Lobster mushroom
Hypomyces lactifluorum
mushroom
⚠️ Toxic look-alike
Never eat this mushroom unless you are certain it is not its toxic look-alike.
The mushroom it covers, a milk cap or russula, can no longer be recognized: a toxic species cannot be ruled out. Other bright orange mushrooms, such as the jack-o'-lantern, cause violent vomiting. A lobster mushroom must be firm and evenly orange, with no white mold or fishy smell. Buy it from a vendor, or have it identified by a mycologist.
If in the slightest doubt, leave it. If you feel unwell after eating it, even several hours later, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or 911.
A milk cap or russula covered by another fungus that turns it firm and red-orange, tasting of seafood.
- Origin
- North America
- Season (United States)
- July to October · grows in your region
- Preparation
- It is brushed clean, sliced and always eaten cooked, pan-fried for a good quarter of an hour. If you pick it yourself, have the mushroom checked by a pharmacist or a mycological society before eating it.
- Molecules
- Mushroom beta-glucansIn small amounts, not counted Ergothioneine
- Did you know?
- It is not one species but two: one mushroom transformed by another.