European Mushrooms
Europe has one of the world's deepest foraging traditions. It is also the native home of the death cap, so its mushroom culture is built on hard-won caution.
Beautiful Clavaria
Ramaria formosaBeautiful clavaria is a branching coral fungus with a whitish base, salmon-pink branches, and lemon-yellow…
Bitter Beech Bolete
Caloboletus calopusBitter beech bolete pairs a pale cap with yellow blue-bruising pores and a yellow-to-red netted stem. That…
Bitter Poisonpie
Hebeloma sinapizansBitter poisonpie is a large clay-brown Hebeloma with rusty spores, a coarse scaley ringless stem, and radish…
Black Truffle
Tuber melanosporumPérigord black truffle is a winter-fruiting underground fungus with black polygonal warts and dark flesh…
Black Trumpet
Craterellus cornucopioidesBlack trumpet is a thin, hollow, dark funnel with no true gills and a pale fertile outer surface. Region…
Blackedge Bonnet
Mycena pelianthinaBlackedge bonnet is a small lilac-gray woodland Mycena whose pale gills carry a narrow dark purple-brown…
Blood-Red Webcap
Cortinarius sanguineusBlood-red webcap is a small conifer-woodland Cortinarius colored deep red across cap, young gills, stem, and…
Brawny Bolete
Imperator torosusBrawny bolete is a rare massive European bolete with yellow-to-red pores, a yellow and red netted stem, and…
Bronze Bolete
Boletus aereusBronze bolete is a dark-capped Mediterranean porcini with fine pale pores, a netted stout stem, and thick…
Burnt Knight
Tricholoma ustaleBurnt knight is a brown, wet-sticky, white-spored Tricholoma with notched pale gills that develop brown spots…
Deadly Webcap
Cortinarius rubellusDeadly webcap is a tawny, pointed webcap that contains orellanine. The defining danger is delayed acute…
Death Cap
Amanita phalloidesA possible death cap ingestion is an emergency before the species is certain. For prevention, inspect the…
Fly Agaric
Amanita muscariaEurasian fly agaric is the scarlet Amanita with loose white veil patches, white free gills, a hanging ring…
Panther Cap
Amanita pantherinaEuropean panther cap combines a brown, white-warted cap with white free gills, a fragile ring, and a bulb…
Porcini
Boletus edulisA defensible *Boletus edulis* identification combines several characters rather than trusting a brown cap or…
Liberty Cap
Psilocybe semilanceataLiberty cap is a small grassland mushroom with a sharply conical, hygrophanous cap and a dark purple-brown…
Yellow Knight
Tricholoma equestreYellow knight is a ringless, yellow-gilled Tricholoma of poor sandy ground under conifers. Fatal French case…
Deadly Fibrecap
Inosperma erubescensDeadly fibrecap is a pale fibrous woodland mushroom that develops brick-red stains across its cap, gills…
Devil's Bolete
Rubroboletus satanasDevil's bolete is a heavy pale-capped European bolete with red pores, a bulbous netted stem, and flesh that…
Fool's Mushroom
Amanita vernaFool's mushroom, *Amanita verna*, is a deadly white amanita associated with European broadleaf woodland in…
Fool's Webcap
Cortinarius orellanusFool's webcap is a deadly orange-brown woodland mushroom whose gills and fine cobweb veil become rusty as…
Inky Mushroom
Agaricus moelleriThe inky mushroom, *Agaricus moelleri*, is a poisonous gray-scaled Agaricus that yellows strongly at the stem…
Livid Pinkgill
Entoloma sinuatumLivid pinkgill is a large pale *Entoloma* whose broad gills begin yellowish white and mature to salmon pink…
White Truffle
Tuber magnatumThe Italian white truffle is the underground fruit body of *Tuber magnatum*, prized for an aroma that fades…
A long foraging tradition
Across much of Europe, wild mushroom hunting is a seasonal ritual passed down through families. Chanterelles and porcini are autumn staples in many countries.
The home of the death cap
The death cap is native to Europe, and centuries of poisonings shaped a careful, expert-led foraging culture. Many regions have mycological societies and even pharmacy identification services.
Warning
A strong tradition is not a substitute for identification. Beginners should learn from an experienced forager before eating any wild find.
Learn the local way
Europe shows the value of local expertise. Seek out a regional guide or society rather than trusting a general description.