Welcome to Mushroom World

Step into the fascinating world of mushrooms with Mushroom World - your go-to resource for fungi information. Our site is a comprehensive resource offering information and stunning images of mushrooms mainly found in Europe and North America.

Since there are thousands of known species of mushrooms, we have tried to limit those we list to the most common ones. New species are also continuously added to the site.

So come on in and explore the wonders of mushrooms with us. We hope you find our site informative, inspiring, and a valuable resource on your journey of mushroom discovery.

Below is an overview of the main features and functionalities of our site.

Browse the database

You can browse the database from the alphabetical list or search the database based on mushroom names or properties.

Help identify a mushroom

If you know the characteristics of a mushroom but need help identifying it, try using our mushroom identification helper. It is a tool designed to assist you in identifying mushrooms that you may come across.

If this site cannot help you, we recommend mushroomobserver.org, a community site for mushroom identification. There are also many Facebook groups for mushroom identification, like the public Mushroom Identification group.

Identification Quiz

We have also created a quiz where you can test your fungi identification knowledge. You can repeat the quiz as many times as you want, each time with new questions.

Upload mushroom pictures

If you have pictures of mushrooms you would like to have included on our site, please use the upload form to upload these files and we will see if we can include them.

Today's Mushroom

Today's mushroom is Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca (False Chanterelle). It grows in North America, Europe.

Dimensions: Cap 2-8 cm diameter, stem 3-5 cm tall * 0.5-1 cm thick

Description: Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, also commonly known as False Chanterelle, is a smallish orange-yellow agaric with a shallow funnel-shaped cap similar to a chanterelle but with true gills. It is softer and less sturdy compared to the firm-fleshed chanterelles. Typically, it grows among needle litter, rotten wood, or sawdust.

Cap golden-orange, sometimes very pale, initially convex but becoming funnel-shaped as the mushroom matures. The cap margin, which remains rolled in a little, becomes wavy or lobed in age. The cap surface is covered with a fine down. Gills decurrent, narrow and forked, which is a distinctive and distinguishing feature. They are generally a more intense shade of orange than the cap. Stem similarly colored as the cap. It is stout, more or less equal, smooth, and typically curved. The gills may be slightly crimped along the stem. The stem has no ring. Spore print white.

Microscopic Features: The spores are ellipsoidal in shape, smooth, and have thin walls. They measure approximately 5-8.5 x 3.5-5μm. Additionally, they exhibit dextrinoid properties.

Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca on the First Nature Web site.
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca on the MushroomExpert.Com Web site.

This site contains no information about the edibility or toxicity of the mushroom.

If you are interested in this mushroom, look it up in our database. You can find more detailed pictures there.

Many mushrooms are poisonous and some are lethally poisonous. It can be very difficult to distinguish between an edible and a poisonous mushroom. Because of that, we strongly advise against consuming wild mushrooms, and this site does not contain any information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms.

Although efforts have been made to ensure accuracy on this website, the information may contain errors and omissions. Therefore, the information presented here is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as any basis for consuming any plants or mushrooms.