Is this edible?

This year’s damp weather may not be popular with everyone, but it has been great for mushrooms! The abundance of fruiting fungi has brought out a crop of social media posts asking about edibility. Here are some tips to help you ask the right questions and get reliable answers!

I love encouraging people to try wild plants and fungi, but I cringe every time someone asks “is this edible?” That should never be your first question; instead, start with “what is this, and how can I identify it?”

First, focussing on edibility rather than identification, leads to one-word – often conflicting – answers that are neither helpful nor reliable. Without knowing what the mushroom is, you don’t know whether there are any inedible lookalikes, or how to identify it if you see it again. Maybe you have an edible Meadow Mushroom this time, but can you tell it from inedible members of the same genus, or from toxic fungi that share its habitat? Before you eat anything, you should be able to confidently and reliably identify it.

Next, mushroom identification usually requires more than just one photo. Important features include the colour, shape, and texture of the cap; whether there are gills, pores, folds, or teeth under the cap; colour, shape and texture of the stem; shape of the base; and where the mushroom was growing. In some cases, smell, taste, and whether the mushroom changes colour when cut or bruised are also helpful. When asking for help identifying a mushroom, posting photos of its habitat, along with images of the cap (both above and below), stem, and a cross-section will greatly increase your chance of getting a reliable answer.

Third, remember that the best answers are those that give you the mushroom’s scientific name, allowing you to look up more information about it. Common names can vary from region to region, be used for more than one species, or be misleading. For example, “False Morel” applies to a range of different mushrooms (that don’t look much like Morels) and isn’t a particularly helpful ID. Knowing it’s Gyromitra esculenta or Gyromitra korfii is far more useful.

Finally, ignore any answers posted from apps, google, or that are obviously AI generated. The very best plant identification apps are only about 85% accurate, and the score is much lower for mushroom apps. Until you become confident with your skills, always confirm your identification with a knowledgeable human.

Sometimes a mushroom can’t be positively identified from the photos you post. But to improve your chances of getting reliable answers to your mushroom questions, include photos showing all parts of the fungus, ask “what is this?”, and use the answers to learn more about what you have. Learning about fungi is a fantastic way to reconnect with nature and PEI Untamed! 😎