Family sickened from eating meal of wild ‘vomiter’ mushrooms

ANNANDALE, Va. – Members of a family in northern Virginia fell ill and needed hospital attention after eating a meal containing wild mushrooms picked near their apartment complex.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that they experienced vomiting and stomach pains a few hours after eating the mushrooms.

Fairfax County Fire officials say poison control and crews from the fire department scoured around the Annandale apartment complex, finding mushrooms in a courtyard in a bid to identify them. For confirmation, they sent pictures of the mushrooms to family members as they were being treated at a hospital.

The mushrooms are known as “Chlorophyllum molybdites” or green spored Lepiota — also called the “vomiter.”

Officials say the mushrooms are a severe gastrointestinal irritant when eaten, but do not cause liver failure or death.

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com