一次有趣的野生蘑菇识别活动
2014-11-25 08:32阅读:
11月初,报名参加了一个识别野生蘑菇的活动。由两个有经验的导游带领我们在HolleyBurn Mountain
的森林里,边找寻蘑菇边介绍。在步行道两旁、小溪旁边、倒下的树干上、树根周围、树荫下、野草丛中、落叶里,到处生长着不同品种的蘑菇,我们看到一个,导游就介绍一个,两个多小时的活动,也学到不少的关于蘑菇的知识。
识别蘑菇的方法有多种,最基本的方法,一是要看生长地带:可食用的无毒蘑菇多生长在清洁的草地或一些树木上;二是看颜色:一般情况下,有毒蘑菇菌面颜色鲜艳,采摘后易变色;三是看形状。无毒蘑菇的菌盖较平,伞面平滑,菌面上无轮,下部无菌托,有毒的蘑菇菌盖中央呈凸状,形状怪异,菌面厚实板硬,菌秆上有菌轮,菌托秆细长或粗长,易折断;四是闻气味:无毒蘑菇有特殊香味,有毒蘑菇有怪异味。以上只是最基本的,如果要识别陌生的蘑菇,还要进行其他一系列的鉴定:测试、煮试及化学鉴别等。
这次活动的另一个收获就是不要随便的食用野生蘑菇!这两位导游特别提醒大家,不确定的蘑菇千万不要采摘,有些毒蘑菇看起来和一些食用蘑菇很相似,如果不小心食用了,会中毒甚至导致死亡!有些蘑菇的中毒症状是马上的,但有些会推迟到几天以后出现。有的蘑菇不会有中毒现象,但如果喝酒或吃了其他的特别的食物会导致中毒。
在远足、登山时,总能发现很多不同形状、不同颜色的蘑菇,看着它们像肉嘟嘟的花儿,特别喜欢给它们拍照。过去,因为不了解它们,只敢看
、拍照不敢碰. 现在对它们有一些了解,还是只敢看、拍照不敢碰, 但依然很喜欢它们......
这个是red lobster mushroom龙虾蘑菇,闻起来有浓浓的龙虾的味道。这种蘑菇比较难找到.
这个小小的蘑菇是Winter or Funnel Chanterelle,称冬季鸡油菌,是可以食用的。
那天看到很多成片的鸡油菌.
沿着树干长满了这些可爱的蘑菇,只可欣赏,不可食用。
这个漂亮的花蘑菇很明显是有毒的,不可食用.
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下面从网上摘录了一些北美西海岸常见可食用野生蘑菇的基本信息,仅供参考:
This guide provides a list of edible mushrooms in
the Pacific
Northwest including Oregon, Washington, and British
Columbia.
This list only contains 'safe' mushrooms - those that can be
reliably identified and have no deadly-poisonous lookalikes. As a
safety precaution, all mushrooms should be cooked and eaten in
small quantities if not previously consumed.
Warning: do not attempt to identify a
mushroom by matching the pictures alone; compare all the listed
characteristics. Never experiment with a mushroom that you cannot
positively identify. A poisonous mushroom can kill
you.
Apricot Jelly
Mushroom
Guepinia Helvelloides
- fruiting body is up to 6cm wide,
salmon-pink to rose.
- flesh is smooth, genatinous, and
malleable.
- stem base has regions of white
mycelium.
- appears in spring, summer and
fall.
- grows as several to many after rainy
periods in areas with conifers.
- has a pleasant taste with no odor; cook
before eating.
Bear's Head Tooth Mushroom
Hericium Americanum
- fruiting body is 10-30cm wide, white, turning yellowish with
age.
- fungus branches from a thick stipe that is attached to the
wood.
- branch-tips bear many long white spines hanging downward.
- appears in late summer and fall.
- grows on hardwood and conifer logs.
- has a nutty taste and mild odor; cook before eating.
Black Morel
Morchella
Elata
- cap up to 8cm wide, hollow inside with characteristic honeycomb
surface consisting of black/brown ridges and dark brown pits,
darkening with age.
- stem is white, smooth, irregular and hollow.
- bottom of cap does not hang loose but is joined to the
stem.
- grows single or numerous on the ground, usually near
conifers.
- appears in early spring.
- mild pleasant taste and odor; cook before eating.
