discovered to belong to another, similar-looking species.
MUSHROOM IDENTIFICATION
THE COLLECTION PROCESS is the first step in mushroom identification. Equipment should include a basket, knife or trowel, and wax or paper bags to keep each collection separate. Large mushrooms can be wrapped in wax paper. Plastic bags are not preferred since they can accelerate the decomposition of the fruit bodies. Do not put more than one kind in each bag. A hand lens is a useful tool for observing small features such as scales or hairs. Care should be taken to collect the whole mushroom, using the knife or trowel to dig to get the bottom of the stem. The base of the stem may have a bulb or remnants of the universal veil, which are important identification features. Note the kinds of trees in the area. Was the mushroom growing on wood, soil, humus, moss, or wood mulch? Those species with specialized habitats—such as those growing on other mushrooms, nut shells, or cones—are usually easily identified.
At home or in the lab, the first step in identifying a mushroom with gills or pores is to determine the color of a spore deposit. This deposit—called a spore print—is made by removing the stem and laying the cap with the gill or the pore side down on a sheet of white paper. Covering the cap with an inverted bowl helps protect it from drying out. After several hours, remove the cover and the mushroom cap. If the mushroom is not sterile, there will be a visible deposit of microscopic spores. The specimen chosen should be mature but not overripe. The color of the spore print is the first step in the identification of a mushroom. Colors range from white to black and include greenish, cream, yellow, ochre, lavender, dark purplish, pink, salmon, and various shades of brown. Many of the common mushrooms have white spores. It is sometimes possible to determine the color of the spores by looking at the mature gills, but a spore print is the only way to be sure.
Identifying a single mushroom is difficult. It is best to have a collection, including young, old, and intermediate stages. Note the presence or absence of a partial veil covering the gills in the button stage. Is there a ring on the stem or flaps of tissue on the cap margin? Is the ring skirt-like or a simple ring? Note the colors of all parts including the cut flesh. Is there a color change when the flesh is exposed? If the mushroom has whitish spores, look for the presence of latex on the cut gills and flesh.
Are the surfaces of the cap and stem bald, hairy, wrinkled, dry, or slimy? Note the gill attachment to the stem. It could be free from the stem, notched, or running down the stem. Stature can be important. Is the stem longer than the cap is wide or vice versa? Note the odor by sniffing the gills, pores, or a bit of the crushed flesh.
Making a spore print can also be useful for some polypores and spine fungi. Many of the other non-gilled species can be identified without making a spore print by observing the features and following the keys.
There are many more species in Appalachia than can be included in a field guide. If a mushroom does not quite fit the description, it likely is not included in this book. Do not try to force your mushroom into a description that does not quite fit. Conversely, consider that young mushrooms can look very different from old ones, and wet caps can look different from dry ones. Read the descriptions closely. Identifying a mushroom from just a picture can be very difficult. Photos often represent mushrooms in pristine or at least in good condition. Mushrooms may look very different owing to age and environmental conditions.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Gilled Mushrooms
SPORE COLOR IS the starting point for identifying gilled mushrooms. Make a spore print as described in the section of this book titled “Mushroom Identification.”
Many genera will have white- to cream-colored spores. Some of these spore deposits will be a bit yellowish or, rarely, tinged violet. The common groups of mostly medium to large species are here separated into eight distinctive genera.
Amanita species have at first a universal veil, which at maturity leaves remnants at the stem base or warts on the cap. They generally have stems longer than the cap width. Of the white-spored mushrooms, this is the only genus with a universal veil. Because of toxic look-alikes, species in this genus are not recommended as edibles for beginners.
Russula species are generally squat mushrooms. Most have very brittle gills and all have brittle flesh. The gills are attached broadly to the stem. Ranging from white to black, many are colorful, with shades of red and green. Mild-tasting species are often edible, but they are also popular with slugs, rodents, and insect larvae.
Lactarius and Lactifluus species are generally squat mushrooms with gills that exude latex when cut or damaged. The gills are attached broadly to the stem. Species with mild latex are mostly edible. They are rather coarse textured.
Hygrocybe and Hygrophorus species are called wax caps. Their flesh has a waxy texture that can usually be felt by crushing a bit of the cap between thumb and forefinger. Gliophorus and Humidicutis species are also wax caps. Gliophorus species have glutinous caps and stems. Many of the species in these genera are edible, but the waxy texture, mild flavor, and often slimy caps are not popular features for most people who consume edible mushrooms.
Tricholoma is a genus of mostly gray, brown, yellowish, or white mushrooms with gills that are notched at the stem. They generally fruit in the fall. They lack latex and a universal veil. A few have a partial veil. Their flesh is not waxy textured. Many have a mealy odor. Not many species are recommended as edibles for beginning collectors.
Other white-spored mushrooms are diverse and include many genera. They have been keyed out here using size, habitat, presence or absence of a partial veil, and whether the stem is central or off center. There are many good edible mushrooms in this group.
Colored-spored genera are keyed out using spore color, habitat, size, cap color, and the presence or absence of a partial veil. There are many edible species in this group. The large, rusty-brown-spored genus Cortinarius has been treated separately. Species in this large genus have a spider web-like cortina veil when young. Many are beautiful, but it is not a genus with many edible species.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Non-Gilled Mushrooms
MANY FLESHY FUNGI do not have gills. These include species with many shapes, textures, and forms.
Pored fungi include the boletes and polypores. Boletes and some polypores have stems. Many polypores have a shelving growth on wood and lack stems. Many polypores are fibrous or woody in texture. There are some good edibles as well. Boletes generally have a typical umbrella shape and fleshy fruiting bodies that typically occur on the ground. Many boletes are popular edibles. These two groups are keyed out separately using size, habitat, general shape, color, taste, pore shape, and fruiting-body toughness. Spore color can also be useful.
Chanterelles are keyed out using color, size, and undersurface features. They often have a funnel shape. Their underside is usually wrinkled or nearly gill-like. Several of these are good edible species.
Coral-like fungi are keyed out based on habitat, texture, color, and whether they are branched or not. Unbranched club fungi are included here. A few are edible. Many are hard to identify.
Spine fungi are keyed out using color, habitat, texture, and presence or absence of a stem. The spines are sometimes referred to as teeth or whiskers. Those that are terrestrial have stems and a typical mushroom shape. The wood-rotting species lack a stem or have a very rudimentary stem. There are good edibles in the genera Hydnum and Hericium.
Puffballs and their relatives are keyed out using size, colors,
