Identifying the Deathcap. Amanita phalloides 

LOL the deathcap explained - with a cemetery in the background! Brilliant! 😎

We have just had 3 more adults die from eating these mushrooms in Australia and a 4th person from the same group at the dinner party who also ate the mushroom is in hospital critically ill. They all attended the family dinner party and were served mushrooms.

I live in the UK and have a huge garden that used to be a field. I have loads of different varieties of mushrooms growing - some that look like ordinary white mushrooms that you buy in the shops, growing under trees. I love mushrooms and have been tempted to pick and eat some. What I have clearly learnt from this video is - despite the full description of a Death cap mushroom, it is a lot safer to stick to the ones sold in supermarkets for about £1. I am of normal intelligence but feel it possible that I might mistake a death cap mushroom with a safe one. I don't think it is worth the risk...

My brother's daughter fell on top of a bunch of DeathCap. This guy says it's not dangerous to lick your hands after touching them...my brother's daughter did that, and maybe touched her nose and eyes, and that alone meant she had to be taken to hospital where they 'emptied' her stomache, and treated her (with antibiotics and other stuff) for a couple of days before she recovered.

Crikey I picked up a very young one I think - the egg part and a barely formed top part. But it was all completely white! I thought it was a puff ball! But when I cut it in half it was all completely white. It was only on later inspection that I noticed it had gills forming (also white). What a close shave. I threw it away but only now watching your video do I realise what a serious close shave I had!

Erin's favourite video.

Is anyone else watching this since the Erin Patterson case?

I found one on my first forage a week or so ago. All the identifying features, looked exactly like the one you are holding. I even tested it by putting sulfuric acid on the gills (stained bright pink)

That's why even though most of the green russulas are edible... there is the dangerous for beginners to mistake the Death Cap for one of those russulas. Good find my friend. Well explained. 👍

Where I am in Australia, the Deathcaps are white on top, and at first glance can look similar to a eatable mushroom. We had a family recently die from picking them and cooking them for themselves in the family restaurant kitchen.

Who is here because of Erin Patterson feeding her lunch guests death cap mushrooms?

Thanks for sharing. So important to know the nasties as well as the nice ones.

It's fascinating how such a beautiful mushroom is also so deadly. Thanks for the video.

Very good mushroom for the environment though, it pumps lots of moisture into the roots of trees and thereby also indirectly helps other mushrooms grow better. And the slugs eat it, enjoy it and never get poisoned, their digestive system is not affected by the amatoxins in any way. The trees can use this Amanita’s help quite a bit during a dry summer, they will get enough water to stay healthy and even produce other mushrooms that are edible to us humans. So it’s a very good mushroom when left untouched rather than picked up and eaten.

I learned about death cap many years back studying mycology as part of broader syllabus it is as you state very nasty because the individual can appear to recover and resume life as normal before finally failing to the toxins a week or so later.

I went out today and found a massive Agaricus urinascens mushroom. It was the size of a Giant Puffball. Thanks to this video I managed to do the right checks and eat it safely. Thank you.

This year in Poland, one guy sold some mushrooms (including Amanita phalloides) and 4 people died as a result of eating these mushrooms

I pick 4 different mushrooms when foraging. For all of these I have put in a lot of research to the point of being highly knowledgeable on just them and any dangerous lookalikes. I would never just pick and assume a mushroom is what I think it is based on a very similar one I have eaten in the past. If you are not absolutely certain of every aspect of identifying what you are picking to eat, and identifying any similar mushrooms to the same high standard then you should not even entertain the thought of collecting them to eat; it is incredibly dangerous and idiotic.

I think the ones in Australia have a whiter cap but we may have more than one variety.

You also need to try the Amanita Ponderosa if you haven't already. A delicacy in the south of Portugal (Alentejo). The Cesarea is more common in the north region (Tras os Montes).

Love those blue socks with Sandles👏 - Wearing socks and sandals together is a controversial fashion combination and social phenomenon that is discussed in various countries and cultures. In some places it is considered a fashion faux pas - keep up the good work🤣

It's nice to refresh yourself now that it is mushroom season. This is a good video to show the different stages of the mushroom growth as the young one did look like the yellow russulas.

A further definitive test is to place the cap gills down on brown paper, the spores are white falling on the brown background. I researched this with the NZ National Library in the 1990s, it is surprisingly common and widespread.

3 people dead and one about to die due to Liver failure and needing a new liver or he will die in Australia - this in August 2023 after eating these mushrooms in a meal .... not to be messed with. Was it an accident or was it murder... soon to find out !

Thank you for showing the different stages of growth!

At my last home in the Western Cape of South Africa, I had Amanita phalloides growing under oaks in close proximity to rubescens, pantherina and the odd muscaria. Being fond of Amanita rubescens it paid to do my homework.