- tip: morels are variable shape, size and color
(white/gray/yellow/brown/black), but are characterized by their
distinctively shaped caps that do not hang loose and their
hollowness; all morels are prized edibles.
- warning: may be poisonous if consumed with alchohol.
- warning: do not confuse with a False morel,
which is not hollow inside and has a cap attached at the top of the
stalk rather than a continuous hollow chamber.
Blue Chanterelle
Polyozellus
Multiplex
- caps are up to 10cm wide, flat, smooth, dark purple to
blue/black with incurved edges.
- fruiting body is funnel-shaped.
- outside of the mushroom is pale violet with small ridges
running down almost to the base.
- flesh is thick, soft, blue to black.
- stems are fused together.
- appears in sumer and fall.
- grows in large, dense clusters under conifers such as spruce
and fir.
- taste is mild and pleasant, with an indistinct odor; cook
before eating.
Cauliflower Mushroom
Sparassis
Crispa
- fruiting body is up to 30cm wide, white or yellow/brown tinted,
shaped like a cauliflower head with a spongy, curly rosette
exterior.
- has no visible stem, gills, tubes, pores or spines.
- flesh is white, firm, with many branches arising from a hidden
central stalk.
- appears in the late summer and fall.
- grows singly or in small groups on the ground at or near the
base of conifers.
- has a mild, pleasant taste and indistinct odor; cook thoroughly
before eating, younger specimens are preferred.
- an edible look-alike is Sparassis
spathulata, which is similar in appearance but has
multiple anchor points to the ground.
Chicken Of The Woods
Laetiporus
Sulphureus
- fruiting bodies are up to 20cm wide, shelf-like, rubbery,
sulphur yellow to orange, sometimes with bright orange tips.
- older specimens become pale and brittle, chalk-like.
- flesh is white to yellow tinted, firm, softer towards the
edges.
- underside is characteristically white to bright yellow, with
tiny pores instead of gills.
- has no stem.
- grows in overlapping groups on logs, stumps, or wounds of
trees.
- appears in spring, summer, and fall.
- has a mild taste and odor; cook before eating.
- an inedible (but not poisonous) look-alike is Pycnoporus
cinnabarinus, which is corky/rigid rather than rubbery,
and orange/red on the top and underside, rather than bright yellow
on the underside.
- an inedible (but not poisonous) look-alike is Hapalopilus
nidulans, which is cinnamon brown/orange on the top and
the underside, rather than bright yellow on the underside.
- tip: harvest the soft outer margin of the younger specimens to
avoid bitterness.
- warning: can cause allergic reaction in some people due to
toxins absorbed from the tree; begin by sampling small
amounts.
Comb Tooth Mushroom
Hericium
Coralloides
- fungus is white, 10-30cm wide, turning yellowish with age.
- fungus branches from a thick stalk that is attached to the
wood.
- branches have short white spines along their lengths.
- appears in late summer and fall.
- grows on conifers and hardwoods.
- has a nutty taste and mild odor; cook before eating.
Common Puffball
Lycoperdon
Perlatum
- fruiting body is up to 6cm wide, pear-shaped, white to dull
white, with small conical spines that break off but leave a network
of spots behind.
- flesh must be firm and all-white.
- flesh must be undifferentiated with no trace of gills, no thick
rind and no outline of mushroom visible in cross section.
- appears in the summer and fall.
- has a mild taste with no odor; cook before eating.
- a non-poisonous look-alike is
Lycoperdon foetidum, which is similar in appearance but
are brown/greyish-beige rather than white and has an unpleasant
odor.
- grows singly, in groups or clumped together on forest beds
under conifers and hardwoods.
- a look-alike with unknown edibility is Lycoperdon
umbrinum, which is similar in appearance but are
brown/tan rather than white.
- warning: do not confuse with young specimens of the deadly
Destroying
Angel or other poisonous white mushrooms, which have no
spines and have faint differentiation inside rather than being
solid white.
Fairy Ring Mushroom
Marasmius
Oreades
- cap up to 6cm wide, convex, smooth, tan to light brown.
- older specimens have flying-saucer shaped caps, often slightly
darker on the central hump.
- flesh is thin, white.
- gills are broadly attached to the stem, tan, well-spaced,
veined.
- stem is solid, NOT hollow, and characteristically tough - able
to wrap around your finger without breaking. Smooth, dry, tan,
darker brown/red and hairy at the base, lacking a partial
veil.
- grows in grassy areas, meadows and fields, forming partial or
complete rings.
