I’ve recently gotten into mushrooms. I gotta admit, it’s a pretty weird space.
First of all, there are so many of them, and they can be so much alike. Further, some minor detail can make all the difference between something that’s edible and delicious and something that will sicken or kill you.
Second, it attracts a very odd following. Probably the funniest Facebook group I belong to is one dedicated to mushroom identification. I’d say about a third of the posts have to have comments turned off because the discussions get so heated. Wonderfully nerdy.
Finally, there are the names. Dead Man’s Fingers, anyone? How about False Eyelash Cup? Custard Crust, Witches Butter, Bone Bowl, Forest Lamb? Golden Helmets, Yellow Blusher, Tinderhoof?
Below, I’m sharing my top 50, ranked in increasing order of craziness (but split over two posts, as there are so many). Enjoy!
50. Piglet (Microstoma floccosum)
They’re small, pink, and have white hairs, but otherwise have nothing to do with baby pigs
49. Dung Apples (Pizolithus arhizus)
Sure enough, they look a lot like “road apples”
Fun fact: Also known as dead man's foot, dyeball, pardebal & Bohemian truffle
48. Clabber Dots (Byssonnectria cartilagenia)
Look more like salmon roe to me (clabber is a white, yogurt-like product, with visible curds)
47. Coal Balls (Daldinia concentrica)
They’re black and round all right
Fun fact: AKA Coal Fungus, King Alfred's Cake & Cramp Balls
46. Cauliflower Ruffles (Sparasis spathulata)
Definitely looks like cauliflower
Fun fact: Edible & with a “mild, nutty, and earthy flavor”
45. Strict Coral (Ramaria stricta)
Very coral-like; not so sure why it’s so strict
Fun fact: AKA Upright Coral
44. Winter Stalkball (Tulostoma brumale)
You sure that’s not a sport?
Fun fact: Brumale means winter, when the thing actually appears
43. Stinksac (Phallogaster saccatus)
“The internal tissue is gelatinous with distinct chambers in the upper portion holding the dark green, slimy, fetid spore masses at maturity.”
Fun fact: AKA Club-shaped Stinkhorn or Stink Poke
42. Mudsplat (Pachyella clypeata)
Yeah, I think I can see it
41. Slime Pouch (Cortinarius pinguis)
Very slimy; not sure where the pouch comes in though
Fun fact: Strong, sweet odor
40. White Cheese Polypore (Tyromyces chioneus)
Very descriptive ... except when it comes to edibility, that is
Fun fact: Polypores have pores instead of gills
39. Artist’s Conk (Ganoderma applanatum)
Believe it or not, you can draw on them with your fingernail, and the image will stick
Fun fact: Conks are shelf-like projections that appear on standing trees
38. Wine Slimecap (Chroogomphus vinicolor)
Surprisingly descriptive
37. Cylindric Lizard-Claw (Lysurus cruciatus)
Looks like something else to me
Fun fact: There’s a ribbed one as well
36. Ivory Fiberhead (Inocybe geophylla)
Beginning our set of mushrooms that sound like the characters in a bad novel / movie
Fun fact: Highly poisonous
35. Wrinkled Scaberstalk (Leccinum scabrum)
Scabers are the little black things on the stalk
Fun fact: There is also a Ghost Scaberstalk
34. Domicile Cup (Peziza domiciliana)
They are actually famous for sprouting indoors (i.e., in people’s domiciles)
Fun fact: Has been found in Antartica & the Himalayas
33. Carnation Fiberfan (Thelephora caryophyllea)
Surprisingly carnation-like
Fun fact: Suppilosilokka in Finnish, Prachtfranjezwam in Dutch & Trichterförmiger Warzenpilz in German
32. Dingy Stickycap (Suillus umbonatus)
“Among the drabbest, least conspicuous of our local slippery jacks”
Fun fact: Other stickycaps include Spicy, Stubby, Weeping, Wooly & Chicken-fat
31. Imperial Tallowgill (Catathelasma imperiale)
“"Imperial’ refers to the (at times) imposing size of the fruit bodies.”
Fun fact: Edible but endangered
30. Jelly Woodcrust (Phlebia tremellosa)
“The consistency is soft, elastic, and gelatinous when fresh.”
Fun fact: AKA Jelly Rot
29. Berkeley’s Fanfare (Bondarzewia berkeleyi)
Well, it certainly is big and showy
Fun fact: A “parasitic butt rott”
28. Stinky Squid (Pseudocolus fusiformis)
Oddy descriptive
Fun fact: “The foul smell of stinkhorns at maturity would likely deter most individuals from eating them.”
27. Violet Toughshanks
Perfect character name
Fun fact: “Odor … sometimes reported as reminiscent of gunpowder, garlic, or radish.”
26. Shaggybear (Lactarius repraesentaneus)
It certainly is shaggy
Fun fact: Source of an antibiotic