Of course you found Death Caps in a graveyard! Great video as always 👍

This is so scary. I found two yesterday. I dissected both. One was younger. I had not seen anything like it before. I should be studying poison mushrooms so I know what not to touch. I did have on gloves. I did a spore print and hopefully it turns out. Great video. I love how well you showed every part of the mushroom and explained each section. Is there another mushroom that looks similar with the egg sack. Thank you

Awesome. Thankyou . And "gold tops" need to be given a wide berth too.

I have heard about Milk Thistle being good for liver but interesting to know its strong enoigh to actually be used in an emergency. I'd quite like to be able to identify that plant, as the source was in treating Lyme and Bartonella liver effects. As for Death Cap it does something to RNA or DNA doesn't it. In much a way radiation poisoning does, and imagine even more similar if an alpha source of radiation were ingested, but yes with that too the initial sickness is recovered from then as cells need to replace as all do, they cannot, so you disintegrate. The liver first because its ingested.

Knowing what we know about mushrooms, would you eat one that grew from a graveyard?

Great stuff! Any chance of a longer late summer/early autumn foraging video similar to the lockdown series?

Thank you! Very good video! I find it ironic these death caps are growing near gravestones.

Thanks for that, seeing what has happened over here in Australia as of late!

Thanks for clearing up the touching myth. A lot of books tell you that just touching these or inhaling a few spoors can cause you some grief.

Oh wow!! We've just had 3 deaths here in Australia 😢 highly suspicious circumstances..do they have a scent ?

we have poisonous mushroom in my country but it is not as deadly as those Amanita phalloides as being called, they only cause hallucinations according to many victims who happens to accidentally eaten them, some of them says when they look at the houses they look like mushrooms with the same size moving to one directions, some says when they look at trees they look like animated tree in cartoon shows marching up the hills funny.

If the volva of the destroying angel are flattened or eaten away they look a bit like field mushrooms which is quite scary! In which case just the colour of the gills is the only way to tell the difference?

Good and informative. However, the volume was very low and I had a hard time of hearing it even though my fone was turned up all the way!

Can we see a video on liberty caps for harm reduction?

Excellent clear presentation - thank you.

A question: are any UK mushrooms poisionous to touch? I would like to pick many and bring them home to practise identification but don't want to put myself in danger.

thank you, i usually leap back from mushrooms like they are spiders. except Libs, I'm not scared of those ...yet

I am tripping on Amanita Pantherina while watching this.

Should you wash hands after handling?

Thanks muchley. Wonder what it smells like?

Required viewing for foragers and wanna-be-poisoners. I'm neither, but it was very interesting.

Lol I've just found an abundance of magic mushrooms in a patch of woods off season. Gold mine

There is/was a man called Shaman Hawk here on RU-vid, who filmed himself eating raw deathcaps. Apparently he has done it on many occasions. Not sure how he managed to do that and survive, whether he used mithridatism or some kind of prophylactic... Look him up, it's incredible to witness. *_Note: just to keep my conscience clear, it is of course deadly poisonous._*

The Death Cap is/are legal and yet a completely non-toxic Liberty Cap isn't? What an insane world we live in!

Hi there, Do you think there should be signposting of areas of woodland or other places where these seriously poisonous mushrooms grow, perhaps with a skull and crossbones to indicate the hazard? I think they do it in parts of western Canada where they have them.

Someone should invent mushroom test strips, for foragers in the field. In the same vein as those rapid ph strips; turning a distinct, unmistakable color when they come in contact with deadly aminito toxins

I've picked some Red Amanita Muscaria locally which I am currently drying in an Air Dryer oven. I've also par boiled in lightly salted water for 15 minutes. Can you recommend any extra advice regarding, cooking, eating them as there is so much conflicting information. I have chewed a small amount of the par boiled ones.

Australians all know who watched this...

Very good information. What do they smell like and what if maggots started eating underneath by the egg cup and destroyed it.

Is there a way to test it before cooking it? Some sort of chemical?

Glad I subscribed to this channel! So much information.

Nice presentation...

have you ever experienced any mushroom poisoning from any species from "just a nibble" or a mistake?

Have you done any videos on the destroying angel mushroom?

I have found and eaten a Ceasars mushroom in Southern France. It was delicious. However it is orange and not like a death cap. .out likely thi g to confuse it with is a fly agaric

Scary stuff! Will see if I can find one on my walks.

Whenever I see giant mushrooms at restaurants, I instantly assume it’s poisonous 😂

Just not worth dabbling in mushrooms if there’s so many bad 1s imho

Are they poisonous to animals? Thanks for sharing.

