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Identifiers

Mushroom identifier

What mushroom is this? Identify it from a photo

What mushroom is this? Upload a photo: you get the most likely species with confidence, the features that set them apart, and close candidates, which can include dangerous look-alikes, before you trust a match.

Identify a mushroom

Example result

Most likely · 70%

Morchella esculenta (common/true morel)

Most likely matches

  1. Morchella esculenta (common/true morel)70%

    Distinct honeycomb/reticulate cap with deep pits and ridges on a conical cap, pale tan to yellowish color and a stout, hollow stipe — typical spring morel appearance.

  2. Morchella (conica/black morel complex)15%

    General morel-type structure (pitted cap on a stem) that could belong to the darker/conical morel complex; color and texture overlap with several Morchella species.

  3. Verpa bohemica (early morel / wrinkled thimble-cap)8%

    Has a thimble-like cap that is more loosely attached to the stem and may appear wrinkled rather than fully pitted; less likely given the strongly pitted, attached cap in the photo.

  4. Gyromitra esculenta (false morel)5%

    Some false morels have brain-like/irregular caps that can be mistaken for morels at a glance, but typically have more folded/brain-like lobes rather than a regular honeycomb; less likely here.

Caution

Some lookalikes (Gyromitra species) are toxic — do not consume wild morels unless you are certain of identification and proper preparation.

Your turn

Identify a mushroom from a photo

One photo of the whole mushroom in daylight, ideally showing the cap, the gills or pores, and the base of the stem. Add where you found it.

Where the photo was taken

Examples

Real results from the mushroom identifier

Unedited answers from this tool for two more Wikimedia Commons photos: a fly agaric and a chanterelle.

Most likely · 92%

Amanita muscaria (fly agaric)

Most likely matches

  1. Amanita muscaria (fly agaric)92%

    Bright red cap with numerous white wart-like patches, white gills and stem with a ring, and a cup-like volva at the base — classic features of fly agaric seen in temperate Europe.

  2. Amanita muscaria (var. regional forms)5%

    A regional form/variation of A. muscaria (slight differences in cap color, wart density or size) — looks very similar to the specimen but considered a variety of the same species.

  3. Amanita pantherina (panther cap) — unlikely3%

    Also an Amanita with white warts, but panther cap typically has a brown-to-olive cap rather than the bright red shown here; included only as a distant lookalike.

Caution

Do not eat these mushrooms — Amanita muscaria is toxic and can cause severe effects if ingested.

Most likely · 72%

Cantharellus cibarius (golden chanterelle)

Most likely matches

  1. Cantharellus cibarius (golden chanterelle)72%

    Bright golden-yellow funnel-shaped caps with wavy margins, decurrent forked ridges (false gills) rather than sharp gills, growing in a small cluster on leaf litter in deciduous woodland.

  2. Cantharellus lateritius (smooth chanterelle / apricot chanterelle)10%

    Similar golden/orange funnel-shaped fruitbodies; distinguished by often smoother cap surface and less pronounced ridges — image could represent a variation or closely related species.

  3. Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca (false chanterelle)10%

    Orange clustered mushrooms with gill-like structures; false chanterelle has more distinct true gills and deeper orange color, but can appear similar at a glance in leaf litter.

  4. Craterellus tubaeformis (yellowfoot / trumpet chanterelle)5%

    Trumpet-shaped, yellowish to brownish chanterelle relative with thinner stems and hollow look; less likely given the bright solid yellow tops in the photo.

Caution

Some lookalike orange/orange-gilled mushrooms are inedible or toxic, so do not eat unless identified with certainty by an expert.

Method

How the mushroom identifier works

  1. 01

    Snap the cap, gills and stem

    One photo of the whole mushroom in daylight. The underside and the base of the stem carry the features that matter most.

  2. 02

    Say where you found it

    A region and a habitat, such as "Oregon, mixed forest", help rule out species that do not grow there.

  3. 03

    Compare the candidates

    Up to five species, each with its confidence and the features in your photo that separate them.

  4. 04

    Check the look-alikes

    A caution line warns about dangerous look-alikes when there are any, and matches link to a species page where one exists.

