Home / Mushroom Guide / Death Cap. The Straw Mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) is grown and eaten through a large part of Asia but it does not grow naturally in Australia.However the species Volvariella speciosa is found naturally in many parts of Australia and looks very similar to the Straw Mushroom. The death cap is originally a European mushroom, and is found throughout Europe and parts of North Africa. More information on death cap mushrooms can be found on the B.C. The species was introduced to North America and is most often seen in California. Related Stories B.C. The highly toxic “death cap” mushroom, responsible for the death of a Victoria toddler in 2016, has already been found growing in Greater Victoria, much earlier than expected, Island . The top of the volva will often be found attached to the stem more than halfway up, looking like a skirt. However, there are reports of it in many other states including Pennsylvania, Ohio, and parts of the East Coast. The death cap is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in the northern hemisphere. The Death Cap Mushroom is the World's most poisonous Mushroom! issues warning over highly poisonous death cap mushrooms Death cap mushrooms, which contain a toxic compound called amatoxin, are said to be responsible for 90 percent of all mushroom fatalities worldwide. ... 5 comments for Death Cap . Death Cap Mushrooms are members of the Amantia family, which are among the most dangerous mushrooms in the world. Poisonous . Summer . The death cap grows around ornamental European hardwoods, which were imported to Victoria about 50 years ago. It was carried (probably with tree seedlings) to North America and Australia. Death Cap . . Each species in Volvariella has a volva at the base of the stem and the gills don’t reach the stem - just like the Deathcap. Autumn . Death caps can easily be mistaken for an edible species of mushroom, as seen in three cases in B.C., one fatal, among people who misidentified them, according to the BCMJ study. Centre for Disease Control website. Historically, there have been four deaths and 12 reported incidents of poisoning associated with the Death Cap mushroom in the ACT. The mushroom pops up around … It grows throughout the entire temperate zone of Europe, Asia and North Africa. . ... bulbous base and surrounded by a thin veil (volva) which is sack-like at ground height, tapering slightly towards the cap.