False champignon: description of the poisonous double

“False” refers to poisonous mushrooms that look very similar to edible analogues. Dangerous "doubles" are sometimes difficult to distinguish even experienced mushroom pickers.

Common champignon has many types, and most of them are eaten. It’s very difficult to remember the features of each, so lovers of the “silent hunt” often rely on common signs. This can provoke poisoning: among the family Agaric (Champignon) there are species harmful to human health.

Industrial cultivation allows you to enjoy the taste of the product without harming your health, but the number of poisonings with false champignons, which are “disguised” as edible specimens, does not decrease. People are attracted to the “silent hunt” and the opportunity to save on the purchase of mushrooms. In addition, each individual species has its own flavor: you can not find it in a standard product from store shelves.

How false champignons look: photo and description of the appearance of mushrooms

Most often, such representatives of the Agaric family are taken for edible specimens:

• Agaricus xanthodermus.
• Agaricus meleagris.
• Agaricus californicus.

Typical examples of false champignons are shown in the photo.

Distinguish from edible such instances will help a number of features. On the hat, the poisonous double has a speck of brown color, which is located in the center. If you press it, light yellow spots will appear. But this method does not give a guarantee, therefore it is better to use it in tandem with other signs.

When breaking, the flesh of the false forest and field champignons begins to turn yellow and smell unpleasantly with carbolic acid, and during cooking, the water and the mushrooms themselves become bright yellow for a short time, but this color quickly disappears. Prolonged heat treatment will not be able to rid the product of toxins.

Take a look at the photo and study the description of the appearance of false forest mushrooms.

The color of the cap and its shape can change under the influence of the environment, so special attention is paid to the flesh, its smell, shade and changes during cooking.

Another mushroom that masquerades as edible is pale grebe. Outwardly, it resembles champignon, while it does not have a smell by which it could be recognized. At the base of the grebe there are Volvos (root sacs), but people do not always notice them. If there is the slightest doubt about the suitability of the mushroom, it is worth breaking the pulp and see if it turns yellow, and then check the color change of the water during cooking. This is one of the most accurate and proven ways to distinguish real edible champignons from false ones.

You can confuse only a “young” pale grebe: over time, bulges will appear on her hat, it will become smooth, and the fringe will become saggy. Toadstool appears from the first half of June, its peak falls in August. The height of the toadstool can reach 20-25 cm, and the diameter of the cap does not exceed 15 cm.

Inexperienced mushroom pickers can take one of the bright mushrooms for good mushrooms. In this case, the unpleasant odor that the pulp has is prevented from poisoning.

If you don’t know what poisonous false champignons look like, look at the photo: these are common mushrooms that are often mistaken for edible ones.

Real champignons: places of distribution and distinctive features

To understand how to distinguish edible champignon from false champignon, you need to know their distinguishing features, the places where they are common and the time of their growth.

“Right” mushrooms can be found on shady flower beds, along roadsides, in beds. There usually grows bicorean (Agaricus bisporus) and double-ringed (Agaricus bitorquis) champignon. Garden varieties are characterized by light shades - from white to grayish and light cream. The hat of the double-ring mushroom opens even in the upper layer of the soil, therefore, the color of the leaves covering it or humus can influence the color.

Common (Agaricus campestris) and large-spore (Agaricus macrosporus) species of fungus can be found in the steppe, in fields and meadows. Poisonous representatives of the Agaric family are rarely found here.

In plantings near the trees, a field species (Agaricus arvensis) grows, which is collected from mid-May to the end of September.

Compare the photo of the present and the image of the false champignon: the difference is not always visible.

Forest moisture and shade are excellent conditions for the development of species such as coppice, dark red, forest and August champignon. They appear in early July and grow until October. Their peculiarity is that after cutting, young mushrooms appear in the same place after 10-15 days.

But most often in the forest it is forest false champignons that are found - look at the photo how they look.

Inedible doubles grow away from direct sunlight: light fly agaric can be found under firs or birches, and pale grebe is unpretentious for the choice of deciduous trees.

But poisonous specimens can be found even in places of growth uncharacteristic for this species, so you need to be extremely careful.

False champignon food poisoning

Even proven mushrooms can cause poisoning if they are picked in the wrong place. These are roadsides of large roads, territories near industrial facilities, landfills. Mushrooms like a sponge absorb poisonous substances, among which are carcinogens.

Having studied the description of the places of growth of false forest champignon, look at the photo of this specimen in natural conditions.

It is almost impossible to determine the presence of toxins in it at home.

Another nuance to keep in mind: these mushrooms are dangerous to pickle and roll for the winter. If they are undercooked, undersalted, or rolled up a jar, botulinus bacteria will begin to develop inside the product. They cause severe food poisoning, which can cause further health problems. In the factory, mushrooms undergo heat treatment, which destroys pathogenic bacteria.

It is not worth mentioning that one toxic champignon can turn the entire conservation into a poisonous product.

In order to find a dangerous “neighbor” in time, having studied the descriptions given above, once again look at the photos of false mushrooms resembling champignons.

Multiple cases of poisoning with severe consequences do not stop fans of "silent hunting."

Most of them are more severe than conventional toxic infections. Especially acute are the ingestion of toxic substances into the blood of children and people with poor health.

The degree of poisoning with cooked false champignon depends on which mushrooms skillfully “disguised” as it. If it is yellow-skinned, variegated, their California species or white fly agaric, the symptoms may appear within a couple of hours. Nausea and stomach pain are the reason for immediate medical attention.

It is much more difficult to identify poisonous grebe poisoning. The malaise does not appear earlier than after 8 hours, and sometimes - 1-2 days after eating it.