Mycology

Poisonous

Fly agaric

Amanita muscaria

• Edible? No. Toxic and psychoactive.
• Uses Historical and cultural use; not a home treatment.
• Season Late summer through fall.
• Range Northern Hemisphere, including North America and Norway; introduced elsewhere.
• Characteristics Red to orange cap, white warts, white gills and stem.

Psychedelic

Golden top

Psilocybe cubensis

• Edible? No. Psychoactive and not treated as food.
• Risk Contains psilocybin; misidentification and altered judgment can cause serious harm.
• Season Warm, wet periods; timing follows local rainy seasons.
• Range Tropical and subtropical regions in the Americas, Asia and Australia.
• Characteristics Golden-brown cap, dark purplish-brown spores, a stem ring and possible blue bruising. Bruising alone does not confirm identity.

Psychedelic

Liberty cap

Psilocybe semilanceata

• Edible? No. Psychoactive and unsafe to identify from a photo.
• Risk Contains psilocybin and has dangerous small brown lookalikes.
• Season Cool, wet weather from late summer into early winter.
• Range Temperate grasslands in Europe, North America and parts of the Southern Hemisphere.
• Characteristics Small conical brown cap with a pointed tip and slender stem; the cap changes color as it dries.

Psychedelic

Wavy caps

Psilocybe cyanescens

• Edible? No. Psychoactive and easily confused with harmful species.
• Risk Contains psilocybin; deadly Galerina mushrooms can share the same habitat.
• Season Fall into early winter during cool, wet weather.
• Range Pacific Northwest, western and central Europe, with introduced populations elsewhere.
• Characteristics Caramel-brown cap with a wavy edge, clustered growth on woody debris and possible blue bruising.

Psychedelic

Blue meanie

Panaeolus cyanescens

• Edible? No. Psychoactive and not treated as food.
• Risk Contains psilocybin; small pale mushrooms often require microscopic identification.
• Season Warm, rainy periods in tropical and subtropical climates.
• Range Tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
• Characteristics Pale gray to tan cap, slender stem, dark mottled gills and strong blue bruising when damaged.

Edible

Golden chanterelle

Cantharellus cibarius

• Edible? Choice edible only after expert identification.
• Uses Culinary; no established medical treatment.
• Season Late summer through fall.
• Range Temperate forests in North America and Europe, including Scandinavia.
• Characteristics Yellow-orange, trumpet shaped, false gill-like ridges, firm flesh and an apricot-like aroma.

Dye mushroom

Dyer's polypore

Phaeolus schweinitzii

• Edible? No. Tough and not considered edible.
• Dyes Used to dye wool in yellow, olive, brown and other earth tones.
• Season Summer through fall.
• Range Temperate conifer forests across North America, Europe and Asia.
• Characteristics Velvety rosettes with yellow-brown zones; pores bruise brown.

Research

Turkey tail

Trametes versicolor

• Edible? No. Thin, leathery and considered inedible.
• Treatment research The extract PSK is used as an adjunct cancer treatment in Japan; this is not the same as eating wild mushrooms.
• Season Found year-round; often most visible from fall through spring.
• Range Worldwide, including North America and Europe.
• Characteristics Concentric color bands, velvety fan-shaped caps and tiny white pores underneath.

Edible

Common morel

Morchella esculenta

• Edible? Choice edible after expert identification and thorough cooking.
• Uses Culinary.
• Season Brief spring season after adequate rain.
• Range Most prevalent across the Northern Hemisphere.
• Characteristics Honeycomb-like cap with deep pits; hollow stem and cap. Poisonous false morels can look similar.

Edible

Lion's mane

Hericium erinaceus

• Edible? Edible after expert identification.
• Uses Culinary; supplements are sold, but health claims require more research.
• Season Late fall through mid-winter in coastal California; timing varies by region.
• Range North America, Europe and Asia on living or dead hardwoods.
• Characteristics Rounded white clusters with long, downward-pointing spines that yellow with age.

Edible

Chicken of the woods

Laetiporus sulphureus

• Edible? Young specimens are considered edible after expert identification and cooking.
• Uses Culinary.
• Season Summer through fall.
• Range Temperate forests of North America, Europe and Asia.
• Characteristics Overlapping yellow-orange shelves on wood; soft when young and hard with age.

Deadly

Death cap

Amanita phalloides

• Edible? No. Deadly poisonous; cooking does not make it safe.
• Risk Amatoxins can cause delayed liver and kidney failure.
• Season Summer through fall.
• Range Native to Europe and introduced in parts of North America and Australia.
• Characteristics Olive to yellow-green cap, white gills, a stem ring and a cup-like volva at the base.

