Oyster mushroom

Oyster mushroom is an edible mushroom, also known as oyster mushroom or oyster. The size of the fleshy cap varies from 5 to 15 cm, reaching 25 cm in diameter in some mushrooms. As the mushroom ages, the slightly convex, rounded or oval-elongated cap becomes flatter, in some cases taking on a funnel-shaped form. The colour of the oyster mushroom cap is quite variable and can be light grey, slightly brownish or ashy with a slight purple tint. As it ages, it fades and becomes pale grey or slightly yellowish. The edges of the cap, which are curved inward, gradually straighten and become wavy or dissected-bladed. If common oyster mushrooms grow in conditions of high humidity, a mycelial coating may form on the smooth glossy surface of the cap.
The stem of the common oyster mushroom is whitish, cylindrical, slightly curved and narrowed towards the base of the mushroom, located eccentrically in relation to the cap, sometimes taking a lateral position. The length of the stem barely reaches 5 cm, and the diameter varies from 8 mm to 3 cm. Its smooth surface at the base often becomes velvety-felted. The light-coloured plates of the hymenophore, located quite sparsely, run low down the stem. As the mushroom ages, their colour changes to dirty grey or yellowish. The fruit body is dense and elastic, although over time the flesh becomes hard and quite fibrous. 
In natural conditions, this species of oyster mushroom is common in countries with a temperate climate, where it grows in deciduous and mixed forests on rotten stumps or clusters of dead and fallen branches. The mushroom is also found on disease-weakened trunks of birch, oak, aspen, rowan or willow trees. Most often, these mushrooms form massive clusters, from which multi-tiered bunches are formed – they can contain more than thirty fruiting bodies. Mass harvesting of oyster mushrooms begins in August-September and lasts until mid-November-early December. In some cases, due to favourable weather conditions, the first fruiting bodies may appear as early as late May or early June.

Amanita citrina

Amanita citrina (Schaeff.) S. F. Gray, Amanita mappa (Batsch ex Lasch) Quél.) is a mushroom from the Amanitaceae family. Local names: yellow fly agaric, yellow queen.
Cap 4-8 (10) cm in diameter, convex or flat, with a blunt, flat, smooth edge, lemon-yellow, rarely white, greenish or olive-coloured, with large white or brownish-white flakes, sticky. The gills are white, later yellowish. The spore mass is white. Spores are 8-11 x 7-9 μm, broadly oval, almost spherical, smooth. The stem is (7-10)12 x 1-1.5 cm, cylindrical, with a large edged, yellowish or brownish bulb at the bottom, hollow, with a wide, yellow, flaky ring at the top, with an attached sheath. The flesh is white with the smell of radish or raw potato.
Found throughout Ukraine. Grows in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests; in July-November. Inedible mushroom. In appearance, it is somewhat similar to the pale toadstool. The nature of the poison is unknown.
The cap is 4–12 cm in diameter, fleshy, initially hemispherical, later convex-spreading, flat-spreading, with a blunt, flat, smooth edge. The surface of the cap is lemon-yellow, greyish-yellow, greenish, olive-coloured, sometimes white, dirty white, covered with large white or brownish-white flakes. The hymenophore is lamellate. The gills are dense, narrow, initially slightly attached, later free, initially white, later yellowish. The spore powder is white. Spores are 8-11 * 7-9 μm, broadly oval or almost round in shape, with a smooth surface. The stem is 5–12 cm high, 1–2 cm in diameter, initially bulbous, later cylindrical, with a large yellowish or brownish bulbous thickening at the base, hollow, white-yellowish. The ring is wide, hanging, smooth, flaky at the top, yellow, sometimes disappearing. The volva is attached to the stem, initially white, later yellow-brown or brown. The flesh is soft, white, yellow under the skin, unpleasant to the taste, with the smell of radish or raw potatoes. Poisonous mushroom.

Artomyces pyxidatus

Artomyces pyxidatus or Clavicorona pyxidata is an edible mushroom. Fruit bodies are 2–10 (20) cm tall, bushy, coral-like, highly branched, with a short stem, located on a fibrous or felt-like network of mycelium, initially whitish-cream, light yellow, reddish-yellowish, later ochre, yellow-brown, turning black when dry. The branches are numerous, highly branched, with cup-shaped, serrated (coronate) tips.

