Death cap mushrooms. View of two death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) growing on a 
woodland floor. These are the most poisonous mushrooms known. They grow in woodland, 
usually oak, in late summer and autumn throughout Europe and North America. They may be 
confused for edible fungi by amateur collectors. Symptoms begin up to a day after the 
mushrooms are eaten, and usually start with stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhoea, 
which may last 24 hours or more. This is usually followed by an apparent recovery, but 
death occurs within a few days from liver and kidney failure. Treatment must begin very 
soon after ingestion to prevent death.