Mushroom species: how to identify them
Each page leads with the edibility verdict, then the features to confirm and the dangerous look-alikes. Never eat a wild mushroom on the strength of a web page.
Chicken of the woods identification (Laetiporus sulphureus): brackets, pores, host trees
Chicken of the woods identification: orange-yellow overlapping brackets on oak, tiny yellow pores, no gills, no stem. Edible when cooked; some people react. Avoid yew.
Read → DeadlyDeadly galerina (Galerina marginata) identification: the funeral bell
Deadly galerina identification: a small brown mushroom on rotting wood with rusty gills, a thin ring and a rusty-brown spore print. The UK funeral bell, with look-alikes.
Read → DeadlyDeadly webcap (Cortinarius rubellus): how to identify it and why it is mistaken for chanterelles
The deadly webcap is a tawny orange-brown conifer mushroom whose toxin, orellanine, destroys the kidneys days after a meal. How to identify it and keep it off the plate.
Read → DeadlyDeath cap (Amanita phalloides): mushroom identification
Death cap mushroom identification: olive-yellow cap, white gills, skirt ring and a white sac at the base. Where it grows in the US and Europe; why cooking does not help.
Read → DeadlyDestroying angel (Amanita bisporigera, A. ocreata, A. virosa): mushroom identification
Destroying angel mushroom identification: a pure white amanita with white gills, a skirt ring and a sac at the base. US and European species, and the lawn look-alikes.
Read → PoisonousEarthball mushroom (Scleroderma citrinum): poisonous, and how it differs from a puffball
The earthball mushroom (Scleroderma citrinum) is poisonous and often mistaken for an edible puffball. Thick scaly skin, a firm feel and a dark interior give it away.
Read → Not edibleFalse chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca): how to identify it and tell it from a chanterelle
The false chanterelle is a soft orange mushroom with forked true gills, mostly under conifers. Sources rate it inedible to mildly poisonous. How to tell it apart.
Read → DeadlyFalse morel (Gyromitra esculenta): identification and what cutting it in half shows
False morel (Gyromitra esculenta) identification: a red-brown, brain-like cap, chambered inside when cut in half, unlike the hollow true morel. Toxin, delay and season.
Read → EdibleGiant puffball look-alikes: how to tell a real puffball from a deadly egg
Giant puffball look-alikes: deadly Amanita eggs and poisonous earthballs. Cut every puffball top to bottom; it must be pure white and uniform inside.
Read → PoisonousGreen-spored parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites): the poisonous lawn mushroom
The green spored parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites) is the most commonly reported cause of mushroom poisoning in the US. Green gills, green spore print, rings in lawns.
Read → Choice edibleHen of the woods look-alikes (Grifola frondosa, maitake): how to tell them apart
Hen of the woods look alikes: black-staining polypore, Berkeley's polypore, umbrella polypore and cauliflower mushroom, and what separates each from a true maitake.
Read → EdibleHoney mushroom identification: Armillaria mellea (honey fungus)
Honey mushroom identification (honey fungus in the UK): clustered honey-brown caps on wood, a ring, a white spore print, and the deadly galerina that grows beside it.
Read → Choice edibleHow to identify chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) and rule out the look-alikes
How to identify chanterelles by their blunt forked ridges, apricot smell and habitat, and how to rule out jack-o'-lanterns, false chanterelles and the deadly webcap.
Read → Choice edibleHow to identify morel mushrooms (Morchella): hollow, pitted, one piece
How to identify morel mushrooms: a honeycomb cap joined to the stem, hollow from top to bottom when cut. Season, habitat, false morels, and why morels must be cooked.
Read → PoisonousIs fly agaric poisonous? Identifying Amanita muscaria
Is fly agaric poisonous? Yes. Amanita muscaria, the red toadstool with white spots, is poisonous to people and can kill dogs and cats. How to identify it, where it grows.
Read → PoisonousJack-o'-lantern mushroom identification (Omphalotus illudens and O. olearius)
Jack o lantern mushroom identification: bright orange, sharp true gills, dense clusters on wood or buried roots, a faint green glow. Poisonous; mistaken for chanterelles.
Read → Choice edibleKing bolete identification: Boletus edulis (penny bun, porcini, cep)
King bolete identification (penny bun, porcini, cep): brown bun cap, white-then-yellow pores, a pale net on the stem, and the bitter and devil's boletes to rule out.
Read → EdibleMeadow mushroom identification: Agaricus campestris (field mushroom)
Meadow mushroom identification (field mushroom in the UK): pink-to-brown gills, no sac at the base, and the deadly white Amanitas that share its lawn.
Read → EdibleParasol mushroom identification (Macrolepiota procera): features and look-alikes
Parasol mushroom identification: scaly umbrella cap, snakeskin stem, movable double ring, white spore print. Look-alikes: green-spored parasol and deadly dapperlings.
Read → EdibleShaggy mane mushroom (shaggy ink cap, Coprinus comatus): identification and look-alikes
The shaggy mane mushroom (shaggy ink cap, Coprinus comatus): tall, white, shaggy, edible only while young. How to tell it from the common ink cap and alcohol.
Read → EdibleSt George's mushroom identification: Calocybe gambosa in spring
St George's mushroom identification: a white, floury-smelling spring mushroom with crowded white gills and no ring, and the deadly fibrecap that fruits in the same weeks.
Read → PoisonousYellow stainer mushroom (Agaricus xanthodermus): how to identify it
Yellow stainer mushroom identification: chrome-yellow stain at the stem base, an ink or phenol smell, and how it differs from the field and horse mushrooms.
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