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Mushrooms are a key ingredient in dishes all across the world, but eating certain species can have grave consequences. Two of these fungi – false morels and death caps – grow right here in Arizona. Have you seen them?

False morels bear an uncanny resemblance to the true morel, a genus of edible sac fungi.
Wikipedia/Alan Rockefeller
Only two species - Gyromitra esculenta and Gyromitra ambigua - carry both short and long-term risks when ingested.
Gyromitrin, the toxin present in false morels, does not diminish via cooking.
Wikipedia
It acts on the central nervous system and eventually results in liver necrosis, which often leads to death.
For reference, this is what a true morel looks like.
Wikipedia/Beentree
These highly-regarded mushrooms are prized by gourmet French chefs and their cultivation has become a multimillion dollar industry.

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Another toxic mushroom found in Arizona is Amanita phalloides, better known as the Death Cap.
Wikipedia/Archenzo
Just half of one is enough to kill an adult human, making it the deadliest mushroom on Earth.
Unfortunately, death caps are look-alikes to a number of edible species, so honest mixups constitute most of the fatal encounters.
Wikipedia
Amatoxins, the lethal compounds found in these mushrooms, are resistant to heat and thus cannot be cooked out.
Both false morels and death caps primarily affect the liver and kidneys when eaten.
Wikipedia/Dr. Johannes Sobotta - Sobotta's Atlas and Text-book of Human Anatomy (Public Domain)
No official antidote exists to counteract the poison, however penicillin and milk thistle have been successful in treatment.
Initial symptoms begin 12-24 hours after ingestion and include abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Flickr/Dome Poon
A brief period of wellness follows the acute malaise; however, severe internal damage is occurring insidiously. Death generally happens between six and 16 days after the initial poisoning.

Have you ever seen a false morel or death cap mushroom in person? If so, were you able to easily identify them?

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