How to Spot the Differences Between a Mushroom and a Toadstool

The term toadstool is commonly used to refer to a poisonous fungus, while mushroom often refers to an edible one. There are thousands of species of mushrooms, and edible ones have some key characteristics. Follow the tips below for telling the difference between a mushroom and a toadstool.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Find mushrooms growing wildly in places like open field and lawns. Fungi growing under bushes or shrubs or next to trees are usually not edible.

2. Look at the cap of the mushroom. It should be smooth and not have scales, warts or any other raised parts. The cap should also be basically 1 solid white color and not have spots or dark places.

3. Pull the cap from its stem. If it is a true edible mushroom, a ring of tissue should be left around the stem where the cap was pulled off.

4. Look at the underside of the cap. Mushrooms and toadstools both have gills underneath the cap. Edible mushrooms have pin gills when they are young and brownish to black ones as they mature. Toadstools and poisonous mushrooms have gills that are light in color, often nearly white.

5. Check to make sure that the gills of the mushroom stay attached to the cap. After pulling the cap from the stem, if the gills remain attached to the stem, then it is likely a toadstool.

6. Look at the stem. If the stem is the same circumference from top to bottom, or even smaller at the bottom, then it is likely a mushroom. Toadstools and poisonous mushrooms often have swollen or fat stem bases.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not eat the mushroom unless you are sure it is safe. Poisonous ones can make a person very ill.