Early autumn rains bring out poisonous mushrooms

The Amanita virosa or "destroying angel", Finland’s most toxic variety, is currently found in abundance in the forests

Destroying angel

Deadly webcap

print this

The recent rains have quickly increased the early autumn’s mushroom yield. There are now plenty of edible mushrooms to be had in the forests in Finland, but by the same token there are also lots of lethal destroying angels (Amanita virosa) around.
      “The situation is the same as last year. We seem to have two consecutive years with an abundance of destroying angels”, estimates chairman Jorma Palmén of the Finnish Mycological Society.
      In just one week, the spectrum of available varieties has quadrupled. At the same time also the destroying angels turned up, and right now there are a lot of them in the woods, waiting for unsuspecting pickers.
     
The worry is that many people cannot tell the difference between the destroying angel and the edible champignon, which looks fairly similar.
      ”Many people leave the champignons in the forest, because they are unable to tell the difference between the white varieties. It isn’t difficult, however: the destroying angel’s all parts are white, whereas the champignon has dark gills.”
      There are just over twenty mushroom varieties found in Finland that can cause poisoning. Last year one individual died from mushroom poisoning.
     
After the destroying angel, one of the most common poisonous mushrooms is the deadly webcap (Cortinarius rubellus), the prevalence of which is at a normal level this year.
      The brown roll-rim or poison pax (Paxillus involutus), on the other hand, seems to be somewhat rare this year.
      Finland’s adult population is likely to recognise with ease the fairly common fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), with its deep red cap and distinctive white spots.
      “Some say that the destroying angel is our only poisonous mushroom. Namely, it is the only dangerously toxic mushroom variety that can be mistaken for an edible kind.”
      The destroying angel does exactly what it says on the tin: its principal toxic constituents amatoxins and phallotoxins damage the liver and kidneys, often fatally.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Poor immigrants are at risk from mushroom poisoning (28.8.2009)
  Three previous liver transplants made in Finland as a result of mushroom poisoning (27.8.2009)
  Four people hospitalised after eating toxic mushrooms (26.8.2009)

See also:
  Mushroom expert hints that correct timing is more important than knowing the right location (25.8.2009)
  Dry spell shrinks summer´s mushroom and berry yield (4.8.2010)

Links:
  Destroying angel, Amanita virosa (Wikipedia9

Helsingin Sanomat