Beware of these toadstools!
Rain has hit Germany and the mushrooms sprout. But there's an element of danger to that. There have been cases of people being poisoned - among them immigrants - by mushrooms they thought were edible.
Death Cap
Amanita phalloides, known as the death cap, is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in the Federal Republic of Germany. In late July 2017 five Eastern-European immigrants were hospitalized in Hannover, after mistaking them for tasty champignons. And in 2015 a 16-year-old Syrian died after mistaking this deadly fungus for another mushroom commonly eaten in his homeland.
European white egg
The Death Cap is one of many mushrooms in the genus Amanita, and is often mistook for the Amanita ovoidea, or the the European white egg. This mushroom is edible and common in the Mediterranian countries, but it too resembles the Amanita proxima, which is deadly poisonous. Moral of the story? Be careful with your Amanitas!
Phantom of the forest
The Macrolepiota, of the family Agaricaceae, is cherised in culinary circles. For the layman, it's almost impossible to tell a difference between it and the Death Cap. The Macrolepiota is most prevalent in willows and nutrient-rich soil.
Delicacy or poisonous toad?
Kuehneromyces (pictured above) are tasty and healthy, while Galerina marginata are deadly poisonous. Again, the two are almost impossible to tell apart. It is amatoxins that make the Galerina marginata so poisonous, the same thing that makes the Death Cap so deadly.
Mario Bros mushrooms
When it comes to iconic fungus, the Amanita muscaria is the one. Every German boy and girl knows not to eat this mushroom, because it's poisonous! But it wasn't always that way. The toxicity of this mushroom varies regionally around Europe.
Ambiguous fungus
Some of the 100 species of clitocybe mushrooms are edible, other poisonous. The latter contain muscarine, which is a neurotoxin. There are cases in which consumption of clitocybes has led to Erythromelalgia, which is a nervous disorder that results in swelling and pain in the limbs.
Life-threatening belly aches
The toxic effect of Entoloma, which comprise over 1000 species of mushroom, targets the stomach. If you eat one of these, you may very well be spending the night in the bathroom. Vomitting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps are the usual symptoms. In severe cases, you'll need an infusion to survive.