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.
Deadly galerina vs fool's conecap: two small brown mushrooms with amatoxins
Quick answer
The deadly galerina grows in clusters on rotting wood and has a convex to flat cap; the fool's conecap grows scattered in lawns, mulch, wood chips and moss and has a small conical to bell-shaped cap with a pale, movable ring. Both contain amatoxins, drop a rusty brown spore print and have a ring.
Deadly lookalike
The deadly galerina and the fool's conecap can be fatal.
Like the fool's conecap, 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 fool's conecap (Pholiotina rugosa) contains deadly amatoxins, according to MykoWeb's California Fungi, and the Bay Area Mycological Society lists it with the amatoxin species. Amatoxin symptoms usually begin 6 to 24 hours after eating with vomiting and diarrhea, followed by an apparent recovery and then liver damage from about 72 hours.
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
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.
Pholiotina rugosa
Photo coming
Deadly
The tellTiny orange-brown conical cap on a thin stem with a small movable ring, in lawns, mulch and wood chips.
How they differ
| Feature | Deadly Galerina | Fool's Conecap |
|---|---|---|
| What it grows on | Deadly GalerinaRotting logs and stumps. | Fool's ConecapLawns, gardens, landscaping beds, wood chips and mossy ground. |
| Growth | Deadly GalerinaUsually in clusters. | Fool's ConecapAlone or scattered. |
| Cap shape | Deadly GalerinaConvex, then flat or with a low central bump. | Fool's ConecapConical to bell-shaped, often keeping a small central bump. |
| Cap size | Deadly Galerina0.5 to 1.5 inches (1 to 4 cm). | Fool's Conecap0.4 to 1 inch (1 to 2.5 cm). |
| Ring | Deadly GalerinaA thin ring or ring zone near the top. | Fool's ConecapA small, pale, membranous ring in the upper half that can move and fall off. |
| Spore print | Deadly GalerinaRusty brown. | Fool's ConecapDull rusty brown. |
FAQ
Common questions
What is the fool's conecap?
Pholiotina rugosa, formerly Conocybe filaris: a small, fragile, rusty-spored lawn and mulch mushroom with a ring. It contains amatoxins.
Do the deadly galerina and the fool's conecap have the same spore print?
Nearly: rusty brown for the galerina and dull rusty brown for the fool's conecap, and both have a ring. Growth and cap shape separate them: clusters on rotting wood with a convex to flat cap for the galerina, alone or scattered in lawns, mulch, wood chips and moss with a conical to bell-shaped cap for the fool's conecap.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Galerina marginata
MushroomExpert.com
- Pholiotina rugosa
MushroomExpert.com
- Amatoxin: The Deadliest of All Mushroom Poisonings
Bay Area Mycological Society
Keep checking
Read both pages in full
- More on the deadly galerina
- More on the fool's conecap
- 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
Big laughing gym vs deadly galerina
- Toxic: Big Laughing Gym
- Deadly Galerina
Both are rusty-spored clusters on wood. The big laughing gym is large and orange-yellow; the deadly galerina is small and honey-brown, with amatoxins.
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.
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