Don't eat wild mushrooms 1 April 2026

08 April 2026

Potentially deadly wild mushrooms are starting to appear 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 and through the autumn and winter months, particularly after rain.

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

Death cap mushrooms, or Amanita phalloides, have been found recently at a few locations in the Hills and are extremely poisonous, even if only tiny amounts are ingested. Keep an eye out in your backyard and nearby surroundings for any mushrooms of concern and do not consume any wild mushrooms that appear. Also make sure you keep your pets and children away from any mushrooms in backyards, playgrounds, parks or areas of bush.

Around 33 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 61 per cent point decrease in total mushroom-related calls to the Poisons Information Centre, down from 100 in 2024 to 39 in 2025. However, twelve of these cases were either in hospital or were referred to hospital by the Poisons Information Centre. Last year was one of the poorest fungi seasons in a decade because of dry conditions.

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

Quotes attributable to Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier

I can’t be clearer – don’t eat wild mushrooms. Don’t risk your life or the life of your loved ones.

There is no reliable way of identifying 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.

Identifying some species can be difficult even for experts, so you should only ever eat mushrooms that have been purchased from a reliable green-grocer or supermarket.

If you or someone you know has eaten a wild mushroom, do not wait for symptoms to appear. You should seek immediate medical advice in case the mushroom is toxic and can contact the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice or call 000 in an emergency or 1300 869 738 for your pets.

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

The death cap mushroom is a mycorrhizal species, which means it can’t survive without the roots of its plant hosts. These are oaks, beeches, chestnut and hazelnut trees.

If you are needing to report a concerning ingestion by a child or adult, contact the poisons information centre or call Triple 000 in an emergency, and also take note of what the nearby plants are, including lawn, mulch, exotic trees, pines, eucalypts or native bush.

If you think your pet may have ingested poisonous mushrooms, contact a veterinarian as soon as possible.