Chapter 15 



POISONOUS AND EDIBLE FUNGI 



When mention is made of poisonous fungi, most persons im- 

 mediately think of toadstools, regarding them as comprising all 

 the poisonous forms. These persons separate toadstools (Todes 

 Stuhl) from mushrooms, placing all poisonous species in the toad- 

 stool group and all edible ones in the mushroom group. Such a 

 distinction is unwarranted and mycologically meaningless. In 

 the present account, which is by no means comprehensive, con- 

 sideration will be given to certain fleshy fungi and also to other 

 well-known species that are poisonous, especially to humans. 



POISONOUS FLESHY FUNGI 



Fleshy fungi have long been employed for food, and it has as 

 long been known that some species are extremely poisonous. . 

 Thousands of species are edible, however, whereas relatively few 

 are toxic to man. Sickness and fatalities from eating mushrooms 

 can be attributed only to lack of knowledge. Anyone can learn 

 to recognize the poisonous species, and it cannot be too strongly 

 emphasized that such knowledge constitutes the only safe guide 

 to determining which species are to be avoided. A beginner can 

 soon learn to recognize a few of the choicest and most common 

 edible species and can confine his collections for the table to these 

 species, which include the common mushroom, Fsalliota campes- 

 tris, the shaggy mane, Coprinas comatiis, the common ink cap, 

 C. atr anient arms, the glistening ink cap, C. micaceus, the oyster 

 mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, the parasol mushroom, Lepiota 

 procera, the honey agaric, Armillaria mellea, the velvet-stemmed 

 mushroom, Colly bia vehitipes, the morel, Morchella esculent a, all 

 coral fungi, and all puffballs that are pure white in section. While 

 gathering these, the student will gradually become acquainted 



with the poisonous ones. 



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