Edible

Oyster mushroom

Pleurotus ostreatus

• Edible? Edible after expert identification and cooking.
• Uses Culinary; also widely cultivated.
• Season Fall through winter in cool climates.
• Range Temperate North America, Europe and Asia on hardwood.
• Characteristics Overlapping gray caps, white decurrent gills and little or no central stem.

Poisonous

Jack-o'-lantern

Omphalotus illudens

• Edible? No. Causes severe gastrointestinal illness.
• Risk Sometimes mistaken for chanterelles.
• Season Summer through fall.
• Range Eastern North America, growing in dense clusters on buried or exposed wood.
• Characteristics Orange cap, true blade-like gills and faintly bioluminescent gills in darkness.

Edible

Shaggy mane

Coprinus comatus

• Edible? Young specimens are eaten after expert identification and cooking.
• Uses Culinary while the gills remain white.
• Season Spring through fall, often after rain.
• Range Widespread in lawns, paths and disturbed soil across temperate regions.
• Characteristics Tall shaggy white cap that dissolves into black ink as it matures.

Edible

Giant puffball

Calvatia gigantea

• Edible? Only young, uniformly white interiors are eaten after expert identification.
• Uses Culinary when immature.
• Season Late summer through fall.
• Range Meadows, fields and open woodland in North America and Europe.
• Characteristics Huge round white fruiting body with no visible gills, cap or stem.

Edible

Porcini

Boletus edulis

• Edible? Choice edible after expert identification.
• Uses Culinary, fresh or dried.
• Season Summer through fall.
• Range Northern Hemisphere forests; introduced in Australia and New Zealand.
• Characteristics Brown bun-shaped cap, thick pale stem and sponge-like pores instead of gills.

Edible

Indigo milk cap

Lactarius indigo

• Edible? Considered edible after expert identification and cooking.
• Uses Culinary; valued for its unusual color.
• Season Summer through fall.
• Range Eastern North America, Mexico, Central America and parts of Asia.
• Characteristics Blue zoned cap and gills; damaged tissue releases blue milk that can turn green.

Deadly

Destroying angel

Amanita bisporigera

• Edible? No. Deadly poisonous.
• Risk Amatoxins can cause delayed liver and kidney failure.
• Season Summer through fall.
• Range Eastern North American hardwood forests.
• Characteristics Entirely white cap and gills, skirt-like ring and cup-like volva at the base.

Edible

Hen of the woods

Grifola frondosa

• Edible? Considered a choice edible after expert identification and cooking.
• Uses Culinary; also cultivated as maitake.
• Season Fall, commonly September through November.
• Range Temperate forests in eastern North America, Europe and Asia, usually near mature oaks.
• Characteristics A large branching cluster of overlapping gray-brown, spoon-shaped caps with white pores underneath.

Poisonous

Green-spored parasol

Chlorophyllum molybdites

• Edible? No. A common cause of severe vomiting and diarrhea.
• Risk Frequently mistaken for edible parasol mushrooms.
• Season Summer through early fall, especially after rain.
• Range Warm regions of North America and Australia; often found in lawns, parks and pastures.
• Characteristics Broad pale cap with brown scales, a stem ring, gills that become gray-green and a green spore print.

Edible

Wood ear

Auricularia auricula-judae

• Edible? Edible after expert identification and cooking.
• Uses Culinary, especially in soups and stir-fries; related species are widely cultivated.
• Season Can appear year-round during damp, mild weather.
• Range Europe and parts of Asia, growing on dead or weakened hardwood, especially elder.
• Characteristics Flexible reddish-brown cups shaped like ears, with a smooth inner surface and finely hairy outer surface.

Research

Reishi

Ganoderma lucidum

• Edible? Not eaten as food because the fruiting body is tough and woody.
• Treatment research Long history of traditional use, but it is not an established substitute for medical treatment.
• Season Summer through fall.
• Range Europe and parts of Asia on hardwood; similar North American species are often called reishi.
• Characteristics Shelf-like fruiting body with a lacquered red-brown surface, pale growing margin and pores underneath.

Field interest

Amethyst deceiver

Laccaria amethystina

• Edible? Not recommended here; small purple mushrooms have difficult lookalikes and may accumulate contaminants.
• Uses Primarily appreciated for identification study and its vivid color.
• Season Late summer through fall.
• Range Woodlands across Europe, Asia and parts of North America.
• Characteristics Deep violet cap, widely spaced purple gills and a fibrous stem; older specimens fade and become harder to identify.

Dye mushroom

Bleeding tooth

Hydnellum peckii

• Edible? No. Extremely bitter, tough and considered inedible.
• Dyes Tooth fungi in this group can produce natural blue-green and earth-tone dyes.
• Season Summer through fall.
• Range Conifer forests in North America, Europe and parts of Asia.
• Characteristics Young pale caps exude red droplets; the underside has teeth rather than gills and the cap darkens with age.