Types and names of mushrooms with pictures

The best way to learn to recognize edible and non-edible mushrooms on your own is to familiarize yourself with their names, descriptions and photos. Of course, it is better if you walk through the forest several times with an experienced mushroom picker, or show your prey at home, but everyone needs to learn to distinguish between real and false mushrooms.

You will find the names of mushrooms in alphabetical order, their descriptions and photos in this article, which you can later use as a guide to mushroom growing.

Types of mushrooms

The species diversity of mushrooms is very wide, so there is a strict classification of these inhabitants of the forest (Figure 1).

So, according to their edibility, they are divided into:

  • Edible (white, boletus, champignon, chanterelle, etc.);
  • Conditionally edible (dubovik, greenfinch, veselka, breast, line);
  • Poisonous (satanic, pale grebe, fly agaric).

In addition, they are usually divided according to the type of bottom of the hat. According to this classification, they are tubular (outwardly resembles a porous sponge) and lamellar (plates are clearly visible on the inside of the cap). The first group includes butter, white, boletus and boletus. To the second - mushrooms, milk mushrooms, chanterelles, mushrooms and russula. Morels, which include morels and truffles, are considered a separate group.


Figure 1. Classification of edible varieties

It is also customary to separate them according to nutritional value. According to this classification, they are of four types:

Since there are a lot of species, we will give the names of the most popular with their pictures. The best edible mushrooms with photos and names are shown in the video.

Edible mushrooms: photos and names

Edible varieties include those that can be freely eaten fresh, dried and boiled. They have high taste qualities, and you can distinguish an edible specimen from an inedible one in the forest by the color and shape of the fruiting body, smell, and some characteristic features.


Figure 2. Popular edible species: 1 - white, 2 - oyster mushroom, 3 - volushki, 4 - chanterelles

We offer a list of the most popular edible mushrooms with photos and names(picture 2 and 3):

  • White mushroom (boletus)- the most valuable find for a mushroom picker. It has a massive light stem, and the color of the cap can vary from cream to dark brown, depending on the region of growth. When broken, the flesh does not change color, and has a slight nutty flavor. It comes in several types: birch, pine and oak. All of them are similar in external characteristics and are suitable for food.
  • Oyster mushroom: regal, pulmonary, horn-shaped and lemon, grows mainly on trees. Moreover, you can collect it not only in the forest, but also at home, sowing mycelium on logs or stumps.
  • Volnushki, white and pink, have a hat depressed in the center, the diameter of which can reach 8 cm. The wave has a sweet pleasant smell, and at the break, the fruiting body begins to secrete sticky, sticky juice. They can be found not only in the forest, but also in open places.
  • Chanterelles- more often they are bright yellow, but there are also light species (white chanterelle). They have a cylindrical leg, which expands upwards, and an irregularly shaped hat, slightly pressed into the middle.
  • Butter dish there are also several types (real, cedar, deciduous, granular, white, yellow-brown, painted, red-red, red, gray, etc.). The most common is considered to be a real oiler, which grows on sandy soils in deciduous forests. The cap is flat, with a small tubercle in the middle, and a characteristic feature is the mucous skin, which is easily separated from the pulp.
  • Honey mushrooms, meadow, autumn, summer and winter, belong to edible varieties that are very easy to collect, as they grow in large colonies on tree trunks and stumps. The color of honey agaric may vary depending on the region of growth and species, but, as a rule, its shade varies from cream to light brown. A characteristic feature of edible mushrooms is the presence of a ring on the leg, which is not present in false twins.
  • Aspen mushrooms belong to the tubular: they have a thick stem and a cap of regular shape, the color of which differs depending on the species from cream to yellow and dark brown.
  • mushrooms- bright, beautiful and tasty, which can be found in coniferous forests. Hat of the correct form, flat or funnel-shaped. The leg is cylindrical and dense, the color matches the hat. The flesh is orange, but in the air it quickly turns green and begins to secrete juice with a pronounced smell of coniferous resin. The smell is pleasant, and the taste of its flesh is slightly spicy.