- appears in spring, sumer or fall.
- taste is mild and pleasant; cook before eating.
- warning: avoid specimens growing near highways, which may
contain toxic car exhaust compounds.
Field Notes
The Fairy ring mushroom is my personal favorite. They seems to be
everywhere, they're tasy, easy to identify, and with some patience
you can really gather quite a lot of these insignificant-looking
fellows. As a city-dweller, you'll likely find this mushroom after
rainy periods every time you walk around outside and look for it,
it's very common on lawns where it grows in rings and often
discolors the grass around the perimeter. When you find a
fairy-ring, don't assume it's the edible variety until you check
the stem and gills, because there are superficial look-alikes. The
stem should be solid and remarkably strong. You'll have no trouble
pulling up the entire mushroom (and maybe its neighbour) just by
squeezing the stem and pulling. Next, make sure the gills are not
crowded, but are well spaced and feel a little rubbery. When you
smell the mushroom, you'll smell nothing, or maybe a faint
non-mushroomy odor like sawdust.
I recommend going into the field with scissors for collecting these
mushrooms. Snip the cap off the stem and then cut the cap right in
half and check for worm holes in the hump of the cap. You'll
discard about 50% of the mushrooms until you learn to spot the
healthier ones. After you wash the mushrooms, I recommend either
cooking with them fairly soon or preserving them. Anything you
don't cook you should either freeze or thoroughly dry out. These
mushrooms preserve well and taste just fine, they are one of the
best kept secrets of city foraging.
Golden Chanterelle
Chanterelle Cantharellus
Cibarius
- cap is up to 15cm wide, depressed in the center, smooth, dry,
uniform egg-yolk yellow.
- mature specimen is funnel shaped, immature specimens should be
avoided.
- forking ridges (rib-like folds) are present rather than gills;
they descend onto the stem.
- flesh is firm, yellowish, does does not change color when
bruised.
- stem is solid, orange tinted, tapering slightly to the
base.
- grows solitary or in groups on the ground, but not clustered at
base of trees, and never on wood.
- appears in the summer and fall.
- has a pleasant, mild taste and mild, fruity odor; cook before
eating.
- an edible look-alike is the Smooth chanterelle (Cantharallus
lateritis), which is similar in appearance but grows under
oaks, has a pinkish hue and reduced ridges.
- warning: do not confuse with the poisonous False
Chantarelle (Hygrophoropsis
aurantiaca), has gills rather than ridges, often grown on
decaying wood, tastes foul and causes stomach upset.
- warning: do not confuse with the poisonous Jack-O'Lantern
Fungus (Omphalotus
illudens), which grows in large clusters on roots, stumps,
or at the base of trees and has an unpleasantly sweet odor.
Hedgehog Mushroom
Hydnum
Repandum
- cap is up to 10cm wide, convex, smooth, dry, wavy at the edges,
light brown with an orange tint.
- underside has distinctive spines that are cream-colored.
- flesh is white when cut, coloring unevenly to
yellow-brown.
- stem is solid, white, possibly enlarging slightly towards the
base.
- grows solitary or numerous on the ground in areas with conifers
and hardwoods.
- appears in the summer and fall.
- has a pleasant taste with no odor; cook before eating.
- an edible look-alike is Hydnum
umbilicatum, which is similar in appearance but smaller
and with a darker cap, growing in bogs and swamps.
- an inedible (but not poisonous) look-alike is
Bankera fuligineo-alba, which is similar in appearance
but instead of a smooth cap has one with embedded pine needles and
organic debris.
Hexagonal-pored Polypore
Polyporus
Alveolaris
- cap is up to 8cm wide, cream-orange to brownish-red.
- underside is whitish and has characteristically large
hexagonal, almost diamond shaped pores, each ~1mm wide.
- grows singly or as several on hardwood branches and twigs.
- appears in sumer or fall.
- has mild taste and no odor; cook before eating, softer young
specimens are preferred.
- an edible lookalike is Polyporous
squamosus.
Horn Of Plenty
Black Chanterelle ,
Black Trumpet
Craterellus
Cornucopioides
- cap is up to 8cm wide, with a hollow tube-like depresson, dark
brown or soot-grey/black.
- in older specimens the cap margins are wavy/split, otherwise
they are rolled out.
- fruiting body is funnel-shaped with smooth-looking but slightly
wrinkled outer surface that is smokey grey with a lilac tint, and
extends almost to the base.
