Introduction to Mushrooms Revised April 2000
by By Michael W. Beug Email: beugm@evergreen.edu
The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA
Slide 59.
Angel's Wings, Pleurocybella porrigens, is a small widespread species that sometimes grows in such abundance on rotting conifer logs that it is worth collecting as an edible. Pleurocybella porrigens has an interesting flavor and is easily identified because it is so pure white. A careless collector could confuse it with a brown-spored Crepidotus species and have a rather unpleasant meal but most people capable of telling apples from oranges should be able to collect it safely. However, collectors should be aware of a number of fatal poisonings from this species that occurred in Japan in the Fall of 2004. Most of the victims were elderly and all of the victims had damaged kidneys prior to ingestion of the mushrooms. They had all eaten a large quantity. My advice is to always consume mushrooms in moderation.
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