Mushroom identification for beginners
Knowing just a few of the key features to look for can go a long way in helping you learn how to ID species like a pro
For those new to the field, identifying mushrooms may seem intimidating. There are over 14,000 species of mushroom known to science – some are delicious, some are highly toxic, and many look very similar to one and other!
But knowing just a few of the key features and characteristics to look for can go a long way in helping you learn how to ID species like a pro.
Below are six key characteristics you should try to observe when identifying a mushroom.
The cap is, usually, the first feature to catch the mushroom hunter’s eye. Sitting atop the mushroom’s stalk, caps vary tremendously in size, shape, and color, and each of these features may change as a mushroom grows and develops. Closely observing the hue and form of a mushroom’s cap is almost always a necessary step for identification.
Different kinds of mushroom
Gills are found on the underside of mushrooms’ caps, and, like caps, they exhibit a great variety in size, shape, and color. Some species have gills that are attached to the stalk, while others unattached, and still others may run partway down the stalk. Some gills may be thin and delicate, while others may be thick and sturdy.
The underside of the cap is always considered as the key to ID a mushroom
Some mushrooms may not have gills at all! Boletes, for instance, have a hole-filled, sponge-like pore layer underneath their caps.
Bovine Bolete (Suillus bovinus) with sponge-like pore layer rather than gills
Connecting the mushroom’s cap to its (usually) hidden network of root-like mycelium is the stalk. Stalks may share the cap’s color, or they may be completely different in hue – they may be thin and tall or short and stocky. Sometimes, snapping an individual’s stalk can help you determine its species. Mushrooms in the milk-cap family, for instance, are known for having brittle stalks that snap like chalk.
A Russula mushroom growing in the forest
Most mushrooms release spores from the undersides of their caps(i.e. gills), and those spores range widely in color across species. This is great news for mushroom hunters, because determining a specimen’s spore color can help you ID it! To determine spore color, try creating a spore print – cut off a mushroom’s cap and leave it, gill or pore-side down, on a still, dark-colored or white surface for 24 hours, then remove the cap and check the color of the spores that were deposited.
Many mushroom species have unique or unusual odors (e.g. shrimp, apricot, star anise) that may help you in solidifying an identification. Just remember that the odor a mushroom gives off may change or fade with its age.
A basket of Farmer’s market orange/red lobster mushrooms
A mushroom’s micro and macro habitat can be great clues to its identity, as many species have very specific growing conditions or are associated with specific species of plants.
Fresh oyster mushrooms on a dead tree
With regards to microhabitat, take a look at the substrate from which the mushroom is growing. Is it growing straight out of the soil, or is it sprouting from a dead log? Or perhaps it’s growing from a dead standing hardwood, or maybe a fallen conifer? Maybe it’s growing straight out of a cow paddy!
With regards to macro habitat, observe general conditions around you. Are you in a dense, closed-canopy forest, or an open field? Are you in a rich pasture, or in a vacant city lot? Are your surroundings cool or warm, moist or arid?
Parasol mushroom in misty forest
Of course, it’s always worth noting that you should NEVER eat a mushroom unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure that it is an edible, non-toxic species. Going out on a foraging trip with an experienced mushroom hunter is a great way to get your senses trained and hone your identification skills.