Figure 3. The best edible mushrooms: 1 - butter dish, 2 - mushrooms, 3 - aspen mushrooms, 4 - mushrooms

Edible varieties also include champignons, shiitake, russula, truffles and many other species that are not so much interested in mushroom pickers. However, it should be remembered that almost every edible variety has a poisonous counterpart, the names and features of which we will consider below.

Conditionally edible

Conditionally edible varieties are slightly less, and they are suitable for eating only after special heat treatment. Depending on the variety, it must either be boiled for a long time, periodically changing the water, or simply soaked in clean water, squeezed and cooked.

The most popular conditionally edible varieties include(picture 4):

  1. breast- a variety with dense pulp, which is quite suitable for eating, although milk mushrooms are considered inedible in Western countries. They are usually soaked to remove bitterness, then salted and pickled.
  2. Row green (greenfinch) differs from others in a pronounced green color of the stem and cap, which is preserved even after heat treatment.
  3. Morels- conditionally edible specimens with an unusual shape of a hat and a thick leg. It is recommended to eat them only after careful heat treatment.

Figure 4. Conditionally edible varieties: 1 - mushroom, 2 - greenfinch, 3 - morels

Conditionally edible also include some types of truffles, russula and fly agaric. But there is one important rule that should be followed when collecting any mushrooms, including conditionally edible ones: if you have even a slight doubt about edibility, it is better to leave the prey in the forest.

Inedible mushrooms: photos and names

Inedible include species that are not eaten due to health hazards, poor taste and too hard pulp. Many representatives of this category are completely poisonous (deadly) to humans, others can cause hallucinations or mild discomfort.

It is worth avoiding such inedible specimens.(with photo and titles in Figure 5):

  1. Death cap- the most dangerous inhabitant of the forest, since even a small part of it can cause death. Despite the fact that it grows in almost all forests, it is quite difficult to meet it. Outwardly, it is absolutely proportional and very attractive: in young specimens, the cap is spherical with a slight greenish tinge, with age it turns white and stretches. Pale grebes are often confused with young floats (conditionally edible mushrooms), champignons and russula, and since one large specimen can easily poison several adults, with the slightest doubt, it is better not to put a suspicious or dubious specimen in a basket.
  2. red fly agaric, probably familiar to everyone. He is very beautiful, with a bright red hat, covered with white spots. It can grow both singly and in groups.
  3. Satanic- one of the most common doubles of the white fungus. To distinguish it simply by a light hat and a brightly colored leg, uncharacteristic of mushrooms.

Figure 5. Dangerous inedible varieties: 1 - pale grebe, 2 - red fly agaric, 3 - satanic mushroom

In fact, every edible double has a false double that disguises itself as a real one and can fall into the basket of an inexperienced quiet hunter. But, in fact, the greatest mortal danger is the pale grebe.

Note: Not only the fruiting bodies of pale grebes themselves are considered poisonous, but even their mycelium and spores, so it is strictly forbidden to even put them in a basket.

Most inedible varieties cause abdominal pain and symptoms of severe poisoning, and it is enough for a person to get medical attention. In addition, many inedible varieties have an unattractive appearance and poor taste, so they can only be eaten by accident. However, you must always be aware of the danger of poisoning, and carefully review all the booty that you brought from the forest.

The most dangerous inedible mushrooms are described in detail in the video.

The main difference between hallucinogenic and other types is that they have a psychotropic effect. Their action is in many ways similar to narcotic substances, so their intentional collection and use is punishable by criminal liability.

Common hallucinogenic varieties include(picture 6):

  1. Fly agaric red- a common inhabitant of deciduous forests. In ancient times, tinctures and decoctions from it were used as an antiseptic, immunomodulatory agent and intoxicant for various rituals among the peoples of Siberia. However, it is not recommended to eat it, not so much because of the effect of hallucinations, but because of severe poisoning.
  2. Stropharia shitty got its name from the fact that it grows directly on piles of feces. Representatives of the variety are small, with brown hats, sometimes with a shiny and sticky surface.
  3. Paneolus campanulata (bell asshole) also grows mainly on manure-fertilized soils, but can also be found simply on swampy plains. The color of the cap and legs is from white to gray, the flesh is gray.
  4. Stropharia blue-green prefers the stumps of coniferous trees, growing on them singly or in groups. Eating it by accident will not work, as it has a very unpleasant taste. In Europe, such stropharia is considered edible and even bred on farms, while in the USA it is considered poisonous due to several deaths.

