Four Easily Identifiable Edible Mushrooms in Washington

Chicken-of-the-Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) chicken-of-the-woods is an easy to spot, recognizable fungi that is often found in large clusters or “shelves” on living and dead trees. They are orange and yellow in color, and bright coloring indicates the fruiting body is ready for harvest, as it tends to become pale with age.

Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus) Also known as “lawyer’s wig” or “inky cap” mushrooms, these fungi are quite common and a desirable edible. Where I live, they make their appearance in late September to early October, with the first big rain. The stalks are smooth and the white caps burst from the ground with a cylindrical, torpedo-like shape.

Pacific Golden Chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus) Chanterelles can be found in shady areas under conifer trees, growing out of the soil. In Washington, they have a symbiotic relationship with Douglas fir, spruce, and hemlock. They have an orange coloring with ridges on the underside that are referred to as “false gills.” When cut open, the flesh inside of the stalk is solid, with white coloring. Beware of the toxic look-alike, the jack-o-lantern mushroom (Omphalotus illudens, omphalotus olearius, omphalotus olivascens)

Lion’s Mane (Hericium eranacius, hericium coralloides, and hericium americanum) Lion’s Mane is a term often used colloquially to describe any variety of fungi within the hericium genus. More specifically, there are also coral/comb tooth and bear’s head tooth (H. coralloides and H. americanum, respectively) mushrooms. All three are white in color until they begin to age and will become a bit yellow or brown. They are typically found in low lying areas on dead logs, which is where I found this coral tooth mushroom.