Welcome to Mushroom World
Step into the enchanting world of fungi with Mushroom World – your trusted companion for learning about mushrooms.
Whether you're a curious beginner or a seasoned nature enthusiast, our site provides clear, accessible information and beautiful images to help you better understand and appreciate the mushrooms you encounter.
If you're curious about what fungi actually are, and how they differ from plants and animals, be sure to visit our what are fungi? page for an easy-to-understand explanation.
With thousands of mushroom species known to science, we've chosen to focus on the most common and easily recognisable ones. Each entry includes helpful descriptions, identification tips, and high-quality images, and we’re always working to expand our collection with new species and updated content.
Come 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.
What you can do on Mushroom World
Browse the database
Explore mushrooms from the alphabetical list or search by name or properties.
Identify a mushroom
Know some characteristics but not the name? Use our mushroom identification helper to narrow it down.
New to identification? Start with identification basics.
Test your knowledge
Try our identification quiz and see how many mushrooms you recognise. Each run gives you new questions.
Upload your photos
Have good mushroom photos to share? Use the upload form and we will see if we can include them on the site.
Today's Mushroom
A quick highlight from our database
Today's mushroom is Lactarius tabidus (Birch Milkcap). It grows in Europe, North America.
Dimensions: Cap 2-4 cm diameter, stem 3-5 cm tall * 0.4-1 cm thick
Description:
Lactarius tabidus, also known as the Birch Milkcap, is a small agaric with an orange-brown cap and cinnamon gills that exude white milk. It grows solitarily or in scattered groups on damp, humus-rich soil in mossy areas beneath broad-leaf trees, particularly favouring birch trees.
Cap convex, sometimes with a central umbo, that flattens with age. It varies between orange-brown and a dull chestnut in colour, and the surface is dry and matt. The margin often has tiny lobes and can be crimped or crisped. Gills at first ochraceous-buff, becoming pale cinnamon with a pinkish tinge, adnate or slightly decurrent, narrow and fairly crowded. Stem colour ranges from reddish-brown to brick-coloured and is either roughly equal in width or slightly tapers towards the top. The stem flesh is whitish, and there is no presence of a stem ring. Spore print pale cream with a slight salmon pink tinge.
Microscopic Features: The spores are ellipsoidal in shape, measuring about 7-9 x 6-7μm. They have a transparent appearance and are adorned with numerous pointed warts, reaching a height of up to 1.2μm. These warts are mostly found as isolated structures, although there are a few connecting ridges present as well.
Lactarius tabidus on the www.first-nature.com web site.
If you are interested in this mushroom, look it up in our database for more detailed photographs and additional information.
Many mushrooms are poisonous, and some can be lethally toxic. Distinguishing between edible and poisonous mushrooms can be very challenging. Therefore, we strongly advise against consuming wild mushrooms. This website 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, all content provided is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be relied upon or used as a basis for consuming any plants or mushrooms.
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