Hi, thanks for the very interesting video. Any thoughts on why from an evolutionary perspective this thing needs to be so incredibly toxic ? Lectins etc are the usual way for plants to get us to avoid eating them - stomach aches at worst. Thanks.

How can you tell the difference between the yellow amanita muscaria and this one? The anatomy and colors are very similar. Only thing I see is the veil doesn’t seem to turn to warty spots on this one. Anyone see anything else? I found some and just want to know.

Graveyard and Deathcaps. Hmm. What is truly scary, socks with sandles.😂 Seriously, thanks for the tips and pointers. 👍

How would the milk thistle be given? Capsule? Tincture? I'd like to have some in hand if anyone should need it near me

Why didn’t you remove the egg? Are the eggs edible?

I bet this got a bump in views

Best way to test the toxicity of a mushroom is to feed some to your mother-in-law and monitor the results.

Thank you that was so interesting and so helpful.i won't be afraid to touch one now😀

You get Old wild mushroom collectors and Bold wild mushroom collectors, but you don't get Old,Bold wild mushroom collectors.

Awesome man thanks

me and a friend was camping. we ended smoking weed (my friends weed) he got so stoned he picked some random mushrooms (they were all white) he wanted me to me to fry them so he can eat them. I told him they look like the death cap. you eat them you get real sick and possibly die! he says he doesn't care and cook them. we argued for a half hour till I finally said fine I'll cook them but if you get sick remember I told you so. I got the camping stove frying pan and oil ready. I breaded them and fried them. (being stoned while cooking was pretty cool) the smell of the mushrooms cooking smelled real good too! when I was done he ate them. after that we went to bed in my tent. the next day I asked him how he felt he was fine! I asked hows your stomach? he says it was good! at that point I was thinking of the wonderful smell of those mushrooms cooking. I asked where did he pick them. he showed me the spot and there was a whole lot of them! I said let's pick some more, smoke more weed then cook these babies. he agreed and we picked a ton of mushrooms (only the white ones he ate.) we smoked first then I prepared the stove and cooked some wild mushrooms for lunch. they were real tasty! what kind were they? they look like the death cap but it definitely wasn't and it was edible. portabello mushrooms are my favorite but the ones I picked in the woods is a pretty close second!

Quietest video ever!

Lots of death caps in Australia at the moment.

These look delicious!

A curious isopod came to see what you were doing 😄 1:47

There are death caps in Australia aswell. 3 people died in Australia just recently 13 August 2023, from death caps. And that is why I saw this video (algorithm).

I want to watch this video - but the sound is so low I can barely hear it over my fan..... PS - subtitles helped!

So amazing !!

We found the white one lots but never seen this one before We get Amanita brunessences And i seen Amanita ceasor one before once but didn't eat it i just learned what it was I still don't like putting my fingers in my mouth lol

Nice blade you have there. Look like Micheal greys knife from peaky blinders . Do you happen to know where I can purchase one ?

Can you perhaps have an inside on this poor family who died of possible death cap mushrooms here in Korumburra? (aus, vic, Melbourne, south Melbourne)

Really enjoying your videos! Could you please do a video about Amanita rubescens and Amanita excelsa ID?

whats the difference between death cap and the yellow amanitas..

I would not dare touch one of those without gloves.

I'd never actually seen a death cap out foraging - I watch this two days ago, and then I go out foraging in a prospective new spot yesterday and I find gazillions of them! I'm going to watch any cep videos you have before I go out next time ;) Is there anything to be learned from finding deathcaps in a specific area, like do they indicate conditions that might suggest good/bad conditions for other species etc.? Actually, same question for stinkhorns... Found another area with a lot of stinkhorns too.

Terrifying really

How many fellow armchair detectives are here Aug-2023

Actually, extremely unforgiving, if one doesn't get the identification 100% right.

Sorry to be that guy but aminita jacksonii and all in section caesareae have yellow gills not white and are absolutely delicious so yeah most not all aminitas have white gills

Love the videos so informative. I'm looking at wanting to be able to identify a few common edible species of mushroom what would you suggest for the complete novice?

Can the poison spread from touching it with your fingers and the back of thumb & then pulling across your nose? Does that go down into the pharynx and into the lungs?

What about the Amanita gemmata? I know people eat Amanita muscara with some certain preparations. Hopefully my spelling is correct because I found one and was told that's what it was it had the egg bulb and was yellowish with pure white stem. Just like the one in the video but yellowish, no green tint it was sticky to the touch.

I've always been told that shrooms has fins under it and the bad ones is my solid under? Is this correct I have about 60 I just picked and about to dry them out

I've searched but with no result. How do you clean your knife after cutting a poisonus mushroom as the death cap since the poison is termo stable ?

Thank you for sharing