The hymenophore is smooth, located on the surface of the branches. The spore powder is colourless. Spores are 3.5-5 * 2-3 μm, ellipsoidal in shape, with a smooth surface, colourless. The flesh is firm, elastic, white or cream-coloured, pungent in taste, without a pronounced odour. It is not for nothing that this species is compared to coral: the branches growing from a single stem, like a bush, really resemble colonies of fossilised coelenterates.
An edible mushroom of category 4, with low nutritional value. It is used after 15 minutes of boiling, boiled, fried, and has no particular nutritional value. Grows in summer and autumn, in deciduous and mixed forests, in forest plantations and parks, on decaying wood of deciduous trees, mainly on aspen, willow, poplar, singly and in groups.

It is widespread in the Right-Bank Polissya, the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe, the Roztoky-Opillia Forests, and the Carpathians.

Galerina marginata

Galerina marginata (Latin: Galerina marginata) is a species of poisonous mushroom in the Strophariaceae family. These small brown mushrooms, which grow on wood, are difficult to identify and contain potent toxins that can cause serious poisoning. Among the Galerina species, most of which are tiny moss dwellers that require a microscope for identification, Galerina marginata is quite distinctive.
The deadly Galerina is an umbrella-shaped mushroom with a round pile and a central stem. Its cap is 1.5-7 cm wide, brown to yellow-brown in colour, and convex to flat (and sometimes bell-shaped) in shape. In fresh specimens, the cap usually has a nice even curve, appearing almost hemispherical. It has no decorations, but becomes slimy when wet and may become paler after drying. The edge is lighter than the centre of the cap and slightly indented; these features are mentioned in the description of all marginata species.

Gills are attached under the cap, but they may extend slightly down the stem. When young, the gills are yellowish, but as the spores mature, they turn brown. When very young, the gills will be covered with a whitish veil. The spore print of the fringed galerina is medium brown.
The gills are attached under the cap, but they can extend slightly down the stem. When young, the gills are yellowish, but as the spores mature, they turn brown. When very young, the gills are covered with a whitish veil. The spore print of the fringed galerina is medium brown.

The mushroom has a fairly thin stem 2-10 cm long and about the same width throughout. The stem is usually light brown (about the same colour as the gills) near the tip and darkens to greyish-black at the base with age. It is mostly smooth but often covered with white fibres and has a ring or weak ring zone that sometimes disappears. The fragile cotton ring is what remains of the partial veil. This feature is one of the most useful physical characteristics of the fringed galerina. In most specimens, the annular zone catches some falling spores, which turn rusty brown. This is a very useful feature for identification, but it should not be relied upon alone.
This species is a classic ‘little brown mushroom’ - a general category that includes all small and medium-sized brown mushrooms that are difficult to identify. G. marginata grows on decaying wood. Unlike most wood-decaying fungi, G. marginata decomposes both hardwood and softwood logs. The mushrooms usually grow in loose clusters and often have curved stems. G. marginata most often appears in spring and autumn, but sometimes grows in other seasons as well. Its habitat and season coincide with all other species, so you should always be vigilant when collecting brown mushrooms from trees.

Sulfur Tuft

The false sulphur tuft or hypholoma fasciculare (Hypholoma fasciculare) is a poisonous mushroom from the Strophariaceae family. Local names — false honey mushroom, poisonous honey mushroom. Widespread throughout Ukraine. Grows on old stumps of deciduous and coniferous trees in August — November.

Structure of the mushroom. Cap 1.5–5(7) cm in diameter, thin-fleshed, hemispherical, bluntly conical, later convex or flat-spreading, sulphur-yellow, darker in the centre, bare, usually with remnants of the veil around the edge. The gills are attached, narrow, dense, sulphur-yellow, later brownish or brownish-green. Spore mass is brown. Spores are 7–9 × 4.5 μm, smooth. Stem is 5–10 × 0.4–0.6 cm, sulphur-yellow, dark fibrous, hollow. Flesh is sulphur-yellow. Very poisonous.

Practical significance. Poisonous mushroom. When eaten, the mushroom causes severe, sometimes fatal poisoning. The main toxins of the mushroom are fasciculol E and fasciculol F. The sulphur-yellow honey mushroom is sometimes mistaken for the true honey mushroom, from which it differs in the green colour of its gills and yellow cap.

Parasol mushroom

Division: Basidiomycota. Class: Agaricomycetes. Order: Agaricales. Family: Psathyrellaceae. Genus: Parasola, specifically Parasola plicatilis – a mushroom that is inedible due to its thin flesh and inedible black spore powder. It has a thin, ribbed, folded cap of light shades, which becomes concave with age, and a thin, brittle stem.

