Australians have been warned about the dangers of picking wild mushrooms, because of the risk of eating potentially fatal fungi such as death cap mushrooms.
Foraging for wild food is becoming a popular activity, and is often encouraged by some groups on social media.
But Cathy Moir, who is the chair of the Food Safety Information Council, said it was a hobby that could be life-threatening.
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"We are particularly concerned about this growing online promotion of mushroom foraging with some wild mushroom social media groups having over 40,000 members seeking to have their photos of mushrooms identified by fellow foragers," Moir said.
Apps and Google were also not a not reliable way to identify mushrooms accurately either, she said.
Apps had been known to only recognise Northern Hemisphere mushrooms and mushrooms could change appearance during their growth cycle, she added.
Deathcap mushrooms can grow year round, but commonly appear in autumn or winter a week or two after good rains.
They are found in South Australia, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.
In Western Australia, similar native marbled deathcap mushrooms have been found, although they may not be as toxic.
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About 90 percent of mushroom-related deaths are attributable to the death cap mushroom.
Police have alleged the mushroom was used in the suspected murders last year of Victorian couple Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson.
Don and Gail's daughter-in-law, Erin Patterson, who prepared their meal, has been charged with their murders.
Initial symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps and usually appear 10 to 16 hours after eating.
Moir said there were other wild mushrooms in Australia that have caused fatalities or can make you seriously ill with abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.
"These include the Cortinarius (webcap) and Galerina species, the ghost mushroom (commonly mistaken for oyster mushrooms), and the yellow stainer which resembles a field mushroom and is the most commonly ingested poisonous mushroom in Victoria and New South Wales," Moir said.
