Information on Wild Mushrooms

D.J. Royse, C.P. Romaine and D.M. Beyer
Department of Plant Pathology

The Pennsylvania State University has no current publication available on wild mushrooms. Several former University publications on the subject are now out of print.

There are a number of very poisonous mushrooms native to Pennsylvania and the United States in general and quite a few which may cause minor illness so we recommend that you consume wild species only after you are certain of their identity.

One must become familiar with the distinguishing characteristics of mushrooms in order to be competent to differentiate between edible and poisonous species. There is no "rule of thumb" or simple practice by which this distinction can be made.

The following illustrated publications may assist you in learning how to identify wild mushrooms so that you may collect them with confidence and enjoy their delicate flavors.

• "Simon and Schuster's Guide to Mushrooms" by Gary H. Lincoff and available from Simon and Schuster Publishers, New York, New York 10003.

• "Keys to the Common Fleshy Fungi" by C. M. Christensen and available from Burgess Publishing Co., 426 S. 6th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• "The Mushroom Handbook" by L. C. C. Krieger and available from the MacMillan Co., 60 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10003

• "Field Book of Common Mushrooms" by W. S. Thomas and available from G. P. Putman & Sons, 210 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016.

• "The Mushroom Hunter's Field Guide" by A. H. Smith, revised and enlarged in 1963 and available from the University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

• "Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of Canada" by J. Walton Groves, available from Information Canada, Ottawa, Canada.

• "Mushrooms of North America" by O. K. Miller, Jr., and available from E. P. Dutton and Co., Inc., 201 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

• "Mushrooms and other fungi of Great Britain and Europe" by Roger Phillips published by Pan Books, Ltd., Cavaye Place, London SW10 9PG.

Each of these references will direct you to many other reliable sources of information.