Wild Mushroom Poisoning Warning 2023

Wild Mushroom Poisoning Warning 2023

SA Health and the Department for Environment are warning South Australians that wild mushroom season is well underway and Death Cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) have been found growing in easily accessible public spaces in the Adelaide Hills including areas around the Mt Lofty botanic gardens.  As well as Death cap mushrooms other poisonous mushrooms that have caused fatalities or severe illness including species of Cortinarius, Galerina, and Lepiota have been found in Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills. 

Recent autumn rains in many parts of SA has seen mushrooms popping up everywhere, including drier regional areas. Just like the plants of the arid country, mushrooms take advantage of the wetter conditions to produce and disperse spores and establish new individuals.

Desert puffballs stay for longer, drying out and rehydrating with the next rain shower to release their spores, but many fleshy mushrooms such as the poisonous yellow stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus) and potentially deadly Lepiota brunneoincarnata can appear and disappear within days.

These mushrooms can be a poisoning risk for dogs, cats, horses and cattle as well as humans. Wherever, beech, oaks, chestnuts or hazelnuts are growing then there is always the potential for the most dangerous Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) to be present. A Lepiota poisoning case over Easter in the eastern Alexandrina Council area, highlights the potential for toxic mushroom ingestion to occur in areas outside of the Adelaide Hills.

For more information regarding mushroom poisoning please visit SA Health Website

https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/conditions/poisons/mushroom+poisoning?fbclid=IwAR33hSqDyMAc8TQGEIc8xfShDhtVMBeKE5-3pDcxssSw8czHc1FqqNGgNoE

 or SA Health Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/sahealth/posts/386675306819506