Mushrooms of the Pacific NorthwestA guide to the major morphological groups
Mushrooms are grouped by their spore-bearing structures — gills, pores, teeth, veins, pits, and others. Learning to recognize these broad groups is the first step toward narrowing down what you’ve found in the field. Each group below links to a dedicated page with more detail and key species.
Gilled
The largest group of mushrooms. Thin blade-like gills radiate from the stem on the cap’s underside, releasing spores into the air. This group includes prized edibles like Agaricus and deadly species like Amanita — learning gill features is essential for safe identification.
Explore Gilled Mushrooms →
Boletes
Instead of gills, boletes have a spongy layer of pores on the underside of the cap. Many are excellent edibles — king boletes, admirable boletes, and butter boletes are PNW favorites. A few are toxic, but none are deadly.
Explore Boletes →Veinchanterelle-like
Blunt, forking ridges or veins run down the underside of the cap — not true gills. Chanterelles are the most well-known members of this group and among the most popular wild mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest.
Explore Veined Mushrooms →
Morels
Distinctive honeycomb-pitted caps on a hollow stem. Morels are the most sought-after spring mushroom in the PNW, fruiting in burned forests, river bottoms, and disturbed ground. Learn to distinguish them from false morels.
Explore Morels →Polypores
Tough, shelf-like fungi that grow on wood, with a pore surface underneath. Most are too leathery to eat, but chicken of the woods and other exceptions are choice edibles. Many are important decomposers of dead trees.
Explore Polypores →
Coral
Branching, upright structures that look like underwater coral. Some are edible, though most are collected more for their striking appearance. Crown coral and cauliflower mushroom are the most recognizable PNW species.
Explore Coral Mushrooms →
Jelly
Soft, gelatinous, often translucent mushrooms that can dry out and rehydrate with rain. Witch’s butter and wood ear are common PNW examples. Most are harmless but few are worth eating.
Explore Jelly Mushrooms →Puffball
Round or pear-shaped mushrooms that release spores in a cloud of dust when mature. Edible when young and the interior is solid white — if you cut one open and see any color or structure inside, don’t eat it.
Explore Puffballs →
Cup
Bowl- or cup-shaped fruiting bodies, often small and growing on soil, wood, or duff. This diverse group of ascomycetes includes elfin saddles, scarlet cups, and bird’s nest fungi. Most are too small to eat but fascinating to find.
Explore Cup Fungi →Club
Simple, unbranched, upright clubs rising from the ground or wood. Earth tongues and fairy clubs are the most common PNW representatives. A small group — most are too small to eat and best appreciated for their odd shapes.
Explore Club Fungi →Find These Mushrooms in the Field
Forayz shows you where mushrooms fruit across the Pacific Northwest — soil data, burn perimeters, and community observations on one map.
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