Species Guide

Choice edible — fruity aroma, peppery taste

Key ID Features

• •Golden-yellow funnel shape with wavy cap edges
• •False gills: forked ridges running down the stem, not blade-like
• •Fruity, apricot-like aroma
• •Solid white flesh when cut (never hollow)

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Jack-o-lantern (Omphalotus olearius) — TOXIC, grows in clusters on wood, has true gills, bioluminescent
• !False chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca) — thinner, orange, true gills

Choice edible — must be cooked thoroughly

Key ID Features

• •Honeycomb-patterned cap with pits and ridges
• •Completely hollow from cap to stem base when sliced
• •Cap attached directly to stem at the base
• •Tan to dark brown coloring

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !False morel (Gyromitra esculenta) — TOXIC, brain-like wrinkled cap (not honeycomb), not fully hollow
• !Half-free morel (Morchella punctipes) — cap attached only at top, still edible

Choice edible — rich, nutty flavor

Key ID Features

• •Large brown cap (up to 12 inches) with white to yellow pore surface underneath
• •Thick, bulbous stem with white net-like pattern (reticulation)
• •Flesh stays white when cut (does not stain blue)
• •Spongy pore layer instead of gills

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Bitter bolete (Tylopilus felleus) — looks similar but extremely bitter, pink pore surface when mature

Edible — mild, anise-like taste

Key ID Features

• •Fan or oyster-shell shaped cap, white to gray-brown
• •Decurrent gills running down a short, off-center stem
• •Grows in overlapping shelf-like clusters on wood
• •White spore print

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Angel wings (Pleurocybella porrigens) — thinner, pure white, grows on conifers — potentially toxic
• !Elm oyster (Hypsizygus ulmarius) — similar but has centered stem

Edible & medicinal — lobster-like flavor, nerve growth factor support

Key ID Features

• •White, shaggy, globe-shaped with long cascading spines
• •No cap, gills, or stem — entirely made of dangling teeth/spines
• •Turns yellowish-brown with age
• •Grows as a single clump on hardwood

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Bear's head tooth (Hericium americanum) — branching structure with shorter spines, also edible
• !Coral tooth (Hericium coralloides) — more branched, also edible

Medicinal — too tough to eat, used for tea and extracts (immune support)

Key ID Features

• •Thin, flexible, fan-shaped brackets in overlapping clusters
• •Concentric color zones (brown, tan, gray, blue, green)
• •White pore surface underneath (tiny pores visible with hand lens)
• •Leathery, thin texture — not woody

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !False turkey tail (Stereum ostrea) — smooth underside (no pores), stiffer
• !Multicolor gill polypore (Lenzites betulina) — has gill-like structures underneath

Medicinal — too woody to eat, used for tea and tinctures (adaptogenic)

Key ID Features

• •Kidney or fan-shaped with a shiny, lacquered reddish-brown surface
• •White growing edge when actively growing
• •Brown pore surface underneath
• •Very woody and hard when mature

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Artist conk (Ganoderma applanatum) — similar but flat, gray-brown top, no lacquer shine

Edible when young — tastes like chicken when sautéed

Key ID Features

• •Bright orange and yellow shelf-like brackets
• •Pore surface underneath (no gills)
• •Soft and succulent when young, tough when old
• •Grows in large overlapping rosettes on tree trunks

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Jack-o-lantern (Omphalotus olearius) — has gills, grows at tree base, not on trunk
• !Avoid specimens growing on conifers or eucalyptus (may cause GI upset)

Choice edible & medicinal — earthy, rich flavor

Key ID Features

• •Large (up to 50 lbs) rosette of overlapping gray-brown fan-shaped caps
• •White pore surface underneath
• •Grows at the base of trees, not on trunks
• •Has a branching, coral-like structure from a central stem

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Black-staining polypore (Meripilus sumstinei) — stains black when bruised or cut
• !Berkeley polypore (Bondarzewia berkeleyi) — larger, paler caps, tougher

Choice edible — the classic porcini, prized worldwide

Key ID Features

• •Large brown cap with spongy pore layer (not gills)
• •Thick white stem with fine net-like reticulation
• •White flesh that does not change color when cut
• •Found under conifers at higher elevations in Colorado

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Bitter bolete (Tylopilus felleus) — extremely bitter taste, pinkish pore surface
• !Satan bolete (Rubroboletus satanas) — red pore surface, stains blue — TOXIC

Choice edible — rich, smoky, truffle-like flavor

Key ID Features

• •Dark gray to black funnel/trumpet shape, hollow all the way through
• •Smooth to slightly wrinkled outer surface (no true gills)
• •Very thin flesh, almost papery
• •Grows in clusters, often hidden in dark leaf litter

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Devil urn (Urnula craterium) — cup-shaped, grows on buried wood in spring, not trumpet-shaped
• !Few dangerous look-alikes — one of the safer mushrooms to forage

Edible — seafood-like flavor and texture

Key ID Features

• •Bright orange-red exterior resembling a cooked lobster shell
• •Hard, dense outer coating covering the host mushroom
• •White interior flesh
• •Actually a parasitic mold (Hypomyces) transforming another mushroom

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Avoid if the host mushroom identity is uncertain
• !Old specimens may develop off-putting smell — only eat fresh, firm ones

Choice edible — spicy, cinnamon-like aroma, highly prized

Key ID Features

• •White to brown cap with fibrous scales
• •Thick white stem with a prominent membranous ring
• •Strong distinctive spicy-cinnamon aroma
• •White spore print, gills attached to stem

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Smith amanita (Amanita smithiana) — TOXIC, similar white appearance but has a volva (cup at stem base)
• !Always check for the distinctive spicy matsutake smell and absence of volva

Edible — nutty, sweet, mild flavor

Key ID Features

• •Pale orange to cream cap, irregular shape
• •Spines/teeth underneath instead of gills (unique identifying feature)
• •Short, thick, off-center stem
• •Brittle spines that break off easily when touched

⚠️ Look-alikes

• !Depressed hedgehog (Hydnum umbilicatum) — smaller, darker, also edible
• !No dangerous look-alikes — the tooth/spine surface is distinctive

DEADLY POISONOUS — causes liver and kidney failure, often fatal

Key ID Features

• •Entirely white — cap, gills, stem, and spore print
• •Has a saclike volva (cup) at the base of the stem, often buried in soil
• •Skirt-like ring (annulus) on the upper stem
• •Free gills (not attached to stem), cap smooth and slightly sticky when wet

⚠️ Commonly Confused With

• !Commonly confused with edible meadow mushrooms (Agaricus campestris) — check for PINK/BROWN gills (meadow) vs WHITE gills (destroying angel)
• !Button mushrooms — destroying angels in button stage look nearly identical to store-bought mushrooms
• !Paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) — also has volva but darker cap
• !NEVER eat an all-white mushroom from the wild without expert verification