Appearance and characteristics: Cap: 0.8–3 cm in diameter, very thin, initially elongated-oval, bell-shaped, and later umbrella-shaped, but with a concave centre. Cap surface: Bare, radially ribbed, radially folded, light, yellowish-greyish or yellow-brown, and reddish in the centre. Gills: Sparse, thin, greyish, blackish-grey with age. Spore powder: Black. Stem: 2–8 cm high, 0.1–0.2 cm in diameter, brittle, smooth, white or whitish. Flesh: Very thin, brittle, without a pronounced odour.

Edibility and danger: Inedible mushroom: due to its thin, brittle flesh and the presence of black spore powder. Habitat: The umbrella fold grows in temperate climates, in open areas.

White dung beetle

White dung mushroom, shaggy mushroom, white mushroom (Coprinus comatus (O.F. Müll.) Pers.) — a mushroom of the Agaricaceae family. It is found throughout Ukraine. It grows in forest plantations, in open fertilised areas, in groups; in July-November.
Structure. Cap 5-12 cm high, up to 6 cm wide, initially elongated-oval, later bell-shaped, white, initially smooth, then hairy-scaly, later pinkish at the edge, eventually turning black. The gills are whitish, reddish, then black, blurring when ripe. 
The spore mass is black. Spores are 10-12(14) x 6-7(8) μm, egg-shaped, smooth. The stem is 6-15 x 1-3 cm, cylindrical, white, more or less thickened at the base, with a narrow, mobile, quickly disappearing ring. The flesh is whitish, with a pleasant smell and good taste.
A good edible mushroom (young fruiting bodies). White dung mushrooms can be eaten boiled, fried or stewed. Unlike ink cap mushrooms, they do not cause poisoning when consumed with alcohol, as they do not contain coprine. They are cultivated on an industrial scale abroad.

Lycoperdon umbrinum

Umbrella mushroom (brown) (Lycoperdon umbrinum (Pers.), family Agaricaceae, genus Lycoperdon). The mushroom was classified in 1797. It belongs to the Agaricaceae family and is an edible mushroom of the fourth category. The fruiting body is spherical or pear-shaped, light brown to brown in colour. There are spines on the surface, the flesh of the mushroom is white in colour, with no distinct odour. The diameter of the fruiting body is 2 to 5 cm.

The mushroom is often found in coniferous forests, less often in deciduous forests, growing in groups and singly on rotten trees on fertile soil. Only young mushrooms with white flesh are suitable for consumption. 

Giant puffball

The edible mushroom Calvatia (Latin: Calvatia) is a species of mushroom from the genus Calvatia of the family Agaricaceae. If you see this mushroom for the first time, I assure you that the impression will be unforgettable. Its shape sets it apart from its relatives, the puffballs. The height of the fruiting body reaches enormous sizes, up to 25-30 cm. The flesh of young species is always white. Different species of these mushrooms also have different stems. For example, the giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea) has practically no stem; it is so small that it is not noticeable at all under the large fruiting body. The bag-shaped puffball (Calvatia utriformis) is something between a giant and an elongated puffball. Its stem is clearly visible, as is the fruiting body. The elongated puffball (Calvatia excipuliformis) has a very long stem and, compared to the previous species, a rather small fruiting body.
The fruiting body is spherical, sometimes ovoid or flattened, and can reach up to 50 cm in diameter. The outer shell (exoperidium) is initially white and smooth, but over time it turns yellow and brown, cracks into irregular pieces and falls off, exposing the inner shell. Inner shell (endoperidium): strong, initially white, later yellowish-brown, brittle and crumbles, releasing spores. Gleba (pulp): initially white and cheese-like, it turns yellow, green and olive-brown over time, and turns into a powdery mass when ripe. Spore powder: dark brown.

Life cycle: young mushrooms are edible, but mature and old specimens become dangerous as their gleba turns into spore powder. Habitat: grows in forests, meadows and disturbed soils.
Edible mushroom of category 4, which is consumed only when young, while the flesh remains white.

Coconut scented milk cap

Lactarius glyciosmus is a conditionally edible mushroom. The cap is 3–8 cm in diameter, initially convex with a depressed edge, later convex-spreading, flat-spreading, concave-spreading, sometimes with a bump in the middle, with a thin, flat, straight or spatulate edge. The surface of the cap is thinly felted, finely scaly, dry, sticky in wet weather, pinkish-grey, lilac-grey, lilac-grey-brown, pinkish-yellowish-grey, pinkish-brownish-grey, ochre-brown, brownish-yellowish, indistinctly concentric-zonal.

The hymenophore is lamellate. The lamellae are dense, narrow, attached, sometimes slightly descending on the stem, initially light ochre, pale ochre, yellowish, later reddish ochre, brownish ochre.

