Poisonous mushrooms in Norway

Good advice when picking mushrooms

• Join a mushroom identification course.
• Pick and clean mushrooms one at a time.
• Learn about mushrooms in Norway, including poisonous species.
• Mushroom species are different in different countries. A mushroom that is safe 
  to eat in one country may look like a poisonous mushroom in Norway.
• Use new and updated mushroom information and guidebooks.
• Only eat fresh mushrooms in good condition. Throw away rotten or worm
  damaged mushrooms.
• Only pick mushrooms that are fully grown or easy to identify.
• Keep different mushroom species separate in your basket, for example in 
  different boxes or bags.
• Only eat or serve mushrooms if you are completely sure they are safe.
• Ask an expert to check your mushrooms. You can use a local mushroom 
  inspection service or a digital mushroom inspection service on your phone.
• Never use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify mushrooms for eating.

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 (Amanita virosa)

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 Norevegian forests.

Death cap (Amanita phalloides)

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.

Funeral bell (Galerina marginata)

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.

Mushrooms from genus Lepiota 

Mushrooms in the Lepiota genus are small and difficult to distinguish from one another. It is unknown which species in this genus may be poisonous.
The gills have white shades. The cap appears to be covered with 
scales and may have various colors. The stalk may have a ring or not. The stalk may be white or other colors. The flesh is white.

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 36 hours after ingestion. These might include nausea, abdominal pain, malaise and increased or reduced amount of urine, but may also be absent.

There is a high risk of developing severe kidney failure within a period of 3 – 14 days. If you suspect you have ingested these webcaps, contact the Norwegian Poisons Information Centre for advice.

Deadly webcap (Cortinarius rubellus)

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

Fool’s webcap (Cortinarius orellanus)

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

Get a copy of the brochure

This information was produced by the Norwegian Poisons Information Centre. An extended brochure in Norwegian can be downloaded from the homepage inmore than 20 different languages.

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

Download a free brochure in your own language

أنواع الفطور السامّة في النرویج (Arabic)

Giftige sopper i Norge (bokmål)

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)

Nuodingi grybai Norvegijoje (Lithuanian)

Giftige soppar i Noreg (nynorsk)

په ناروې کې زهري مرخیړي (Pashto)

Trujace grzyby w Norwegii (Polish)

Ciuperci otrăvitoare din Norvegia (Romanian)

Ядовитые грибы Норвегии (Russian)

Setas venenosas de Noruega (Spanish)

Otrovne gljive odn. pecurke u Norveškoj (Serbocroatian)

قارچکی ژه‌هراوی له‌ نه‌رویج (Sorani)

เห็ดพิษในนอร์เวย์ (Thai)

Norveç'teki zehirli mantarlar (Turkish)

Отруйні гриби в Норвегії (Ukranian)

Các loi nâm doc Na Uy (Vietnamese)