Thirty Edible Mushrooms

To learn to identify thirty mushrooms is a major accomplishment. This list is meant to aid you in knowing what to expect. All of the mushrooms on this list occur regularly in Wisconsin and are good edibles which someone starting out can expect to find and be able to identify with the help of a field guide.  Roll over each of the Latin names to see the mushroom.

1. Agaricus campestris.* This is a relative of the common store mushroom that is found on city streets and in meadows in the summer and fall. Be sure that you positively identify it, as it may look vaguely like an Amanita.
2. Boletus edulis.* The King Bolete. One of the world’s favorites. It’s usually quite rare, but once in a while is found in quantity. It can be confused with the very bitter (but nonpoisonous) Tylopilus felleus.
3. Calvatia gigantea.* The Giant Puffball. Make sure that the interior is pure white and not starting to turn yellow.
4. Cantharellus cibarius.* The apricot–colored chanterelle found quite often in summer.
5. Clavicorona pyxidata.* This is a small coral mushroom found growing on wood in the summer and fall. The name `corona’ refers to the crown that each branch of the coral has at its tip.
6. Coprinus comatus.* The Shaggy Mane. This is a common fall mushroom coming up shortly after a rain and quickly liquefying to a stem and a black mess.
7. Coprinus micaceus otherwise known as Coprinellus micaceus.* These are small fragile tan mushrooms that grow both on soil and on wood during summer and fall. All Coprinus species are known as inky caps because they turn to ink in age.
8. Craterellus fallax.* The Black Trumpet (of Death). Despite the name these are nonpoisonous and have a very good flavor. They are, however, very small and you have to be a good looker to find them.
9. Entoloma abortivum. These have many common names: Earth Prunes, Pig Snouts, etc. They are malformed masses (the result of being parasitized by Armillaria) that can be very common in the late fall under maples.
10. Flammulina velutipes.* `Velutipes’ means velvet stem and refers to the hairy black stem on this little mushroom. You can find this growing any time of the year in clusters on dead wood. This can be found growing in the winter (during warm spells) and is often called the Winter Mushroom.
11. Grifola frondosa. The Hen of the Woods. This is a prize fungus because of its size and edibility. It reaches a diameter of one or two feet across and often you find more than one! You find it in the fall growing at the base of oak trees.
12. Hericium*, all species. These are tooth fungi, growing on wood, without a cap. All are edible and tasty.
13. Hygrophorus russula.* This is a large pinkish–streaked waxy mushroom. It doesn’t have a lot of taste but can sometimes be found in quantity.
14. Hydnum repandum.* This is a medium-sized pale orangish mushroom with teeth (i.e., spines instead of gills under the cap). It’s found on the ground in late summer and fall and is easy to identify: it’s orange, has teeth, and is fleshy, not tough. It’s taste is very good.
15. Hypsizygus ulmarius.* This is quite common in the late fall on box elder, but can also be found in the early spring. It is a large-stalked, cream-colored mushroom growing just beyond your reach in wounds of trees.
16. Laccaria ochropurpurea.* This purple mushroom fades to tan with age, with only the gills remaining purple. Be aware that many poisonous Cortinarius species also have purple on them.
17. Lactarius deliciosus. Lactarius mushrooms exude a `milk’ when cut (deliciosus has an orange milk.) This is a good-sized orange mushroom that turns green when bruised or in age.
18. Laetiporus sulphureus.* The Sulphur Shelf. This is a bright sulphur yellow shelf mushroom that grows in live or dead trees and stumps. A large percentage of the population has an allergic reaction to this mushroom; so be cautious when trying this fungus the first few times.
19. Leccinum*, all species. As a group Leccinum are known as scaber stalks because of the dark ornamentation on the stalk (called scabers). There are several species of this bolete and all are edible.
20. Lepista nuda.* Blewits. This is a common pink–purplish–tan mushroom with a wide cap and a short stem. It has a distinctive odor.
21. Lycoperdon perlatum. A common small puffball growing on wood in the fall and late summer. These can be found in quantity.
22. Marasmius oreades.* The Fairy Ring Mushroom. This is common in summer and fall in lawns. Always make sure that you know what chemicals are used on the lawn before eating. This is considered a very good tasting edible.
23. Morchella augusticeps.* The Black Morel. This is a smaller, darker and earlier species than the common morel.
24. Morchella esculenta. The Morel. This is America’s favorite wild mushroom. It grows in the spring (May), and can be common. It can be found around elm, apple or ash.
25. Oudemansiella radicata. This is a common thin-fleshed mushroom with a wide brown cap and a twisted white stem. It’s found in the fall growing almost anywhere. It isn’t often found in quantity.
26. Pleurotus ostreatus.* The Oyster Mushroom. These are cream-colored mushrooms growing on wood. They grow in clusters and their gills extend down their stems.
27. Suillus americanus. These are somewhat sticky bright yellow boletes growing in white pine in the fall. They are small for boletes.
28. Suillus granulatus. These are tan-capped with a light yellow stalk. This is one of the kinds of Suillus without a ring, but it does have brown dots on the stalk.
29. Suillus luteus.* The Slippery Jack. These are slimy brown capped boletes with a slimy ring found in pine during the fall. They can be quite common.
30. Suillus pictus.* This is a handsome bolete with a distinctive reddish cap and stem. It has a white cottony veil that leaves a ring.

* Photos by Tom Volk