Can You Identify These Mushrooms From an Image?

By: J.P. Naomi
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Identify These Mushrooms From an Image?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Commonly believed to be a plant, mushrooms are in fact the “fruits” of fungi, and thus do not photosynthesize and therefore have no chlorophyll. Also referred to as “toadstools," mushrooms have appeared in many fairy tales and now have made their way to the table. Mushrooms have become a common ingredient and home-grown plant worldwide. Although a fungus, only a few mushrooms are inedible due to their poisonous nature.

They are usually white or beige in color and usually grow in groups. Instead of feeding on sun rays, mushrooms break down dead plants for food. Scientifically, this makes them saprophytes.The most common mushrooms used in food are the truffles, morels and white mushrooms. Truffles are unique and rarely found well below the ground. There, they maintain a symbiotic relationship with trees. Due to the difficulty in harvesting them, truffles are very expensive. White mushrooms are perhaps the most common edible mushrooms. they are readily available in grocery stores fresh and canned. They are also called table mushrooms. Morels slightly resemble brain coral. They have dark cones and short stalks. They are more expensive than white mushrooms and have a nutty taste. They are found near forested areas.

If you didn't know these tiny mushroom tidbits, you're in for a doozy in this quiz. Do you have what it takes to grow and identify this fungus? Or will they take over your home?

Chanterelle
n/a
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Witch's Hat
Fairy Ring
Fly Agaric
Chanterelle
Chanterelle is the common name of fungi in the genus Cantharellus. They are among the most popularly eaten species of wild mushrooms and come in orange, yellow or white.

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Portobello_mushrooms
n/a
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Portobello
Portobello, or Agaricus bisporus, is an edible basidiomycete mushroom native to grasslands in Europe and North America. They contain three grams of protein per 100 grams!
Morels
Redwood Rooter
White Matsutake

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Black_trumpet_Craterellus_cornucopioides
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Crimini
Shaggy Stem
Black Trumpet
Craterellus cornucopioides, or horn of plenty, is an edible mushroom that is also known as the black chanterelle. This fungus is found in woods in North America, Europe, Japan and Korea.
King Stropharia

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Bleeding Milk Cap (Lactarius rubrilacteus)
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Blewit
Bleeding Milk Cap
The Bleeding Milk Cap is known as Lactarius rubrilacteus, a species of mushroom of the genus Lactarius. The mushroom can be either a bluish green or an orangy brown hue, with creamy white or yellow spores that are ellipsoid in shape.
Blewit
Porcini

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Shrimp Mushroom (Russula xerampelina)
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Hideous Gomphidius
Poison Pie
Shrimp Mushroom
Russula xerampelina, also commonly known as the crab brittlegill or the shrimp mushroom, is a basidiomycete mushroom of the brittlegill genus Russula. It is mild-tasting and edible.
Crimini

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Oyster_Mushroom_(Pleurotus_ostreatus)
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Oyster Mushroom
Pleurotus is a genus of gilled mushrooms that includes one of the most widely eaten mushrooms, P. ostreatus. Pleurotus means "side ear" in Greek.
Death Cap
Enoki
Fly Agaric

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Angels_wings_mushroom
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Tumbling Puffball
Bleeding Hydnellum
Angel Wings
Pleurocybella porrigens is a species of fungus in the Marasmiaceae family. The species is widespread in temperate forests of the Northern Hemisphere.
Button Mushroom

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Velvet Foot Mushroom
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Western Varnished Conk
Turkey Tail
Velvet Foot
Velvet foot mushrooms are traditionally used for soups, but can also be used for salads and other dishes. The mushroom has a crisp texture and can be refrigerated for approximately one week.
Short-stemmed Slippery Jack

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Neolentinus_ponderosus
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Giant Sawtooth
This large, lignicolous species is commonly found during the summer months in the Sierra and higher elevations of the Coast Range. Identifying features include a cream-colored cap with appressed coarse, brownish scales, decurrent, toothed gills and the lack of a partial veil.
Northern Red Dye
Poison Pie
Button Mushroom

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Omphalotus_olivascens
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Bear's Head
Lion's Mane
Sulfur Shelf
Western Jack o' Lantern Mushroom
Omphalotus olearius is a poisonous orange gilled mushroom that to an untrained eye appears similar to some chanterelles. It is found in woodland areas in Europe, where it grows on decaying stumps, on buried roots or at the base of hardwood trees.

