Look out for children and pets, Comox residents warned, as death cap mushrooms spotted

The Town of Comoxiswarning residents thatpoisonousdeath cap mushrooms have been foundnear Filberg Park.

"This one species, the death cap mushroom, has probably killed more people than all the other mushroom species put together," said Andy MacKinnon, co-author of Mushrooms of British Columbia and a member of the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society.

The townis askingthose with children and pets to be especially careful, warning that themushrooms, whichcontain lethal toxins called amatoxins,can lead to liver and kidney damage or death.

A three-year-old boy diedin 2016 from eating a death cap mushroom found near Victoria.

Death cap mushrooms are white with greenish-yellow tinges, and grow up to 15 centimetrestall, according to MacKinnon.

They have a floppy ring around the steam near the top of the mushroom,and the bottom of the stem sits in a cup-like structure called a volva.

MacKinnon says they also have a"sickly sweet" smellthat strengthens as the mushroom ages.

"It's a beautiful mushroom ...lots of identifying characters for this pretty distinctive mushroom," he said.

The public notice from Comox, about 225 kilometres northwest of Victoria,says the mushrooms closely resemble some edible mushrooms from Asia.

Those who think they have come across a death cap mushroom can contact their local mycological society to identify it, said MacKinnon.

"The best bet is simply to take the mushroom and dispose of it," he said, addingthey should be thrown in the garbage as opposed to the compost, to reduce the chances of a pet eating it.

MacKinnon says death cap mushrooms arean invasive species from Europe, introduced to B.C. from the roots of various European trees, including hornbeam, sweet chestnut, English oak and beech trees.

They have been seenin Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and various locations on Vancouver Island,including Greater Victoria, Comox Valley,Nanaimo and Galiano Island.