1K5 



"Circular 



No. 143 



March 1931 • Slightly revised July 1953 

 Washington, D. C. 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 





SOME COMMON MUSHROOMS AND HOW 

 TO KNOW THEM 1 



By Vera K. Charles, formerly associate pathologist, Division of Mycology and 

 Disease Survey, Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering, 



Agricultural Research Administration 



CONTENTS 



Introduction 



Danger from poisonou 

 Agaricaceae (gill lung. 

 Polyporaceae (pore fungi) 

 Hydnaceae (tooth fungi 

 Clavariaceae (coral fungi) 



A knowledge of the wild mushrooms 

 known species throughout the United Stal 



of considerable importance, because many oJiiiB^t^r'i'mlj'oHer a readily 

 available source of food. Others, of course, are tasteless, even bitter, 

 or otherwise objectionable, and some few are definitely poisonous. 

 Still other species merit attention because of their occurrence as weedy 

 and unsightly growths in lawns or gardens, or because of their ability 

 to cause wood decay or root rot of shade and forest trees and shrubs. 



The principal object of this circular is to provide a convenient and 

 practical basis for the identification of at least the more common mush- 

 rooms that will be encountered in the fields and forests of the United 

 States. In addition, there will be supplied for most of the species 

 considered general information as to poisonous or edible properties 

 and any other characteristics which will help the reader to arrive at 

 a safe and certain conclusion as to the identity of any mushroom he 

 may be actually concerned with. In order that this circular may be 

 of service to the largest number of people, only species of common 

 occurrence and wide geographic range have been selected for 

 discussion. 2 



1 In this circular the ternr "mushroom" is not restricted to the Agaricaceae (gill fungi), 

 but is used in a general sense to cover the larger fungi, in accordance with popular usage. 

 This circular is in part a revision of and supersedes United States Department of Agri- 

 culture Bulletin 175. Mushrooms and Other Common Fungi, and Farmers' Bulletin 796, 

 Some Common Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms. 



2 Requests for information about cooking mushrooms should be addressed to the Bureau 

 of Human Nutrition and Home Economics, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