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Plums_and_Custard mushroom
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Tumbling Puffball
Hideous Gomphidius
Plums and Custard
Tricholomopsis rutilans, commonly known as Red-haired agaric, is a species of gilled mushroom found across Europe and North America. Its common name is from its plum-red scaled cap and crowded custard yellow gills.
Alpine Bleeder

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_Witch's_Hat_,_Hygrocybe mushroom
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Yellow Parasol
Witch's Hat
Hygrocybe conica is a colorful member of the genus Hygrocybe and is found across northern Europe and North America. It is a small mushroom, with a convex to conical yellow-orange to red cap 2 to 5 cm in diameter.
Dung Dome
Liberty Cap

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Morsels Mushrooms
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Short-stemmed Slippery Jack
Plums and Custard
Morels
Morels are a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales. Morel hunting, or molly mooching as it is known in southern West Virginia, is a hugely popular springtime activity.
Redwood Rooter

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Caulorhiza_umbonata
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
White Matsutake
Fried Chicken Mushroom
Redwood Rooter
Redwood Rooter mushrooms are found under redwood trees. They are in fruiting season from early to mid-winter and scientifically known as Caulorhiza umbonata.
Fairy Ring

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Marasmius_oreades
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Fried Chicken Mushroom
Fairy Ring
A fairy ring is a naturally-occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands.
Angel Wings
Giant Sawtooth

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Blewit (Clitocybe nuda)
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Tumbling Puffball
Redwood Rooter
King Stropharia
Blewit
Blewit refers to two closely related species of edible agarics in the genus Clitocybe: the wood blewit (Clitocybe nuda) and the field blewit or blue-leg (C.saeva). Both wood blewits and field blewits are generally regarded as edible, but they are known to cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

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Shiitake Mushroom
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Shiitake
The shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia. It is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries and is considered a medicinal mushroom in some forms of traditional medicine.
King Stropharia
Blewit
Poison Pie

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Fried Chicken Mushroom (Lyophyllum decastes)
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Poison Pie
Prince
Fried Chicken Mushroom
Lyophyllum decastes, commonly known as the fried chicken mushroom, is an edible species of fungus in the family Lyophyllaceae that grows in clusters on disturbed ground, with a faintly radish-like taste. The gills are white but may yellow slightly with age.
Porcini

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Death Cap (Amanita phalloides)
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Black Trumpet
White Matsutake
Death Cap
Amanita phalloides is commonly known as the death cap. It is a deadly poisonous basidiomycete fungus - one of many in the genus Amanita.
Shaggy Stem

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EnokitakeJapaneseMushroom
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Enoki
Enokie is a long, thin white mushroom used in East Asian cuisine - specifically in China, Japan, Vietnam and Korea. They can maintain their fresh, crisp texture for up to one week in the refrigerator.
Black Trumpet
Velvet Foot
Bleeding Milk Cap

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Amanita_calyptroderma_Oakland
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Fairy Ring
Witch's Hat
Liberty Cap
Cocorra
Named by the Italians, coccora are one of the finest eating mushrooms in the world. These mushrooms can be found growing beneath red-barked Madrone and Live Oak.