- stem is very short, hollow, brown.
- grows on the ground grouped together under conifer/hardwood
stands.
- appears in the early summer and fall.
- has a mild/pleasant taste and odor; cook before eating.
- an edible look-alike is Craterellus
fallax, which is practically identical but has an
orange spore print rather than whitish.
Horse Mushroom
Agaricus
Arvensis
- cap up to 20cm wide, convex, smooth, dry, white to creamy, with
NO hint of orange.
- older specimens have a planar cap with light brown scales in
center.
- flesh is white or cream, firm.
- gills are crowded, free from the stem, progressing from
pink-tinged white to dark brown/black with age.
- stem is smooth, dry, equal or thickening towards the base,
unchanged when bruised. No yellow staining at the base of the stem
when cut ot bruised.
- in young specimens, the underside of the partial veil bears a
characteristic cogwheel-like pattern.
- in older specimens, the double veil progresses to a skirt-like
tissue/ring around the stem.
- grows in grassy areas, meadows and fields.
- appears in late sumer or fall.
- taste is mild, with a light licorice/anise odor; cook before
eating.
- an edible look-alike is Agaricus
silvicoa, which is practically indistinguishable in the
field.
- warning: do not confuse with the poisonous Agaricus
xanthodermis, which is similar in appearance but has a
stem that buises yellow at the base when cut or bruised.
- warning: only collect younger specimens that still have the
characteristic cogwheel pattern on the unbroken veil; older
specimens could be confused with poisonous look-alikes.
Field Notes
It's always exciting to find an unopened white mushroom, turn it
over, and see the defining cog-wheel pattern of the horse mushroom.
This is a common mushroom that you can find after rainy periods on
city lawns and grassy areas, with a little luck. Aside from the
cog-wheel pattern, it superficially resembles the similarly-common
Meadow mushroom, although the gills are nowhere near as pink, and
the flesh on the Horse mushroom is firmer and more water resistant,
with an odor that's all its own. Ensure that the stem base does not
discolor to yellow and that the mushroom is worm-free. I generally
slice these thinly and fry them in butter and/or a pesto sauce,
adding water until the mushroom has been cooked through.
Ink Cap
Coprinopsis
Atramentaria
- cap is conic to bell-shaped with age, up to 8cm wide, light
gray or gray-brown with furrow-lines radiating to the margins.
- gills are nearly free from the stem and white/grey when
young.
- the flesh and gills of older specimens liquefies into a black
inky mass.
- partial veil leaves an inferior, fibrous ring on the white
stem.
- grows in tight clusters in grass or on wood debris.
- appears in sumer and fall.
- has a mild taste with no odor; cook before eating.
- tip: collect younger specimens and/or remove blackening areas
which have a more bitter taste.
- tip: cooking with water shortly after collecting helps to
prevent the dish from turning into a black inky mess.
- warning: causes a toxic reaction of hot flushing and nausea if
consumed with or followed by alcohol.
Jelly Ear
Wood Ear Auricularia
Auricula-judae
- fruiting body is is up to 15cm wide, ear-shaped, rubbery,
orange-brown to muddy red/brown.
- upper surface is smooth, possibly with ribbing on the
underside.
- flesh dries tough and hard.
- grows in groups on conifers and logs, sometimes including
hardwoods.
- appears in early spring, sumer and fall.
- flavour is mild with no odor; cook before eating.
King Bolete
Cepe Boletus
Edulis
- cap is up to 35cm wide, convex, reddish to yellowish brown,
smooth but often uneven.
- underside of cap consists of pores, off-white to olive in age,
with no pink tinge.
- flesh is white; flesh and pores unchanging when bruised.
- stem is white or tinted yellow/brown with a characteristic
fine, white network extending down from the top of the stem,
variable in shape.
- partial veil absent.
- grows singly or as many in conifer and hardwood stands.
- appears in spring, summer and fall.
- has a mild and pleasant taste with no odor; cook before
eating.
- tip: boletes are mushrooms that grow on the ground and have a
sponge-like surface on the underside of the cap - tiny pores,
rather than gills. There are no deadly-poisonous boletes, though
some varieties can cause nausea/vomiting. An unknown bolete is safe
if it does not bruise blue after being cut, is not red on the
underside of the cap, and does not taste foul.
- Small amounts should be consumed when testing an unfamiliar
bolete.
