Don’t eat wild mushrooms

19 June 2025

Potentially deadly wild mushrooms are starting to pop up in parts of the state, prompting a warning about the risks of picking and eating unknown fungi.

Poisonous wild mushrooms can usually be found across much of the state from late summer to early winter when the earth is still warm, and particularly after rain.

Despite the low rainfall this year, cooler weather and recent rainfall has triggered the start of the fungi season in parts of the Adelaide Hills.

Poisoning from several varieties may have a delayed onset of symptoms - up to 24 hours - and can cause life-threatening liver damage. Early treatment can be lifesaving so don’t delay if you think you have ingested wild mushrooms.

The Death Cap mushrooms, or Amanita phalloides, have been found recently at a few locations in the Hills. They are extremely poisonous even if only tiny amounts are ingested.

Death Caps can be difficult to distinguish from other wild mushrooms and can resemble some edible species, so it is important to keep an eye on children and pets when outside. Even the experts can have difficulty in identifying some species, so you should only ever eat mushrooms that have been purchased from a reliable green-grocer or supermarket.

Around 46 per cent of the calls made to the Poisons Information Centre last year about mushroom poisoning involved children under the age of five.

There was a 16 per cent decrease in total mushroom-related calls to the Poisons Information Centre, down from 119 in 2023 to 100 in 2024. Twenty-three of these cases were either in hospital or were referred to hospital by the Poisons Information Centre.

Symptoms of mushroom poisoning include severe stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, which can take several hours to appear. This can progress to life-threatening liver failure, depending on the species.

For more information on mushroom poisoning visit the SA Health website.

Quotes attributable to Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier

There is no reliable way of telling if a wild mushroom is safe to eat, and you can’t tell if a mushroom is poisonous by its taste or if an animal has eaten it.

I can’t be clearer – don’t eat wild mushrooms. Don’t risk your life or the life of your loved ones - only eat mushrooms from a reliable grower, greengrocer or supermarket. Wild fungi may look beautiful to look at and by all means, take a photo but don’t touch or eat them.

People born overseas should be aware that these highly toxic mushrooms can look like edible mushrooms that they may have gathered in their home countries.

If you or someone you know has eaten a wild mushroom, don’t wait for symptoms to appear. Seek immediate medical advice in case the mushroom is toxic. You can contact the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice or call 000 in an emergency.

Quotes attributable to Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of SA Senior Botanist-Mycologist, Dr Teresa Lebel

I know that people like to go to places like the Adelaide Hills to look for wild mushrooms. Mushrooms can also pop up in parks, back yards, forests and along the side of roads. Some of them might even have bright or interesting colours.

However, there is no simple, reliable test that shows which ones are safe to eat, and even experts can have difficulty identifying certain species.

If you do seek medical attention after coming into contact with a wild mushroom, take photos of it and the general location, and try to take one of the mushrooms with you so experts can identify the species to determine the most appropriate treatment.