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Fliegenpilz_fly_agaric_Amanita_muscaria
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Crimini
White Matsutake
Fly Agaric
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric, is a basidiomycete mushroom, one of many in the genus Amanita. It is native to the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemispheres.
Sulfur Shelf

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Tricholoma_magnivelare_126958
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
White Matsutake
Matsutake is the common name for a highly sought-after mycorrhizal mushroom that grows in Asia, Europe, and North America. It is prized in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine for its distinct spicy-aromatic odor.
Redwood Rooter
Witch's Hat
Shrimp Mushroom

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Shaggy Stem Mushroom
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Blue Knight
Short-stemmed Slippery Jack
Shaggy Stem
The shaggy parasol is a popularly edible mushroom. However, it contains toxins which can cause gastric upsets when eaten raw or undercooked. There have also been reports of strong allergic reactions to some people even after cooking.
Northern Red Dye

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Yellow_Parasol
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Northern Red Dye
Fly Agaric
Yellow Parasol
Leucocoprinus birnbaumii is a species of gilled mushroom in the family Agaricaceae. It is common in the tropics and subtropics and their fruit bodies are poisonous. Don't eat!
Blewit

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Crimini-Mushrooms
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Blewit
Shitake
Lion's Mane
Crimini
Cremini Mushrooms are the same species of mushroom as White Button Mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus.) They are just a slightly different strain which develop a thin layer of tan or coffee-colored cells on its cap and are known to have more flavor as well.

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Agaricus_augustus
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Lion's Mane
Prince
Agaricus augustus is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Agaricus. The cap shape is hemispherical during the so-called button stage, and then expands, becoming convex and finally flat, with a diameter of up to 22 cm.
Chanterelle
Hawk Wing

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Agaricus_amicosus_166389
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Alpine Bleeder
Hydnellum peckii is an inedible, yet non toxic, fungus. It is a member of the genus Hydnellum of the family Bankeraceae. It is found in North America, Europe, Iran and Korea.
Chanterelle
Plums and Custard
Hawk Wing

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Agaricus_bitorquis
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Plums and Custard
Death Cap
Tork
Agaricus bitorquis is an edible white mushroom of the genus Agaricus, similar to the button mushroom sold worldwide. The cap is dry, smooth and white with yellow stains as it ages.
King Bolete

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King Stropharia
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
King Stropharia
Stropharia rugosoannulata is an agaric of the family Strophariaceae. It is found in Europe and North America, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The king stropharia can grow to 20 cm high with a reddish-brown convex to flattening cap up to 30 cm across.
Oyster Mushroom
Witch's Hat
Lion's Mane

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Questionable Stropharia (Stropharia ambigua)
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Lion's Mane
Bleeding Hydnellum
Questionable Stropharia
Stropharia ambigua is a saprotrophic agaric mushroom. It commonly fruits in leaf litter and wood chips in the western United States and Canada. This type of mushroom is said to taste like old leaves.
Chanterelle

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Liberty Cap (Psilocybe semilanceata) hallucinogenic
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Velvet Foot
Liberty Cap
Psilocybe semilanceata contains the psychoactive compounds psilocybin, psilocin and baeocystin. It is both one of the most widely distributed psilocybin mushrooms in nature, as well as one of the most potent. They grow in grasslands and especially wet areas.
Crimini
Oyster Mushroom

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Violet Cort (Cortinarius violaceus)
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Violet Cort
Cortinarius iodes is a species of agaric fungus in the family Cortinariaceae. The fruit bodies have small, slimy, purple caps up to 6 cm in diameter that develop yellowish spots and streaks in maturity.
Oyster Mushroom
Giant Sawtooth
Redwood Rooter

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Poison Pie (Hebeloma crustuliniforme)
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Shaggy Stem
Poison Pie
Hebeloma crustuliniforme is a gilled mushroom of the genus Hebeloma found in Europe and North America, as well as Australia. Its name derives from the Latin crustulum or little biscuit.
Yellow Parasol
Prince