Larch Bolete
Suillus
Grevillei
- cap is up to 15cm wide, convex, golden yellow to orange-red,
smooth, sticky, slimy when wet.
- older speciments are deep chestnut-red.
- underside of cap consists of yellow tubes arranged radially
that bruise brown.
- flesh in cap flushes faintly lilac.
- young specimens have partial veil developing to a yellow/red
ring on the stem.
- has solid stem, possibly widening at the base, yellowish above
the ring and streaky reddish/brown below.
- intermediate/mature specimens have a faint net pattern above
ring.
- grows in groups near larch trees.
- appears in summer and fall.
- has a mild taste and odor; cook before eating.
- tip: boletes are mushrooms that grow on the ground and have a
sponge-like surface on the underside of the cap - tiny pores,
rather than gills. There are no deadly-poisonous boletes, though
some poisonous varieties can cause nausea/vomiting. An unknown
bolete is safe if it does not bruise blue after being cut, is not
red on the underside of the cap, and does not taste foul.
- Small amounts should be consumed when testing an unfamiliar
bolete.
Lion's Mane
Hericium
Erinaceus
- fruiting body is up to 40cm wide, a white oval-shaped mass of
long white spines, each up to 3 cm long, yellowing in age.
- flesh is firm/spongey and anchored to the tree by a solid white
stem.
- grows singly from wounds on hardwoods.
- appears in late sumer and fall.
- flavour is mild and pleasant with a mushroomy odor; cook before
eating.
- an edible look-alike is Hericium
abietis, which is similar in appearance but lightly
salmon-coloured with more branching and a larger size.
Lobster Mushroom
Hypomyces
Lactifluorum
- not a mushroom, but a parasitic fungus that grows on
mushrooms.
- the fungus turns the host mushroom a bright reddish
orange.
- the fungus deforms the surface of the host mushroom to be
coarse, cracked, and dotted with tiny white pimples.
- the fungus eventually twists the mushroom into an irregular
shape, making the host unidentifiable.
- has a seafood-like flavor that is highly variable.
- has a firm, dense texture.
- fresh specimens have a white interior.
- appears in summer and fall following rainy weather.
- has no poisonous look-alikes. Unclear whether it's technically
possible for the fungus to be hosted on a poisonous mushroom;
presently there is no evidence of this occuring.
Meadow Mushroom
Agaricus
Campestris
- cap up to 10cm wide, convex, white to creamy, dry, smooth.
- older specimens have a nearly planar cap and can be dingy white
to cinnamon brown.
- flesh is white, firm, possibly with a brown tint.
- gills are crowded, free from the stem, progressing from
characteristically pink to chocolate brown with age.
- stem smooth, white, equally wide, dry, smooth above the ring
with loose fibrils near the base. Slowly bruises off-white, to
dingy brown, NOT staining yellow, orange or red.
- partial veil is smooth, white, progressing to a brown
ring.
- grows in grassy areas, meadows and fields, often in a
ring.
- appears in spring, sumer, or fall.
- taste is mild, odor is pleasant; cook before eating.
- an edible look-alike is Agaricus
bisporus, which is the commercial white mushroom found
in grocery stores.
- warning: discard specimens that do not have the distinctly pink
gills or who's flesh stains yellow, orange, or red; these can be
poisonous look-alikes.
- warning: white mushrooms must always be treated with extra
caution and attention to detail, there are a number of deadly
poisonous species.
Field Notes
This is one of the most common mushrooms in the short-list of fungi
that you can enjoy as a weekend/city-lawn forager. Play it safe and
only take those with gills that are still pink. The pinkness should
be distinctive (think salmon pink, not just light brown maybe-kinda
pink). But don't forget that pink/red (or yellow or orange) is
BAD if you see that in the stem after it's been cut. The
odor should remind you of the pleasant mushroomy smell of
grocery-store white mushrooms, maybe even better! Be super-vigilant
with white mushrooms; if there is any doubt about
all the
characteristics matching, leave it. Prepare and cook as with the
store-bought variety.
Mica Cap
Coprinellus
Micaceus
- cap is conic to bell-shaped with age, up to 6cm wide, dry, with
light brown with furrow-lines radiating to the margins.
- young specimens often have glistening particles on the
cap.
- gills are nearly free from the stem and white/grey when
young.
- the flesh and gills of older specimens liquefies into a black
inky mass.
