John Miller
Mushrooms are a lot like plants, but they are not plants or animals. They are fungi, constituting their own kingdom. They lack chlorophyll and have to take nutrients from other materials, such as decaying matter or living tissues. There are about 10,000 kinds of mushrooms in North America, with approximately 14,000 species described worldwide. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours, and can be identified by their macroscopic structure, which includes the presence of juices, bruising reactions, odours, tastes, shades of colour, habitat, and season. Some common types of mushrooms include the white button mushroom, shiitake, straw, oyster, and enoki.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Shape | Cylindrical, conical, convex |
| Colour | White, cream, yellow, purple, black, pink, purple-brown |
| Smell | Aniseed, musky, pungent |
| Taste | Fear of touching mushrooms is common but unfounded |
| Cap | Distinct from stem, woolly, convex, vase-shaped, red, whitish, overlapping shelf-like fruiting bodies |
| Stem | Ornamented with an annulus, no bulb or ring, fibrous, smooth, equal width throughout, long, thin, tough |
| Gills | White, attached to the stem, Y-shaped, alternating full-length and partial gill, wrinkled folds ("false gills"), absent |
| Spore colour | White, greenish |
| Habitat | Dying maple tree, ground among leaf litter in a mixed hardwood forest, grassland, meadows, wooded areas |
| Identification resources | Svampe, Champignouf, Shroom.id, Mushroom Identify, Mushroom identifier books |
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What You'll Learn
Spore print test
Spore printing is a technique used to help identify mushrooms, toadstools, and other fungi. It is a diagnostic tool used in most handbooks for mushroom identification. The colour of the spores, when seen en masse, is one of the best ways to determine the mycological family of the specimen. For example, the Amanitaeae family has whitish spores, the Cortinariaceae family has rust-brown spores, and the Entolomataceae family has pinkish spores.
To make a spore print, start by collecting a mushroom. Cut off the stem at the cap, ensuring that the gills remain intact and undamaged. If the mushroom has pores, the spores will be inside the pores underneath the cap. Place the cap, gills or pores facing downwards, on a sheet of paper, aluminium foil, a microscope slide, or a piece of clear, stiff plastic. Using black or dark-coloured paper or surfaces can help improve contrast and make it easier to determine the colour of the spores. Cover the mushroom cap with a bowl, cup, or tumbler to prevent it from drying out, and leave it for a few hours or overnight.
After the allotted time, carefully remove the covering and lift the mushroom cap. There should be a coloured print of spores left on the paper. This is your spore print. The colour of the spore print can then be compared to field guides and online resources to assist in identifying the mushroom.
It is important to note that spore printing is not the only tool for mushroom identification. The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) has created a 'how-to guide' for those interested in creating their own spore prints. Additionally, mushroom spores are very small and can only be seen individually with a microscope. Spore prints are usually more effective for mature mushrooms, as younger or older mushrooms may not produce spores. Furthermore, mushrooms collected at high elevations may not produce spore prints at lower elevations.
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Mushroom shape
Mushrooms come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours, and textures. The shape of a mushroom's cap is one of its most distinctive features and is often useful for identifying the species. The cap shape can vary from the commonly observed convex shape, resembling a gentle curve or a bowl, to more peculiar forms like the cuspidate, which looks like a witch's hat.
The caps can be smooth or covered with scales or teeth. The scales, which can also appear on the stem, are a result of cracking as the cap expands during growth. They provide hard-shelled protection for the fungi. Some mushrooms have gills (also known as lamellae) or pores underneath their caps, while others have spines or teeth. Gills are covered by a layer of microscopic spore-bearing cells called a hymenium. In nongilled mushrooms, the hymenium lines the inner surfaces of tubes in boletes and polypores, or covers the teeth of spine fungi and coral branches.
The stems of mushrooms are typically long and sturdy, shaped like cylinders. They often have an annulus or volva attached, which protects the spores during development. In the early stages of growth, some mushrooms develop a partial veil that surrounds and protects the underside of the cap. As the mushroom matures, this veil breaks away from the cap and forms the annulus, or mushroom ring.
Some mushrooms have unique shapes, such as the lion's mane mushroom, which is a tooth fungus with shaggy hair-like structures instead of a spherical dome cap. The lobster mushroom is another atypical mushroom, deformed by a parasitic fungus, resulting in an unusual shape and red colour resembling a boiled lobster.
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Colour
Mushrooms come in a variety of colours, ranging from red, purple, blue, green, yellow, black, and white. The colour of a mushroom is one of the most important characteristics used in its identification, and it can vary greatly from one individual fruiting body to another. For example, the amethyst deceiver, a small, cute, usually edible mushroom, is purple but turns brown as it ages. Clavaria zollingeri, a coral or clavarioid fungus, has purple "antlers", which are actually tubes that grow up to 4 inches tall. Entoloma hochstetteri, native to New Zealand, has a blue hue, ranging from dark blue to light blue to grey.
Amanita muscaria, a poisonous mushroom with psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties, can vary in colour from red to orange to yellow to white, with a geographical distribution in North America. Sarcoscypha coccinea, also known as the scarlet cup or the scarlet elf cup, has a brilliant red interior. Rhodotus palmatus, known as the wrinkled peach, has pinkish grooves on the cap and short pink gills underneath and is found in parts of England and the central United States.
