BOSTON -- Two Newton residents were in the intensive care unit of a local hospital after eating poisonous mushrooms they found near their yard, city officials said.

An elderly Oak Hill resident picked the mushrooms and used them in a recipe that she and her adult son ate.

The city's health commissioner said the woman and son, whose names have not been released, ate mushrooms that are in the Amanita family, also known as the "Death Angel," because its amino acids attack the liver, kidney and nervous system.

City Health Commissioner David Naparstek said the pair were "critically ill," but are expected to recover.

"Both have been hospitalized in very serious condition," he said.

Mayor David Cohen warned residents they should not eat wild mushrooms.

"This incident is a very painful reminder of that," said Cohen.

It's hard for people who are not trained professionals to identify dangerous fungi from harmless ones, John McNally, a senior environmental health specialist said.

"Some are so poisonous that getting the residue on your hands is taking a chance," McNally said. "They're lucky they didn't die, from what I understand, because of what they ate."

Cohen cautioned parents to keep young children away from wild mushrooms. McNally added that residents should use gloves to pull them up and dispose of them in double plastic bags.

"Most people who are poisoned get some gastrointestinal problems, and they are not seriously poisoned," said David Hibbett, of Clark University.

McNally said he's been collecting different varieties around Newton to aid researchers.

"There's someone working on a treatment for mushroom poisoning in another state," he said.

Meanwhile, neighbors are hoping the pair sickened by the mushrooms will have a swift recovery.

"I'm really sorry to hear it but I really hope that helps other people realize not to pick the mushrooms," one woman said.

Meanwhile, another woman from Finland said she routinely picked mushrooms "back home" to make sauces and stews, but not here in the U.S.