- stem is silky white, hollow, smooth with no partial veil.
- grows in tight clusters in grass or ground covering wood debris
during cool, wet weather.
- appears in spring, sumer and fall.
- has a mild taste and odor; cook before eating.
- tip: younger specimens which still have white gills are
preferred.
- tip: washing with water shortly after collecting and storing
them wet in tupperware helps to prolong their lifespan.
- warning: may cause an adverse reaction if consumed with alcohol
consisting of hot flushing, nausea, headaches, and/or
vomiting.
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Field Notes
You can find Mica caps anywhere that wood is rotting away beneath
the soil, including city lawns. And if you find a good patch of
them, you can revisit the spot repeatedly as more pop up, typically
after cooler rainy periods. They are frail, meager little
mushrooms, but one of my favorites because they're fairly easy to
identify and seem to have no troubles of the insect/wormy
kind.
One of the features to watch for is the crowded way they grow
together, with the stems arising from a common point and the caps
really crowding against each other. If the caps check out (radially
striate, etc), check for the youngest mushroom around - the gills
should be white. Then check for the oldest mushroom around - it
should be turning unmistakably black and inky as it withers away
starting from the cap adges. If none of the mushrooms are that old,
pay attention when you cook the mushrooms - if they don't turn the
entire pan obviously black with ink, you've chosen a non-inky
look-alike (discard!). Although there is conflicting information
about whether Mica caps can be consumed with alcohol (may cause
flushing, vomiting, not lethal), I would avoid it. I've added small
amounts of wine to mica caps on the frying pan and experienced
enough intestinal discomfort afterwards to remember the lesson;
your own experience may vary.
Oyster Mushroom
Pleurotus
Ostreatus
- cap up to 8cm wide, fanlike convex shape, smooth, moist, cream
to light brown.
- flesh is off-white, firm.
- stem usually not present, otherwise white, dry, with white
hairs at base.
- usually grows in large overlapping custers, on trees, logs and
stumps of hardwoods and conifers, never on the ground.
- appears in spring and fall.
- has a mild, pleasant taste and fragrant fruity odor; cook
before eating.
- tip: the oyster mushroom has several looka-alikes that are
indistinguishable in the field, all are edible as long as they grow
on trees (avoid those growing on dead wood/logs/stumps).
- a potentially poisonous look-alike is the Angel wings
mushroom (Pleurocybella
porrigens), which is similar in appearance but is white
rather than cream, has thinner flesh, no odor, and grows on dead
wood (logs/stumps) rather than trees.
Red Cracked Bolete
Boletus
Chrysenteron
- cap is up to 11cm wide, convex, medium to dark brown with
characteristic cracks and damaged pink patches that have a red
tinge.
- older specimens have a planar cap with deeper cracks.
- underside of cap has yellow pores that buise blue or
blue/green.
- flesh is white to reddish near the skin, slowly bruises blue or
blue/green.
- stem is dull yellow, possibly streaked red, dry, often
curved.
- appears in the spring, summer and fall.
- grows singly to numerous in conifer/hardwood stands.
- has a mild taste with no odor; cook before eating.
- tip: boletes are mushrooms that grow on the ground and have a
spongy tubular surface on the underside of the cap - tiny pores,
rather than gills. There are no deadly-poisonous boletes, though
some poisonous varieties can cause nausea/vomiting. An unknown
bolete is safe if it does not bruise blue after being cut, is not
red on the underside of the cap, and does not taste foul.
- Small amounts should be consumed when testing an unfamiliar
bolete.
Rosy Gomphidius
Gomphidius
Subroseus
- cap is up to 5cm wide, convex shaped, smooth and sticky, pink
to red in color.
- older specimens have a planar cap with upturned margins.
- flesh is white and firm.
- gills are white, graying in age, and descend onto the
stem.
- stem is white above and below the ring with a distinct bright
yellow area towards the tapering base.
- partial veil is thin, leaving a colorless ring on the stem that
soon turns black.
- grows singly or abundantly in areas with conifers.
- appears in the spring, summer and fall.
- has a pleasant taste with no odor; remove the cap's skin and
cook before eating.
- an edible lookalike is Gomphidious
nigricans, which grows under eastern white pine, has a
pinkish cap and a stem that turns black when handled.
Saffron Milk Cap
Lactarius
Deliciosus
- cap is up to 15cm wide, convex shaped with an incurved margin,
carrot-orange with greenish hues, sticky when wet.