Reference

Mushroom identification: look-alikes to rule out

Several well-known mushrooms have a look-alike that can make you ill. These are the features field guides use to tell them apart; a photo is where the check starts, not where it ends.

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)
Shelf-like clusters on wood, a brown cap, whitish gills running down a stubby, nearly absent stem, and a whitish to lilac spore print. Close relatives look much the same.
Jack-o'-lantern (Omphalotus illudens)
Bright orange, in clusters on stumps or the buried roots of hardwoods, with true gills running down the stem and orange flesh. Listed among mushroom poisonings; often confused with chanterelles.
Chanterelles (Cantharellus)
Yellow to orange, in hardwood forests, with a central fleshy stem and false gills, ridges rather than true gills; they rarely grow in dense clusters, and smell fruity, like apricots.
Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor)
Thin, fuzzy or velvety caps with sharply contrasting rings of colour, in overlapping clusters on dead hardwood; pores, not gills, underneath. Several similar polypores look nearly identical.
False morel (Gyromitra esculenta)
Contains gyromitrin: symptoms appear 2 to 24 hours after eating, and severe cases can damage the liver and kidneys or kill.
Destroying angels and death cap (Amanita)
Stark white destroying angels with a sack (volva) around the stem base, and the death cap. Their amatoxins cause the most serious poisonings, with symptoms delayed by hours.

Source: MushroomExpert.com (Pleurotus ostreatus, Omphalotus illudens, Cantharellus, Trametes versicolor, Amanita bisporigera); North American Mycological Association, as of

Caution

Is this mushroom poisonous? Do not eat it on a photo match

No photo, from this mushroom identifier or any other, can tell you a mushroom is safe to eat. If someone ate a wild mushroom, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 now, even before symptoms: with the deadliest mushrooms they can take 6 to 24 hours to appear. If a pet ate one, call your vet.

NAMA on mushroom poisoning

Photos

How to photograph a mushroom for identification

Field guides identify mushrooms from features you can see: the shape, the cap, the stem, the gills or pores, a ring and a cup at the base.

Do

  • Show the underside

    Gills, teeth or pores, and how the gills attach to the stem, are features field guides ask about.

  • Show the base of the stem

    The whole base, not snapped off: a sack-like cup (volva) around it is a feature of the destroying angels.

  • Show where it grows

    On wood or on the ground, and near which trees: some mushrooms fruit only on or near certain trees.

  • Use daylight

    Colour matters, and some mushrooms change colour where they are touched.

Don't

  • No blurry close-ups

    None are easy to identify from a poor photo.

  • Not only the young button

    Many mushrooms are easy to confuse while they are immature; photograph a mature one if you can.

Source: Cascade Mycological Society (Mushroom ID Help)

Scope

What a mushroom identifier can and cannot tell from a photo

A photo can show

  • The most likely species, up to five, each with its confidence
  • The features in your photo that separate the candidates
  • A caution line that warns about dangerous look-alikes when there are any
  • A species page for a match, where one exists

Only an expert with it in hand can tell

  • Whether a mushroom is safe to eat or touch: no photo can
  • Spore print colour, smell or microscopic features
  • A legal or medical answer: call poison control or a doctor

The mushroom identifier is built for the question to start with, before any foraging decision: what could this be, and what could it be confused with? Nothing it says is a reason to eat a mushroom.

Next

After the mushroom identifier: what to do next

A likely name is a first step. These are the steps mycologists and poison centres recommend.

  1. 01

    Someone ate it, or a pet did

    Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (free, expert advice, any time) or your vet. Do not wait for symptoms.

    America's Poison Centers
  2. 02

    Ask a local mushroom club

    Mycological societies run forays and meetings where someone with experience looks at mushrooms in hand. Some, such as the Cascade Mycological Society, do not identify from a photo at all.

    An example club
  3. 03

    Make a spore print

    Spore colour is one of the features a photo cannot show, and a field guide's key often asks for it.

  4. 04

    Mushrooms in the yard

    The green-spored parasol is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning in North America, and pets can be poisoned too: pick yard mushrooms and throw them away.

