Poisonous mushrooms in Norway

Good advice when picking mushrooms

• Only eat mushrooms you are 100% sure are safe.
• Never taste an unknown mushroom! Even a poisonous mushroom can have a mild flavour.
• Use up-to-date literature on mushrooms.
• Throw away all worm-eaten or rotten mushrooms.

Hepatotoxic mushrooms

Toxicity

Even very small amounts of these mushrooms can cause severe poisoning. Clinical signs occur after a minimum of 6 hours, and include watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and vomiting. There is a high risk of life-threatening liver damage within 2 - 3 days.

If you suspect you have ingested this mushroom, contact the Norwegian Poisons Information Centre for advice.

Destroying angel

The entire mushroom is white (cap, stem, gills and flesh). On the stalk there is a ring, but this might fall off. The base of the stalk has a sheeting volva (bag). Destroying angel is common in forests

Death cap

The colour of the cap can vary from green to brown and yellow. The gills and the stalk are white. On the stalk there is a ring, but this might fall off. The base of the stalk has a sheeting volva (bag). Death cap is rare in Norway.

Chestnut dapperling

The cap is red brown and scaly. The gills and flesh are white. The stalk is brown. This is a small mushroom.

Funeral bell

The cap and gills are yellow–brown. The stalk varies from grey to brown. This is a small mushroom, usually found in clusters on bark and tree stumps. Funeral bell is common in Norway.

Girdled dapperling

The cap is bell shaped, yellow brown and scaly. The gills are white. This mushroom is small and grows in deciduous forests.

Nephrotoxic mushrooms

Toxicity

Even a very small amount of the two webcaps contains enough poison to cause severe kidney damage. Clinical signs do not appear until at least 2 days after ingestion. These include nausea, abdominal pain, malaise and increased or reduced amount of urine.

There is a high risk of developing severe kidney failure within a period of 3 – 10 days. If you suspect you have ingested these webcaps, contact the Norwegian Poisons Information Centre for advice.

Deadly webcap

The entire mushroom is reddish-brown (cap, stipe, gills and flesh). Deadly webcap is common in forests.

Fool’s webcap

Looks like the deadly webcap, but has a rounded cap. Fool’s webcap is a rare mushroom growing in deciduous forests.

Dangerous misidentification​​

Deadly webcap grow in the same places as the edible Trumpet chanterelle (Craterellus tubaeformis), and the two species are similar in colour (see photo). It is important to check each mushroom you collect to make sure the deadly webcap is not mixed in with any edible chanterelles.

Other poisonous mushrooms

Red fly agaric / Brown fly agaric / Panther agaric

These mushrooms have white gills and a stalk with a ring. The base of the stalk is bulbous. The cap is reddish or brownish in colour, usually with white spots.

Toxicity

These three agaric mushrooms contain a toxin that affects the nervous system. Clinical signs usually appear within ½ - 3 hours after ingestion. Ingestion of small amounts may cause confusion, dizziness and upset stomach. Severe poisoning is rare, but ingesting a larger amount can cause symptoms requiring hospital treatment.

Orange birch bolete

Orange birch bolete has a reddish-brown cap and black scales on a white stipe. When cut, the stem turns grey-blue. The mushroom is common throughout Norway.

Toxicity

Orange birch bolete is edible if heated for a minimum of 15-20 minutes. Insufficiently heated Orange birch bolete causes multiple cases of stomach upsets in Norway every year.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain typically occur a few hours after ingestion. Symptoms usually pass within 1-2 days. Ingestion of large amounts may cause severe gastric distress and require hospitalization.

Brown roll-rim​​

This mushroom has a brown cap with rolled rim, brown stalk and gills that darken when applying pressure. Brown roll-rim is very common in Norway.

Toxicity

Brown roll-rim contains several different toxins and can produce varying symptoms. Vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain may occur ½ - 3 hours after ingesting raw mushrooms. Repeated ingestion of heat-treated Brown roll-rim can cause serious poisoning with damage to blood cells and kidneys.

Get a copy of the brochure

This information was produced by the Norwegian Poisons Information Centre (giftinfo.no). An extended brochure in Norwegian can be downloaded from the homepage in 25 different languages.

Norges sopp og nyttevekstforbund, Norway’s mushroom and edible plant federation (soppognyttevekster.no), arranges mushroom courses and excursions.

Download a free brochure in your own language

أنواع الفطور السامّة في النرویج (Arabic)

Giftige sopper i Norge (bokmål)

Giftige sopper i Norge (bokmål kortversjon)

Отровни гъби в Норвегия (Bulgarian)

挪威的毒蘑菇 (Chinese)

Poisonous mushrooms in Norway (English)

قارچ های سمی در نروژ (Farsi)

Norjassa kasvavat myrkilliset sienet (Finnish)

Champignons vénéneux en Norvège (French)

Giftige Pilze in Norwegen (German)

नॉर्वे में पाया जाने वाला जहरीला मशरूम (Hindi)

Mérges gombák Norvégiában (Hungarian)

Funghi velenosi in Norvegia (Italian)

Kumikên jehrdar li Norwêc (Kurmanji)

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Giftige soppar i Noreg (nynorsk)

په ناروې کې زهري مرخیړي (Pashto)

Trujace grzyby w Norwegii (Polish)

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Ядовитые грибы Норвегии (Russian)

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