- flesh is faintly tinted orange, greenish stains appear with
age.
- gills are bright orange and descend on the stem, staining
green.
- cutting the gills releases a carrot-colored latex that stains
green.
- stem is light organge, staining green.
- grows singly or scattered in areas with conifers.
- appears in late sumer and fall.
- mild to slightly scrid taste with an indistinct odor; cook
before eating.
- edible lookalike is Lactarius
thyinos, which grows in northern cedar bogs and is
similar in appearance but with a white stem, flesh that lacks green
stains, and and an orange latex that stains red.
Scaly Hedgehog
Sarcodon
Imbricatus
- cap is up to up to 30cm wide, convex shaped with a depressed
center, brown with raised scales and a dry texture.
- flesh is white or tinted brown.
- underside of cap has brown spines that descend onto the
stem.
- stem is smooth and light brown, thickening towards the
base.
- grows singly or as several in areas with conifers.
- appears in sumer and fall.
- taste is mildly bitter with no odor; cook before eating.
- an edible look-alike is the less-palatable Sarcodon
scabrosus, which is similar in appearance but the cap
is more reddish with scales that are not raised, and the stem is
dark blue/black at its base.
Shaggy Mane
Coprinus
Comatus
- cap is up to 15cm wide, narrow, cylidrical, white, and covered
in thin, shaggy red/brown scales.
- older specimens have a cap that is bell-shaped.
- flesh is white, soft.
- gills are narrowly attached to the stem and white/grey when
young.
- the flesh and gills of older specimens liquefies into a black
inky mass.
- partial veil leaves an inferior, possibly moveable ring on the
white stem.
- grows scattered or grouped together in grassy areas covering
decomposing wood.
- appears in early spring and late fall.
- has a pleasant taste with no odor; cook before eating.
- an edible look-alike is Coprinus
sterquilinus, which similar in appearance but smaller,
with fewer scales and growing on dung.
- tip: collect younger specimens and/or remove blackening areas
which have a more bitter taste.
- tip: cooking with water shortly after collecting helps to
prevent the dish from turning into a black inky mess.
Slimy Spike Cap
Gomphidius
Glutinosus
- cap is up to 10cm wide, broadly convex shaped, smooth and
sticky/slimy, cinnamon brown, possibly tinted purple/grey.
- older specimens have a planar cap with upturned margins.
- flesh is white and soft.
- gills are white, graying in age, and descend onto the
stem.
- stem is white above and below the ring, with a distinct bright
yellow area towards the tapering base.
- partial veil is thin, leaving a superior ring on the stem that
soon turns black.
- grows abundantly in areas with conifers.
- appears in the summer and fall.
- has a pleasant taste with a mild odor; remove the cap's skin
and cook before eating.
Western Giant Puffball
Calvatia
Booniana
- up to 60cm wide, widely oval with sculpured or scaled white
exterior, possibly with a tannish tint.
- flesh must be firm and all-white.
- flesh must be undifferentiated with no trace of gills and no
outline of mushroom visible in cross section.
- grows alone or several together in pastures or open, grassy,
arid areas, often near sagebrush.
- appears in spring, summer and fall.
- has a mild pleasant taste with a strong/unpleasant odor when
young; cook before eating.
Yellow Swamp Russula
Russula
Claroflava
- cap is up to 10cm wide, convex, smooth, bright/lemon yellow,
dry.
- older specimens have a planar cap with a depressed center with
small radiating furrow-lines at the cap-edges.
- flesh is white, soft, bruising grey.
- gills are yellow and directly attached to the stem.
- stem is dry, white, non-tapering, slowly bruising to
grey/black.
- grows singly or as several under birch and mixed woods.
- appears in summer and fall.
- has a mild taste with no odor; cook before eating.
Yellow-gilled Russula
Russula
Lutea
- cap is up to 7cm wide, convex, smooth, bright yellow, sticky to
the touch.
- older specimens have a planar cap with a depressed center with
small radiating furrow-lines at the cap-edges.
- gills are brittle, yellow and attached directly to the
stem.
- flesh is white, fragile, does not change color when
bruised.
- stem is smooth, dry, white, non-tapering, not bruising
grey.
- grows in groups or scattered under paper birch and other
hardwoods.
- appears in summer and fall.
- has a mild taste with an apricot-like odor; cook before
eating.