Figure 6. Common hallucinogenic varieties: 1 - red fly agaric, 2 - shitty stropharia, 3 - campanulate paneolus, 4 - blue-green stropharia

Most hallucinogenic species grow in places where edible ones simply will not take root (too waterlogged soils, completely rotten stumps and manure heaps). In addition, they are small, mostly on thin legs, so it is difficult to confuse them with edible ones.

Poisonous mushrooms: photos and names

All poisonous varieties are somehow similar to edible ones (Figure 7). Even the deadly pale grebe, especially young specimens, can be confused with russula.

For example, there are several doubles of the boletus - boletus le Gal, beautiful and purple, which differ from the real ones in the too bright color of the legs or hat, as well as the unpleasant smell of the pulp. There are also varieties that are easy to confuse with mushrooms or russula (for example, fiber and talker). Gall is similar to white, but its pulp has a very bitter taste.


Figure 7. Poisonous twins: 1 - purple boletus, 2 - bile, 3 - royal fly agaric, 4 - yellow-skinned champignon

There are also poisonous doubles of mushrooms, which differ from the real ones in the absence of a leathery skirt on the leg. Poisonous varieties include fly agaric: grebe, panther, red, royal, smelly and white. Cobwebs are easily disguised as russula, mushrooms or aspen mushrooms.

There are also several types of poisonous champignons. For example, yellow-skinned is easy to confuse with an ordinary edible specimen, but during heat treatment it emits a pronounced unpleasant odor.

Unusual mushrooms of the world: names

Despite the fact that Russia is a truly mushroom country, very unusual specimens can be found not only here, but throughout the world.

We offer you several options for unusual edible and poisonous varieties with photos and names(picture 8):

  1. Blue- bright azure color. Found in India and New Zealand. Despite the fact that its toxicity is little studied, it is not recommended to eat it.
  2. bleeding tooth- a very bitter variety that is theoretically edible, but its unattractive appearance and poor taste make it unsuitable for food. It is found in North America, Iran, Korea and some European countries.
  3. bird's Nest- an unusual New Zealand variety that really resembles a bird's nest in shape. Inside the fruiting body are spores that, under the influence of rainwater, spread around.
  4. Blackberry comb also found in Russia. Its taste is similar to shrimp meat, and outwardly resembles a shaggy pile. Unfortunately, it is rare and listed in the Red Book, so it is grown mainly artificially.
  5. Golovach giant- a distant relative of champignon. It is also edible, but only young specimens with white flesh. It is found everywhere in deciduous forests, in fields and meadows.
  6. Devil's cigar- not only very beautiful, but also a rare variety that is found only in Texas and several regions of Japan.

Figure 8. The most unusual mushrooms in the world: 1 - blue, 2 - bleeding tooth, 3 - bird's nest, 4 - comb blackberry, 5 - giant golovach, 6 - devil's cigar

Another unusual representative is the brain tremor, which is found mainly in temperate climates. You can not eat it, as it is deadly poisonous. We have given a far from complete list of unusual varieties, since specimens of a strange shape and color are found all over the world. Unfortunately, most of them are inedible.

An overview of the unusual mushrooms of the world is given in the video.

Lamellar and tubular: names

All mushrooms are divided into lamellar and tubular, depending on the type of pulp on the cap. If it resembles a sponge, it is tubular, and if stripes are visible under the hat, then it is lamellar.

The most famous representative of the tubular is considered white, but this group also includes butter, boletus and boletus. Everyone has probably seen the lamellar one: this is the most common champignon, but it is among the lamellar varieties that the most poisonous ones are. Among the edible representatives, russula, mushrooms, mushrooms and chanterelles can be distinguished.

Number of mushroom species on earth



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