The spore powder is yellowish. Spores are 6-8 * 5-7 micrometres, oval-rounded in shape. The stem is 3–8 cm high, 0.5–1.5 cm in diameter, cylindrical, dense, initially solid, later hollow, initially whitish, later the same colour as the cap surface, yellowing at the points of contact.
The flesh is dense, brittle, thin, initially whitish, later reddish, does not change colour when cut, slightly pungent in taste, with a strong pleasant smell reminiscent of coconut. The milky juice is white, does not change colour when exposed to air, and has a sweet or pungent taste. The fragrant milk cap mushroom differs from other mushrooms in its unusual coconut aroma. This species is widespread and occurs almost everywhere. It grows from August to October in deciduous and mixed forests, with birches and alders, less often with fir trees, in damp areas, in small groups. In Ukraine, it is widespread in the Right-Bank Polissya and Left-Bank Forest-Steppe. It is a conditionally edible mushroom of category 4.  

Tricholoma imbricatum

Brown row mushroom (scaly) (Tricholoma imbricatum (Fr. ex Fr.) Kumm.) is an inedible mushroom from the Tricholomataceae family. It is one of the most popular mushrooms.

The cap is approximately four to eight centimetres wide, convex at the beginning of growth, with rolled edges, then becomes more spread out and convex. The colour varies from brown to brownish-brown, becoming slightly lighter towards the edges. The gills are densely distributed, broad, with uniform projections, milky at the beginning of growth, then becoming more creamy, brown, with rust-like spots. The stem reaches 6-8 cm, elongated upwards, often curved, becoming wider closer to the base, more hollow with age, light or milky at the top, slightly brown or purple below. The flesh is dense, milky in colour, with a slight aroma. The row mushroom lives in pine forests. It grows in families near roads and in places where there is light.

The brown row mushroom is a general name for several categories: white-brown and white-brown, slastushka, lashanka, poplar and green. Their shapes and appearance vary due to the influence of their habitats. There are two main subspecies in this category: white-brown and chestnut-brown.
At the beginning of its growth, the cap is round with curled edges. Then it becomes more flattened. The skin is smooth, with occasional small cracks. After rain, it may be slightly sticky to the touch. It has a brownish tint. Towards the edges, the cap becomes lighter in colour, turning pure white. The flesh inside is dense, with a neutral aroma. The gills are densely distributed. They are white in colour. The edges are jagged. The stem is up to 10 cm long. The closer to the base, the thicker the stem and the more milky it looks. Only where the gills attach does it turn brown. It grows in pine and mixed forests. The growing season is from August to November.

False chanterelle

False chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, Clitocybe aurantiaca (Fr. ex Wulf.) Studer.) is an inedible mushroom from the Paxillaceae family. The cap is 3-6(8) cm in diameter, thick, elastic, concave-spreading, funnel-shaped, often asymmetrical, with a thin, convex, later flat, often wavy edge, lemon-yellow, yellow, orange-yellow, often darker in the centre to brownish-olive, thinly pubescent, later glabrous.

The gills are red-yellow or red-orange, low on the stem, dense, turning brown when touched. The spore mass is white. Spores are 5-6 x 3-5 micrometres, smooth. The stem is 2.5-6(8) x 0.6-1.2 cm, the same colour as the cap, dark, blackish at the base. The flesh in the cap is yellowish, in the stem reddish-yellowish, soft.
It is found throughout Ukraine in coniferous forests, on old rotten pine stumps, sometimes on the ground among mosses, occasionally in deciduous forests. It grows in August–October. Cap: 3–6 cm in diameter, initially flat-convex, later depressed and funnel-shaped. Colour: orange-yellow or ochre, sometimes darker in the centre, velvety or finely downy. Gills: dense, frequent, branched, orange in colour, strongly descending along the stem. Stem: 3–6 cm long, thin, cylindrical, often curved, tapering towards the bottom, the same colour as the cap or darker at the base. Flesh: whitish or yellowish, soft, sticky, with no distinct taste or smell. Differences from the real chanterelle. Spores: in the false chanterelle, the spores are whitish, in the real one – yellow. Flesh: the flesh of a real chanterelle is denser, while that of a false chanterelle is looser and easily turns into mush. Smell: a real chanterelle has a pleasant fruity or woody smell, while a false chanterelle has almost no smell or has an indefinite smell. Colour change: when pressed, the flesh of a real chanterelle turns slightly pink, while that of a false chanterelle does not. Growth: the false chanterelle is a saprophyte that grows on rotten wood and litter, often near anthills. The real chanterelle is a mycorrhizal fungus that grows on the ground.

Russula vesca

Russula vesca is an edible mushroom. Although all shades of red are characteristic of toxic and bitter russulas, some varieties of edible russulas also have red caps, but the colour is more ‘muted,’ which distinguishes them from similar inedible species.

