The potentially fatal death cap mushrooms that killed a three-year-old boy last year are popping up early in Uplands.
The mushroom, known by the scientific name Amanita phalloides, was discovered by a couple on Ripon Road, said Dr. Brenda Callan, a mycologist with Natural Resources Canada.
Ninety per cent of mushroom deaths worldwide have been attributed to death caps. It is one of the deadliest mushroom species in the world.
“The mycology community wants people to know this mushroom does occur here and it’s relatively new and not as well known,” Callan said.
“If you’re used to picking certain mushrooms, you should be aware that these are here.”
Death caps usually appear in the fall after the rain starts, she said.
“When we get these early records of appearance, it’s almost always in heavily irrigated areas,” said Callan, who is not surprised to see an emerald green lawn in a photograph of the toxic mushrooms.
Parents with young children and people walking their pets should be wary of the shiny, greenish-hued domes. Recent immigrants from Asia, who might mistake death caps for straw mushrooms, should also be vigilant, said Callan.
“You see something you think is familiar to you, not realizing in North America we have this poisonous mushroom,” she said.
“We certainly want to make sure this community is aware of this.”
Death caps resemble straw mushrooms, which are widely cultivated in Asia. But the gills on the death cap stay white, unlike the gills on the straw mushrooms, which stay pink, Callan said.
The death cap grows around ornamental European hardwoods that were imported to Victoria about 50 years ago. It pops up around English oaks, chestnuts, lindens and hornbeams.
The invasive species was first reported in the province in 1997, in Mission, according to the University of British Columbia. It was first recorded in Victoria in 1998.
The Pacific Forestry Centre’s Forest Pathology Herbarium database has 14 records in B.C., including samples collected at Government House, in a garden on Foul Bay Road, on Richmond Avenue, under linden trees in Uplands, and under hornbeams beside a downtown parking lot and near Crystal Gardens.
The toxins are not destroyed by cooking.
Last October, the toddler died after his family foraged for mushrooms near a sidewalk in downtown Victoria. After his death, the boy’s family made his death public to warn others of the dangers of picking mushrooms without proper knowledge.
In 2003, David Vickery of Oak Bay barely survived after cooking and eating death caps picked from under an oak tree on Eastdowne Road, thinking they were puffballs.
Pets are also vulnerable. Two dogs died within a week of each other after eating poisonous mushrooms at Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park in 2007, although the mushroom species responsible was not named.
Bruce Pendergast, president of the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society, said it’s critical that anyone gathering and eating mushrooms learns to identify them. Courses are offered at Royal Roads University and through the Swan Lake Nature Centre.
The Capital Regional District also offers mushroom walks at selected parks, he said.
The society begins monthly meetings in September which feature a presentation and an opportunity to meet mushroom enthusiasts.
Guests are welcome and encouraged to bring mushrooms for identification.
The society’s annual mushroom show is being held Oct. 29 at the Cordova Bay 55 Plus Association facilities at Cordova Bay School. For other local information about mushrooms, go to the society website at svims.ca.
Safety tips for mushroom hunters
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control offers the following tips to stay safe during mushroom season:
• Recreational mushroom hunters should use caution and common sense when foraging for wild mushrooms.
• If you are unsure, don’t eat it.
• Only pick and eat mushrooms that are well known, distinct and easily identifiable.
• Eat small amounts.
• If you suspect you’ve consumed a poisonous mushroom, call B.C. Drug and Poison Information at 1-800-567-8911, seek medical attention or call 911 and keep a sample of the mushroom or food that was eaten.
• The symptoms of death cap poisoning include nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea, low blood pressure, liver failure and kidney failure.
• Illness begins eight to 12 hours after ingestion, beginning with gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, followed by apparent recovery. Gastrointestinal symptoms recur and damage to the kidney and liver progresses over the next three to six days.