When identifying and recording the colour of mushrooms, it is important to note that colours can change or fade quickly, especially after the mushroom has been collected and brought back to a work area. Taking photographs or scans of the mushroom under controlled lighting conditions can help with accurate identification. Additionally, there are systems such as HSV (Hue, Saturation, and Value) and colour wheels that can be used to classify and describe mushroom colours more precisely. However, it is important to calibrate displays and adjust the "white balance" of devices to ensure accurate colour rendition and representation.
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Smell
Mushrooms are known to have distinct smells, and some of them have a smell that resembles anise, licorice, or fennel. One such mushroom is the Horse Mushroom (Agaricus arvensis). This mushroom is highly prized for its edibility and has a distinctive smell of anise or black licorice. It is commonly found in North America, Europe, Britain, and western Asia, typically in grassy areas with rich soils.
Another mushroom that exhibits a similar aroma is The Prince (Agaricus augustus), which is also edible and highly prized. While some describe its scent as predominantly almond or almond extract, others detect a subtle hint of anise or black licorice. This mushroom is notable for its large size and classic mushroom shape.
The distinctive odour of these mushrooms is attributed to the presence of specific chemical compounds. Anise, for example, contains anethole, a terpenoid that lends a similar aroma to fennel and dill, albeit in smaller quantities. Additionally, the chemical constituents estragole and germacrene D, along with limonene and (E)-ocimene, contribute to the characteristic fragrance of anise hyssop, a herb that, despite its name, is unrelated to anise or hyssop.
Beyond the world of herbs, the Clitocybe odora mushroom also possesses a strong odour resulting from the presence of p-anisaldehyde and benzaldehyde. This mushroom is found in deciduous and coniferous woods in Asia, Europe, and North America. Mushroom hunters are advised to exercise caution and select mature specimens, as younger Clitocybe odora mushrooms can resemble several poisonous species.
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Stem characteristics
The stem of a mushroom, also known as the stipe, can provide many clues for identification. The stipe can be fibrous or smooth, equal in width throughout or bulbous at the base, and may have a ring of tissue around its circumference, known as an annulus, or a sack of tissue at its base, known as a volva. The presence or absence of these features is important for identifying different species of mushrooms. For example, the Amanita species often has both an annulus and a volva, which are remnants of the Amanita "egg" that the mushroom develops from.
The length and thickness of the stem also vary among different types of mushrooms. Some mushrooms have long, thin stems, while others have short, stout stems. The stem may be lateral or almost absent, as in the case of oyster mushrooms. The colour of the stem can also vary, with white, beige, brown, and red stems being some of the possible colours.
In addition to its physical characteristics, the stem of a mushroom can also provide information about its edibility. The spore print colour, which can be determined by placing the cap of the mushroom gill-side down on a piece of paper, is an important trait for identification. Mushrooms with white spore prints typically have white gills, a sac-like structure (volva), or a bulb at the base of the stem, while those with greenish spore prints often have greenish gills. However, it is important to note that identifying mushrooms can be challenging, especially for beginners, and misidentification can have serious consequences. Therefore, it is recommended to consult a guide or expert before consuming any wild mushrooms.
Furthermore, the presence of gills or pores on the underside of the cap, as well as their arrangement and colour, are important characteristics for identification. Some mushrooms have gills that run down the length of the stem, while others have gills that end when the stem begins. The gills may be thick, waxy, and broadly attached, or thin, delicate, and forked into a Y-shape. False gills, which are wrinkled folds, are a distinctive feature of chanterelle mushrooms.
Overall, the stem characteristics of mushrooms vary widely and play a crucial role in identifying different species. By examining the presence or absence of certain features, as well as their shape, size, colour, and associated structures, one can begin to narrow down the possible identities of a mushroom. However, it is important to approach mushroom identification with caution and seek expert guidance when in doubt.
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Frequently asked questions
There are many ways to identify mushrooms, including:
- Using a spore print test.
- Observing the mushroom's shape, colour, smell, taste, and flavour.
- Checking the mushroom's substrate, or the material it is growing from.
- Examining the gills and stem.
- Using online and offline mushroom identification resources, such as guidebooks, websites, or mobile applications.
Some common mushrooms include:
- Old Man of the Woods: Has a distinct cap and stem with a spongy surface of pores. It has white and gray colouring.
- Chanterelle: Has wrinkled folds known as "false gills". The cap is slightly vase-shaped, and the stem has no bulb or ring. It is often found on the ground at the edge of trails in mixed hardwood forests.
- Northern Tooth: Has small "teeth" or spines hanging from the underside of the cap, with no stem. It is usually found growing on dying maple trees.
- Oyster Mushrooms: Have broad, fan-shaped, or oyster-shaped caps. The stem is either lateral or almost absent. They are commonly found in woods and grow on wood or debris.
- Woodwaxes (UK) or Waxy Caps (North America): Have smooth caps that become viscid to glutinous when damp. The gills are thick, waxy, and broadly attached or decurrent. The stem often has a ring, and the cap may have scales.
One of the most poisonous mushrooms is the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides), which is often mistakenly identified as a field mushroom. It is important to be cautious and properly identify mushrooms before consuming them.
One test mentioned is the chew and spit test, where you bite off a tiny piece of the mushroom, chew it for a moment to get the taste, and then spit it out. However, it is important to note that this test may not be suitable for all types of mushrooms.
There are various resources available for identifying mushrooms, including guidebooks such as "Mushrooms Paperback" by Roger Phillips and "Mushrooms: How to Identify and Gather Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi" by DK. Additionally, there are websites and mobile applications like Svampe, Champignouf, and Shroom.id that can assist in mushroom identification. These resources can provide guidance, but it is always recommended to seek expert advice or confirmation before consuming any mushroom.
