Deadly galerina vs honey mushroom
- Deadly Galerina
Spore prints differ: honey mushrooms print white, the deadly galerina prints rusty brown. Galerina is also smaller, with a smooth brown cap.
Big laughing gym vs deadly galerina: the small brown one is deadly
Quick answer
The big laughing gym is large and orange-yellow, with caps 2 to 7 inches across on stems up to 1.5 inches thick; the deadly galerina is small and honey-brown, with caps 0.5 to 1.5 inches across on thin stems usually under a quarter inch thick. Both drop a rusty brown spore print and grow on wood with a ring on the stem.
Deadly lookalike
The deadly galerina can be fatal.
Unlike the big laughing gym, the deadly galerina (Galerina marginata) contains amatoxins, the same toxins as the death cap, at similar concentrations, according to the University of British Columbia's Mushrooms Up! guide. Amatoxins stop cells from making proteins by blocking the enzyme RNA polymerase II. The Bay Area Mycological Society records that symptoms usually begin 6 to 24 hours after eating, followed by an apparent recovery and then liver damage from about 72 hours. Cooking does not destroy amatoxins. The big laughing gym is listed as inedible and bitter; First Nature notes that specimens from several regions have been found to contain the hallucinogen psilocybin.
If someone has eaten a wild mushroom and feels unwell, or may have eaten one of these, call poison control now: 1-800-222-1222 in the US. Do not wait for symptoms.
Side by side
The tell for each
Toxic lookalike
The tellA large, orange-yellow cluster on wood with a ring on a thick stem and a rusty orange spore print.
Deadly
The tellSmall honey-brown caps in clusters on rotting wood, with rusty brown gills, a thin ring on the stem, and a rusty brown spore print.
How they differ
| Feature | Big Laughing Gym | Deadly Galerina |
|---|---|---|
| Cap size | Big Laughing Gym2 to 7 inches (5 to 18 cm). | Deadly Galerina0.5 to 1.5 inches (1 to 4 cm). |
| Stem | Big Laughing GymThick, up to 1.5 inches (4 cm), often swollen. | Deadly GalerinaThin, usually under 1/4 inch (0.6 cm). |
| Cap color and surface | Big Laughing GymOrange-yellow to rusty orange, dry, with fine silky fibers or small scales. | Deadly GalerinaHoney-brown drying to tan, smooth and slightly sticky. |
| Ring | Big Laughing GymA membranous ring near the top that turns rusty, sometimes wearing away. | Deadly GalerinaA thin ring or ring zone that catches rusty spores, sometimes disappearing. |
| Flesh | Big Laughing GymPale yellow and firm; taste recorded as intensely bitter. | Deadly GalerinaThin and brownish; smell mild to mealy. |
| Spore print | Big Laughing GymRusty orange to bright rusty brown. | Deadly GalerinaRusty brown. |
FAQ
Common questions
Is the big laughing gym poisonous?
Field guides list it as poisonous or inedible, and its flesh is intensely bitter. Psilocybin has been reported in some collections but not in others.
Does the big laughing gym look like the deadly galerina?
Both are rusty-spored mushrooms with rings that grow in clusters on wood. The galerina is far smaller and contains amatoxins, the toxins of the death cap.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Gymnopilus junonius
MushroomExpert.com
- Galerina marginata
MushroomExpert.com
- Gymnopilus junonius, Spectacular Rustgill
First Nature
- Galerina marginata, deadly galerina (Mushrooms Up!)
Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia
Keep checking
Read both pages in full
- More on the big laughing gym
- More on the deadly galerina
- Not sure it is either? Narrow it down with the identification key
This page states what field guides record. It is not advice to eat, taste or handle anything, and a photo cannot settle edibility. If someone has eaten a wild mushroom that may be toxic, call poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) right away, before symptoms start: the deadliest species act hours later.
More comparisons
Brick cap vs deadly galerina
- Deadly Galerina
Brick caps print purple-brown and have brick-red caps; the deadly galerina prints rusty brown and is smaller and honey-brown. Both cluster on wood.
Lactarius rubidus
Photo coming
Candy cap vs deadly galerina
- Deadly Galerina
A candy cap oozes thin, watery latex when cut and prints whitish to cream. The deadly galerina has no latex, usually a ring, and a rusty brown print.
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