Parasol or Deadly dapperling
Macrolepiota procera · Lepiota brunneoincarnata and relatives
Amatoxins, the same compounds as in the death cap
Delayed vomiting after six hours or more, an apparent recovery, then liver failure. The mushroom is the size of a thumbnail, which is exactly why nobody takes it seriously enough.
Check in this order
Most decisive first
| Feature | Parasol | Deadly dapperling |
|---|---|---|
| 01Size, and it is the whole answer | Large. A mature parasol is 10 to 30 cm across on a stem the length of your hand. | Small. 2 to 5 cm across. There is no large deadly dapperling and no small edible parasol. |
| 02Stem pattern | A distinct snakeskin pattern of brown bands on a pale stem. | Smooth or faintly banded, without the snakeskin. |
| 03Ring | A thick double-edged ring that slides freely up and down the stem. | A thin fragile ring zone, fixed. |
| 04Habitat | Grassland, wood edges, pasture. | Lawns, parks, roadsides and disturbed ground, often in towns. |
Where people go wrong
Assuming the small ones are young ones. A forager who knows parasols from home sees a scaly cap in a lawn and picks a handful of what they take to be juveniles. Small scaly parasols are a different genus and several of them are lethal.
This page tells you what to check. It does not tell you the mushroom in your hand is safe, and it cannot. If you are not certain, do not eat it, and if you have already eaten something and feel unwell, contact a poison centre immediately and keep an uncooked specimen for identification.
Other pairs