Pacific Northwest Mushrooms

Turkey tail
Scientific name: Trametes versicolor

• Thin, leathery brackets in overlapping rosettes
• Concentric colored zones (brown, cream, blue, tan) like a turkey tail
• Common on dead hardwood; used medicinally

Fly agaric var. guessowii (yellow form)
Scientific name: Amanita muscaria var. guessowii

• Yellow to orange-yellow cap with white warts
• Similar to red fly agaric but paler; often under conifers and birch
• Psychoactive and toxic if improperly prepared

Jelly ear / Wood ear
Scientific name: Auricularia auricula-judae

• Brown, ear-shaped, gelatinous fruiting bodies
• Grows on dead or dying wood, especially elder and other hardwoods
• Edible and used in many Asian dishes

Common inkcap
Scientific name: Coprinopsis atramentaria

• Grayish bell-shaped caps that turn black and inky
• Often in clusters on disturbed ground or near paths
• Can cause illness when combined with alcohol

Jack-o'-lantern mushroom
Scientific name: Omphalotus olearius

• Bright orange clusters at the base of trees or stumps
• True gills (not ridges) that may glow faintly in the dark
• Poisonous, sometimes confused with chanterelles

Shaggy parasol
Scientific name: Chlorophyllum rhacodes

• Large cap with brown, shaggy scales on a whitish background
• Thick stem with movable ring; flesh may redden when cut
• Edible for some, but causes GI upset in others

Puffball mushroom
Scientific name: Lycoperdon perlatum

• Small, round to pear-shaped puffballs with tiny spines
• White and firm when young; later opens to release brown spores
• Edible only when interior is pure white and solid

Yellowfoot chanterelle
Scientific name: Craterellus tubaeformis

• Small, yellow to brown funnel-shaped caps
• Hollow, thin yellowish stems
• Edible, often in mossy, wet conifer forests

Hedgehog mushroom
Scientific name: Hydnum rufescens

• Smaller, orange to salmon-colored cap
• Teeth-like spines under cap; often slightly decurrent
• Good edible, common in mossy conifer forests

Honey fungus
Scientific name: Armillaria mellea

• Honey-colored caps often in dense clusters at tree bases
• White spore print; may have dark shoe-string rhizomorphs
• Serious tree pathogen; some forms eaten cautiously

Pacific golden chanterelle
Scientific name: Cantharellus formosus

• Golden to apricot-yellow, wavy funnel-shaped cap
• False gills: blunt, forked ridges running down the stem
• Highly prized edible, common in coastal conifer forests

Scaly hedgehog / Wood hedgehog
Scientific name: Hydnum repandum

• Pale, irregular cap with spines (teeth) instead of gills
• Spines hang from the underside like tiny icicles
• Edible, often found under conifers and hardwoods

Tinder fungus / Hoof fungus
Scientific name: Fomes fomentarius

• Hard, hoof-shaped conks, gray to brown in color
• Found mostly on birch and beech
• Traditionally used as tinder and for making amadou

Giant puffball
Scientific name: Calvatia gigantea

• Very large, round white puffball (can be soccer-ball sized)
• Smooth surface; interior turns yellow-brown when old
• Edible when young and uniformly white inside

Deadly webcap
Scientific name: Cortinarius rubellus

• Rusty orange-brown cap with fibrillose surface
• Webby cortina remnants on stem
• Lethal toxin (orellanine); can resemble edible species