Responsible departments and experts: Don't touch it! , Two soul-searching questions, Shanghai netizens concentrated on showing off "mushrooms"
The continuous rain makes people sad, but wild mushrooms are happy. Recently, netizens on major social platforms have posted photos of "mushrooms" they found, and asked two soul-searching questions: "What is this? Can I eat it?"
On July 1, a reporter from Jiefang Daily and Shangguan News learned from many parks in Shanghai that there has indeed been a large-scale "emergence" of wild mushrooms recently. The greening and urban appearance departments and industry experts have issued an urgent reminder for citizens and tourists not to pick them to avoid mistaken identification and ingestion, which may cause food poisoning or even life-threatening.
On Xiaohongshu, blogger "Claw Druid" is busy identifying various photos sent by netizens, and advises everyone not to touch or eat if they are not sure, and to put safety first.
The reporter noticed that several types of wild mushrooms, such as the large green-pleated umbrella, the pure yellow and white ghost umbrella, and the hairy-headed ghost umbrella, have the highest "appearance rate". Without exception, they have the potential to cause poisoning and are generally covered with the cloak of "harmless to humans and animals".
"Red umbrellas, white poles, after eating, we lie down together on the board" is part of a nursery rhyme that has been very popular on the Internet in recent years. However, in the opinion of Xi Wang, an engineer from the Science Popularization Department of Chenshan Botanical Garden, it is very dangerous to use this nursery rhyme as the only criterion for judging "poisonous mushrooms" because mushrooms with "low-key" appearance, that is, inconspicuous colors and ordinary shapes, may be more likely to be poisonous.
Xi Wang said that "red umbrellas, white stems" mainly describe the fly agaric mushrooms with red caps and white stems. Fly agarics are widely distributed in subtropical and temperate forests in Eurasia. They contain fly agaric peptides, which have strong hallucinogenic effects and digestive system toxicity. In the past, when medical standards were low, they could easily cause death.
Amanita muscaria. Photo Fungus enthusiast Cai Jiaming said that around the world, there are not many poisonous mushrooms that can cause death that grow into "red umbrellas and white stems". In China, most poisonous mushrooms that can cause death are brown, white, yellow, and gray. "It is one-sided to identify poisonous mushrooms only by their bright colors."
For example, the green-puffed cap mushroom, nicknamed the "ICU mushroom", is a typical example of "playing dumb to eat the tiger". As a common poisonous mushroom in Shanghai, it can be found on lawns, under forests, and in the soil. It has an "approachable" appearance, with a white cap and stem, which looks very similar to edible large ring-shaped mushroom species. Only citizens with a certain amount of experience can distinguish it by the small amount of gray-brown scales on the cap and the layers of light blue gills on the back.
The body of the Amanita phalloides contains a variety of toxic peptides, including amanita phalloides, which are highly toxic to the digestive system. If ingested accidentally, it will cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal bleeding. If ingested in a certain amount, it is enough to send a person to the intensive care unit for emergency treatment.
The large green parasol can be considered as the "best quality", but when it comes to "playing dumb to eat the tiger", the brown-scaled ring-petaled mushroom is even better.
Resembling shiitake mushrooms and flower mushrooms that grow on the ground, the fleshy brown scaly ring-shaped mushroom is commonly found in the soil and leaf litter around pine trees. Its gray-brown scaly cap and short stature are very deceptive.
It contains amatoxin, which has a high mortality rate. The danger of this poison lies in its "aftereffect" - after ingestion, gastrointestinal poisoning symptoms appear, such as nausea and vomiting, but then the symptoms may be temporarily relieved, making people relax. In fact, the liver function of the poisoned person has begun to be damaged, and in severe cases, death may occur after a few days.
According to statistics, the mortality rate of liver damage caused by poisoning with brown-scaled ring mushrooms can reach 40% to 60%, and there is no specific treatment or antidote. In 2020, a 7-year-old child accidentally ate it and eventually died of multiple organ failure.
In the photos posted by netizens, a yellow mushroom also appears frequently, mostly growing in flower pots. It is called pure yellow and white Coprinus comatus, and it is likely to spread with the trading of nutrient soil. Sometimes the tiny yellow particles that appear in the soil are its dormant bodies. If given enough water, it will further develop into mushrooms.
The pure yellow-white Coprinus comatus does not use its simple color to "play dumb to eat the tiger", but relies on "getting on the flower pot" - many people think that the flower pots they take care of cannot be poisonous, and the things growing in them cannot be poisonous, so they are fooled. However, compared with the above two poisonous fungi, the pure yellow-white Coprinus comatus is less toxic and mainly causes symptoms such as gastrointestinal discomfort.
A white oval "kiwi fruit" is inserted on a tube, which is how some people compare the young Coprinus comatus to this. In Shanghai, it is widely distributed and likes grassland and fertile soil.
"Aging Coprinus comatus will expand into a bell shape, curl up from the edges, turn black and turn into water. Before this state, it is a delicious edible fungus." Cai Jiaming said that young Coprinus comatus has a resounding name in the market - "Chicken Leg Mushroom". It should be reminded that although Coprinus comatus is edible when young, it cannot be consumed with alcohol, which will cause poisoning.
The two photos of the hairy coprinus in the photos posted by netizens show that the two on the right are already aged and not suitable for consumption.
The reporter noticed that some netizens posted photos and videos of themselves picking and eating Coprinus comatus, saying that they "ate it at the risk of their lives and were safe and sound."
In this regard, the greening and urban appearance departments and experts remind that the "threshold" for accurately identifying wild mushrooms is very high, and even veterans may misjudge them. Citizens and tourists must not be stubborn or take chances. Do not touch or pick any mushrooms you see in parks or green spaces. Just watch from a distance and take photos. This is the safest and most secure way to deal with them.
Non-professionals must be cautious about wild mushrooms. If you want to eat them, buy them through regular channels for safety.
Sometimes, fungi that are generally non-toxic may pose a risk to consumption due to factors such as the growth environment. For example, fungi that grow on trees need nutrients from the trees they parasitize on, and if the trees are poisonous, they will more or less absorb toxins from the trees during their growth process.
If fungi grow on camphor wood, they may absorb components such as alkanes, phenols, alkenes and camphor ether in the camphor wood, which may have different degrees of toxic side effects on the human body.
Eating fungus grown on camphor trees is also high-risk. Picture Another example is fungi growing on the roadside. If the area is frequently exposed to vehicle exhaust, the fungi will accumulate heavy metals such as lead and zinc in the soil during their growth, and may also contain high levels of carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In order to control insect pests on ornamental plants or remove weeds around them, some parks and green spaces regularly spray herbicides and pesticides. It is difficult for ordinary citizens and tourists to tell whether the fungi they picked have been soaked in these harmful substances.
If citizens or tourists are poisoned by eating wild mushrooms, it is best for the accompanying personnel to carry samples of the wild mushrooms eaten by the poisoned person when sending them to the hospital. This will greatly improve the efficiency of medical staff in identifying the "culprit" and buy precious time to save lives.
