From the iconic classic toadstool to the bright color of the violet webcap, there are many different types of mushrooms and fungi in the Pacific Northwest. Many types of fungi are mycorrhizal and have a symbiotic relationship with a plant; other types have been known to be rather parasitic, like the Humongous Fungus in Oregon’s Malheur National Forest. Mushrooms are, simply put, the fruiting body/reproductive form of a fungus. However, not all fungi produce mushrooms, meaning that all mushrooms are fungi but not all fungi are mushrooms! The main body of a fungus is known as the mycelium, which looks like tiny white fibers that act like a root system. A healthy mycelium and the right environmental conditions are needed before the mycelium produces a mushroom, which eventually produces the spores that allow for reproduction.
There are an estimated 20,000 identified species of fruiting mushrooms in the world. That may seem like a large number but comparatively, there are an estimated 1.5 – 5 species within the fungal kingdom as a whole. The Pacific Northwest is home to many types of fungal species, including many species that produce mushrooms. A few are even edible but an overabundance of caution should be used before eating a mushroom you found in the wild. Some mushrooms are poisonous or cause illness. The following should not be used as identification for edible mushrooms but as a jumping point into the world of mushrooms and fungi.
The Fly Agaric (amanita muscaria)
One of the more well-known mushrooms from pop culture is the fly agaric, also known as the classic toadstool! This mushroom is found throughout popular culture and history, from video games like Mario and Assasin’s Creed to the 1940 Disney film Fantasia to paintings like John Anster Fitzgerald’s 1860 The Intruder. Some cultures have used fly agarics as a part of religious rituals and practices, as the mushroom contains psychoactive substances like muscimol and ibotenic acid.
The Oyster Mushroom (pleurotus ostreatus)
The oyster mushroom is another mushroom that can be relatively easy to identify, as they are also one of the more popular edible mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are shell-shaped and grow in tiers or clusters on decaying trees or stumps. They’re saprobes, which means they survive off decaying organic material and specialize in breaking down some of the toughest natural materials like cellulose and lignin.
Chicken of the Woods (laetiporus sulphureus)
This species is a type of bracket fungus, meaning it grows on trees. It has a golden yellow color to it and a shelf-like structure with tube-like pores in the undersurface. During early growth, this fungi can be eaten and has a chicken-like taste to it (although, some also say it tastes like crab or lobster!), which is how it got its common name. However, chicken of the woods needs to be prepared carefully and picked at the right life stage, as eating it raw or prepared incorrectly can cause adverse effects.
Mica Cap (coprinellus micaceus)
Mica Caps, also known as shiny caps, are small mushrooms with a bell-shaped greyish brown cap and long stems. They often grow in dense clusters around the base deciduous trees and tend to self-destruct within hours of being picked, turning into an inky black goo. These mushrooms are edible and cooking with stop the autodigestion process, although this species can be easily spoiled by overcooking. It can also bioaccumulate heavy metals like lead and cadmium, making it vital to be careful where it’s collected before being eaten, and it interacts badly with alcohol.
These four mushroom species are, of course, just some of the millions of mushroom and fungi species that exist in the world but are also some of the more iconic mushroom species. As mentioned, some of these mushrooms are edible but harvesting them in the wild can be really dangerous. If not prepared correctly or if the wrong type of mushroom is picked (as there are many that look alike!), there could be dangerous consequences.
