifola frondosa, etc.) in your notes for sure though, with basic descriptions, as even their few remote lookalikes (at least pored ones -- some people think Omphalotus sp. look like Cantharellus for some reason) are just going to give you a moderate stomach upset at worst, and may be edible themselves.
  - e12e 4y ago
    > Put a few common pored edibles (... Cantharellus sp Chantarelles don't have pores?
    - Matticus_Rex 4y ago
      Derp; I meant non-gilled. Thanks for the correction. The false gills on chanterelles are a major part of why they're so accessible to new foragers.
bergenty 4y ago
They’re not deadly but there are quite a few ones with pores that will make you very sick.

franze 4y ago

I avoid white and white-ish (i.e.: green-white). It significantly a but not totally- reduces the risk in my area. Everything else a good book for identification. If its not 100% clear that it is editable, it gets thrown away.

malermeister 4y ago

The parasol mushroom [1] is one of the most popular foraged mushrooms in my part of the world and is white-ish. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrolepiota_procera https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrolepiota_procera