Catalog

In the catalog

Sources

Where mushroom facts on this page come from

Checked

Never eat a mushroom based on this result. Identification by photo cannot replace a spore print, smell, a microscope and an expert with the mushroom in hand.

Pricing

Pay per answer

Each run of this tool costs 1 credit.

  • Free

    2

    tries without an account, 3 once you sign in

  • 20 identifications

    20

    credits, added to your wallet for this site

  • 100 identifications

    100

    credits, added to your wallet for this site

FAQ

Mushroom identifier questions

Can I take a picture of a mushroom to identify it and know if it's poisonous?

A photo gives you the likely species and close candidates, with a caution line when one could be dangerous. It cannot tell you that a mushroom is safe to eat: no photo tool can.

How do I identify a mushroom in my yard without putting my family or pets at risk?

Photograph it where it grows, then pick it and throw it away. NAMA names the green-spored parasol as the most common cause of mushroom poisoning in North America, and pets can be poisoned too.

How accurate is the mushroom species identification?

Each candidate comes with a confidence. Cascade Mycological Society puts it plainly: some mushrooms are easier to identify from good photos than others, and none are easy from poor ones. Treat a match as a starting point.

How do I identify oyster mushrooms?

Oysters grow in shelf-like clusters on wood, with whitish gills running down a stubby, nearly absent stem and a whitish to lilac spore print (MushroomExpert.com). Photograph the gills and how the cluster is attached.

What do oyster mushrooms look like?

Fan- or kidney-shaped caps, pale to dark brown, in overlapping clusters on dead logs and living trees, mostly hardwoods; the gills run down to a very short stem.

Are there poisonous look alikes in false oyster mushroom identification?

Yes. The jack-o'-lantern grows in clusters on wood and is listed among mushroom poisonings. Other shelf-like mushrooms on wood, such as the orange, hairy Phyllotopsis nidulans, can be confused with oysters too. Check each candidate's look-alikes, and never eat on a photo match.

How does chanterelle mushroom identification work, and what are the look-alikes?

Chanterelles have false gills and rarely grow in dense clusters; the jack-o'-lantern has true gills and grows in clusters (MushroomExpert.com). The mushroom identifier lists the close candidates with their confidence: check whether a jack-o'-lantern is among them.

Can it help with turkey tail mushroom identification?

It can name Trametes versicolor and list similar polypores among the candidates. MushroomExpert.com notes that several look nearly identical to the casual eye: look for sharply contrasting colour rings, a fuzzy cap and tiny pores underneath.

Is this a psychedelic mushroom identifier?

No. The mushroom identifier names likely species and their look-alikes for safety. It does not confirm any mushroom for eating or for its effects, and some look-alikes are deadly.

Is it safe to use an app to identify mushrooms and decide if I can eat them?

No. A scan in your pocket cannot judge edibility. Use it to learn what a mushroom could be and what it could be confused with, then ask an experienced person with the mushroom in hand.

What should I do if I eat a wild mushroom and feel unwell?

Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 or go to an emergency room. With amatoxin mushrooms, NAMA warns not to wait for symptoms.

Can I use an app to identify mushrooms instead of a field guide?

Use both. The mushroom identifier gives you candidates; a field guide's key checks them feature by feature, including the spore print a photo cannot show.

Why does my mushroom ID app give different identifications for the same photo?

Similar mushrooms share features, so close candidates can swap places. This tool shows several candidates with their confidence, so you see the uncertainty instead of one name.

Does a mushroom identifier work worldwide, and do I need to download an app?

It runs in the browser on an Android phone, an iPhone or a computer, with nothing to download. Add where you found it: the region helps rule out species that do not grow there. A match from a region far from yours deserves extra doubt.

Which photos work best?

To find the best match, try daylight, the whole mushroom in frame, the gills or pores from below, and the base of the stem dug out rather than snapped off.

Found a mushroom you cannot name?

Upload one clear photo of the cap, the gills and the base. You get the likely species and close candidates to check.

Identify a mushroom