[Daffynition]

In the case of fungi ... one has to be very certain or dead. Not much wiggle room. We spent the whole morning hiking and identifying...and the second part of the day we were to gather 'shrooms based on what we learned, and bring them back to camp. Our assembled gathering was spread out and the instructors explained what was good/edible, and what wasn't. They heated up a small stove and cooked up the edibles.....several harvested varieties were discarded...a few where discussed....and the two *doctors* couldn't agree on a few...and those were discarded with the caveat.

What I learned from this exchange was....if they can't be *sure* or agree...what chance do I have? Yikes!

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Mushrooms are the one area that I avoid completely. I’m sure there are edible ones I could learn to identify, but there are entirely too many chances for a mistake being lethal that it’s not worth the risk.

Your “Doctors” were probably both right, depending on which book they were coming from. The same item in two different books can be listed as both edible and toxic depending on the time of year it was sampled, how sensitive one is to the “toxin” and whether an upset stomach completely unrelated to the plant was thought to have been the result of poisoning.

The common pokeweed is both edible and poisonous depending on what part and what time of year you harvest it. I’ve eaten the young shoots for years and never had so much as heartburn, but there some who would avoid it out of an abundance of caution.

As they say, Your Mileage May Vary.