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Kuhmaul_Gomphidius_glutinosus
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Prince
Hawk Wing
Hideous Gomphidius
Gomphidius glutinosus is a gilled mushroom found in Europe and North America. Although it has gills, it is a member of the order Boletales, along with the boletes.
Tumbling Puffball

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King_Bolete
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
King Bolete
Boletus edulis is a basidiomycete fungus, and the type species of the genus Boletus. It is distributed in the Northern Hemisphere across Europe, Asia, and North America.
Tumbling Puffball
Turkey Tail
Sulfur Shelf

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Porcini_Brembani
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Sulfur Shelf
Porcini
Prized as an ingredient in various foods, B. edulis is an edible mushroom held in high regard in many cuisines. It is commonly prepared and eaten in soups, pasta, or risotto. It is low in fat and high in protein.
Button Mushroom
Tork

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Short-stemmed Slippery Jack (Suillus brevipes)
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Short-stemmed Slippery Jack
Suillus brevipes is a species of fungus in the family Suillaceae. The mushrooms produced by the fungus are characterized by a reddish-brown cap covered with a sticky layer of slime and a short whitish stipe that does not have either a partial veil or prominent dark or colored glandular dots.
Tork
Alpine Bleeder
Angel Wings

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Laetiporus-sulphureus2
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Angel Wings
Shaggy Stem
Liberty Cap
Sulfur Shelf
Laetiporus is a genus of edible mushrooms found throughout much of the world. Some species, especially Laetiporus sulphureus, are commonly known as sulphur shelf or chicken of the woods because many think they taste like chicken!

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Indigo Milk Cap
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Liberty Cap
Alpine Bleeder
Indigo Milk Cap
Lactarius indigo is a species of agaric fungus in the family Russulaceae. It is an edible mushroom sold in rural markets in China, Guatemala, and Mexico.
Giant Sawtooth

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Ganoderma_lucidum
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Western Varnished Conk
Ganoderma tsugae is a flat polypore mushroom of the genus Ganoderma. It is not poisonous, but it is regarded generally as inedible.
Giant Sawtooth
Blewit
Lion's Mane

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Turkey_tail_-_Trametes_versicolor
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Lion's Mane
Turkey Tail
Trametes versicolor is a common polypore mushroom found throughout the world. Its name means 'of several colors', similar to that of a turkey's feathers.
Blewit
Dung Dome

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Bear's_Head_Fungus
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Dung Dome
Sulfur Shelf
Bear's Head
Hericium is a genus of edible mushrooms in the Hericiaceae family. Species in this genus are white and fleshy and grow on dead or dying wood.
Bleeding Milk Cap

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Lions Mane
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Lion's Mane
Hericium erinaceus is an edible and medicinal mushroom belonging to the tooth fungus group. It is native to North America, Europe and Asia.
Bleeding Milk Cap
Shrimp Mushroom
Fried Chicken Mushroom

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button mushroomn
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Fried Chicken Mushroom
Bear's Head
Button Mushroom
Agaricus bisporus is an edible basidiomycete mushroom native to Europe and North America. It is cultivated in more than seventy countries and is one of the most commonly and widely consumed mushrooms in the world.
Blewit

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Sarcodon_imbricatum mushroom
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Blewit
Western Varnished Conk
Blue Knight
Hawk Wing
Sarcodon imbricatus is a species of tooth fungus in the order Thelephorales. It is an edible mushroom!

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Bleeding Mushroom
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Blue Knight
King Bolete
Hideous Gomphidius
Bleeding Hydnellum
Hydnellum peckii is an inedible fungus, and a member of the genus Hydnellum of the family Bankeraceae. Though it is not edible, it is not toxic either.

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Bovista_Plumbea
Wiki commons
Which type of mushroom is shown here?
Tumbling Puffball
Bovista pila is a species of puffball fungus in the family Agaricaceae. It is a temperate species and is distributed in North America. It grows on the ground on road sides, in pastures, grassy areas, and open woods.
Hideous Gomphidius
Shitake
Cocorra

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