The cap is 5–10 cm in diameter, fleshy, initially hemispherical, convex, with a turned-up edge, later convex-spread, spread, concave-spread, with a thin, smooth, often bare edge (a characteristic feature). The surface of the cap is smooth, slightly sticky in wet weather, dry in dry weather, matte, greyish-red, greyish-pink-brown, pink, brick-red, brown-red, often reddish-olive in the centre, sometimes with light whitish spots.
The hymenophore is lamellate. The lamellae are dense, narrow, white, yellowish, with rusty spots with age. The spore powder is white. Spores are 5.5-8.5 * 4.5-6.5 μm, ovoid, with a finely warty surface. The stem is 2–5 cm high, 1.5–3 cm in diameter, cylindrical, rarely narrowed at the base, dense, with cavities with age, white, sometimes pinkish or yellowish, sometimes reddish or rusty at the base.

The flesh is fleshy, dense, white, does not change colour when cut, with a sweet taste and no smell or with a slight pleasant mushroom smell. Reaction with FeSO4 (iron sulphate) turns the flesh orange. It grows from mid-July to late September in deciduous and mixed forests, mainly with birches and oaks, in grass, singly and in groups. 
Widespread in the Right-Bank Polissya, the Carpathians and the Carpathian Foothills, rarely found in the Right-Bank and Left-Bank Forest-Steppe. Edible mushroom of category 3. 

Death cap mushroom

The death cap (Amanita phalloides) is an inedible poisonous mushroom. Its cap is 5–15 cm in diameter, initially hemispherical, later convex-spreading, sometimes concave, with a blunt, flat, smooth edge.
The surface of the cap is bare, silky, sticky in wet weather, whitish-greenish, greenish, olive, yellow-green, ochre-olive, white, whitish, sometimes olive-brownish, sometimes with remnants of the veil on the surface.

The hymenophore is lamellar. The lamellae are dense, thin, free, white. The spore powder is white. Spores are 8-10.5 * 7-8 μm, broadly oval or almost round in shape, with a smooth surface, colourless. The stem is 5–10 cm high, 0.8–2 cm in diameter, cylindrical, slightly thickened towards the bottom, with a bulbous thickening at the base, hollow, fibrous, slightly scaly, white, whitish, greenish, olive-green. The ring is wide, thin, hanging, smooth on top, ribbed inside, white or greenish. The volva is free, baggy, white, whitish, white-greenish, with a lobed edge, sometimes deeply immersed in the soil and invisible from the outside. The flesh is white, sweetish in taste, with an unpleasant odour or no distinct odour. 
The pale toadstool is a poisonous mushroom of classic shape with a rounded green cap and a straight cylindrical stem, on which remnants of the veil are visible. It is widespread in both deciduous and mixed forests of Eurasia and North America. It often forms roots with trees such as beech, birch, oak, and hazel. It is extremely rare in pine forests and coniferous forests in general, as it prefers fertile soil. Like many other toadstools, it grows from July to the end of October. This mushroom is deadly poisonous! It contains a whole group of toxic substances, which are divided into amanitotoxins, phallotoxins and amanin, which do not decompose when boiled.

Leccinellum

Boletus mushrooms (subfamily Leccinum) are edible tubular mushrooms with white flesh (which may change colour when cut, turning blue or black depending on the species), a dense stem with characteristic dark scales, and a tubular hymenophore on the underside of the cap. These mushrooms grow in symbiosis with trees such as birch, poplar and aspen, and can be eaten after heat treatment.

Cap: initially hemispherical, later becoming flatter. The colour can be whitish, greyish, brown, olive or reddish, depending on the species. Hymenophore: tubular, located under the cap. Initially white or whitish, it darkens with age and may turn brown when pressed. Stem: dense, cylindrical, sometimes thickened at the base. Covered with characteristic dark longitudinal scales. Flesh: white, firm, may become softer or fibrous with age. When cut, it may turn pink, blue or black, depending on the species. Spore powder: olive brown or brown.

The most common species: Poplar bolete (Leccinum duriusculum): Large in size, with tasty flesh and a firm stem. It forms mycorrhiza with poplars. Leccinum scabrum: A mushroom that grows in symbiosis with birch trees, it has a greyish-brown cap and whitish flesh. Podosikovik (Leccinum aurantiacum): Characterised by a reddish cap and bright red scales on the stem. Where they grow: Mushrooms form mycorrhiza with trees, so they grow in deciduous and mixed forests, alongside aspens, birches, hornbeams, poplars and other trees.