Are these mushrooms safe to eat?

[Wysocki]

I have a bunch of mushrooms popping up (So.California) and was wondering if they're safe to pick and eat???

 

[Mrsclem]

I would not eat any mushrooms growing in your yard. Unless you are an expert on them, they could be very deadly. IMO- not worth the risk.

 

[dave84]

You can eat mushrooms that grow anywhere but you must be certain of what you are eating. Your life depends on it.

 

[alp]

It would be helpful if you photographed the end bit of the mushroom inside the soil. If it's bulbous, stay clear. Also, you need to photograph the gill and the apron.

On the whole, don't risk it as this mushroom is not distinctive enough. If it were amythist deceiver, it would be easy to identify. You could google youtube to find out more. Eating mushrooms in the wild could end in multiple organ failure. I remember this news story in which an aunt (probably a Thai woman or someone from that part of the world) ate a wild mushroom and soon after that she died from multiple-organ failure (how painful that must have been). After the inquest, her husband and her niece who went on the trip were holding hands ... Umm..

 

[WildTomatoGuy]

Poisoness,,,DO NOT EAT IT

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Poisoness,,,DO NOT EAT IT

I don't know quite what you base that on, that way up they look like common field mushrooms, but it is the other side that is the giveaway. If the gills are anything but black they are a definite NO! As Alp says, show us the underside and the stem. Do they smell like mushrooms? And where were they growing? Was it just grass?

 

[Marck]

It is always good to be very cautious about consuming any wild fungus. You do need to be certain of your identification.
'Old Wive Tale' shortcuts are not good. Thorough field guides and keys are needed and well-taught lessons in wild mycophagy, if not mycology are strongly recommended. Of course, some edible types such as morels (Morellus) and chanterelles (Cantharellus) are easier to identify. However nothing is fool-proof, because a 'fool' will blithely ignore any 'proof'.

The OP has not given us enough characters to identify with certainty. I have seen enough mushrooms in California to suggest it might be an Agaricus. There certainly are edible Agaricus, including the most commonly cultivated mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), but there are also toxic Agaricus species that need to be ruled out.

For mushroom identification in western North America and to a lesser extent elsewhere, I will recommend both Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora and California Mushrooms by Desjardin, Wood, and Stevens.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Interesting, our common mushroom is Agaricus biosopus, I have always guessed that fungal spores are numerous enough and light enough that some would make it to anywhere in the world, but it is only a guess. Do you know if it is that particular species?

 

[Marck]

It is often stated that the native range of Agaricus bisporus is Europe and North America, though it now occurs more widely due to worldwide cultivation. There are also a number of similar species that may or may not always be distinguished by all taxonomists.