Skip to main content
Scientific American
  • Cart 0
  • Forgot password?Loading
    Not yet registered?
  • |Newsletters
Advanced Search
  • COVID
  • Health
  • Mind & Brain
  • Environment
  • Technology
  • Space & Physics
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Store
  • Subscribe
  • Current Issue
  • Cart0
  • Sign In
  • Newsletters
      • Share
      • Latest

      [Slide Show] Seven Deadly 'Shrooms

      Fungi hunters and hikers beware, here are seven super toxic mushrooms to avoid

      • Share on Facebook
      • Share on Twitter
      • Share on Reddit
      • Share on LinkedIn
      • Share via Email
      • Print
      [Slide Show] Seven Deadly 'Shrooms
      Slideshow (7) images
      View
      Credits: TAYLOR LOCKWOOD

      [Slide Show] Seven Deadly 'Shrooms

        • Share
      • BRAIN MUSHROOM The Gyromitra esculenta , which is also known as a false morel or brain mushroom (given its convoluted surface), can be deadly when consumed raw. Although some in Spain, Sweden and other countries continue to cook and eat them, G... TAYLOR LOCKWOOD
      • HOODED FALSE MOREL The brown saddle-shaped top might be mistaken for a delicious edible morel (which have to be cooked before eating), but the Gyromitra infula contains the toxin gyromitirin, which in the body turns into monomethylhydrazine, an ingredient in some rocket fuels... TAYLOR LOCKWOOD
      • MARBLED DEATH CAP Found in Hawaii, Australia and South Africa, this death cap cousin also contains amatoxins. The Amanita marmorata is often found growing in evergreen Casuarina and eucalyptus forests and is assumed to have been brought to Hawaii from Australia, along with the imported trees... TAYLOR LOCKWOOD
      • DEATH CAP This innocent-looking fungus is responsible for the bulk of mushroom-related deaths across the globe. Not to be mistaken for edible members of the Agaricus clan (including the common white, or button mushroom), the Amanita phalloides packs a toxic one-two punch with both phallotoxin and amanitin... TAYLOR LOCKWOOD
      • Advertisement
      • DESTROYING ANGEL The Amanita virosa , the European destroying angel (and close relation to North America's toxic A. bisporigera and A. ocreata ), warns consumers off with an unpleasant odor. That, however, has not deterred some from tasting its deadly white flesh... TAYLOR LOCKWOOD
      • DEATH ANGEL One of the more frequent killers, the Amanita bisporigera —or "death angel"—is white and can be confused with edible varieties, including button and meadow mushrooms... TAYLOR LOCKWOOD
      • AUTUMN SKULLCAP Found in temperate areas all over the world, the Galerina marginata (aka autumn skullcap, or deadly galerina) may look like a hallucinogenic fungus from the Psilocybe genus, but it is actually extremely toxic... TAYLOR LOCKWOOD
      • Previous
      • Next
      of
      • View all
      • Link copied!
      • BRAIN MUSHROOM
      • HOODED FALSE MOREL
      • MARBLED DEATH CAP
      • DEATH CAP
      • DESTROYING ANGEL
      • DEATH ANGEL
      • AUTUMN SKULLCAP
      Advertisement
      Advertisement

      Newsletter

      Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter.

      Sign Up

      Support Science Journalism

      Discover world-changing science. Explore our digital archive back to 1845, including articles by more than 150 Nobel Prize winners.

      Subscribe Now!Support Science Journalism

      Follow us

      • instagram
      • soundcloud
      • youtube
      • twitter
      • facebook
      • rss

      Scientific american arabic

      العربية
      • Return & Refund Policy
      • About
      • Press Room
      • FAQs
      • Contact Us
      • Site Map
      • Advertise
      • SA Custom Media
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • California Consumer Privacy Statement
      • Use of cookies/Do not sell my data
      • International Editions
      Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers.

      © 2023 Scientific American, a Division of Springer Nature America, Inc.

      All Rights Reserved.

      Scroll To Top

      Support science journalism.

      Scientific American paper issue and on tablet

      Thanks for reading Scientific American. Knowledge awaits.

      Already a subscriber? Sign in.

      Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue.

      Create Account

      See Subscription Options

      Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription.

      You may cancel at any time.

      Sign in.