How to Make a Spore Print From a Mushroom

A single mushroom spore is so small that it cannot be seen by the naked eye. However, thousands of spores piled together are visible. You can see them by making a spore print. Spore prints help identify the mushroom type. The following steps will show you how to make a spore print from a mushroom.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Mushroom
• Piece of paper
• Field guide

1. Find a mature mushroom. Small young mushrooms don't work as well for making spore prints. If you are unsure if a mushroom will work, carefully check its underside to see if the powdery spores come off easily.
2. Remove the top part of the mushroom from the stem and look at the underside. You will see the "gills" that look like lines all the way around the mushroom.
3. Place the bottom of the mushroom head with the gills facing downward onto a piece of paper. Let the mushroom sit on the paper for a few hours or overnight. Do not move the mushroom on the paper or transfer it during this process.
4. Remove the mushroom and look at the print it has made on the paper. You will notice that the print shows the pattern of the mushrooms gills.
5. Compare the spore prints with a field guide to determine what kind of mushroom you have made a print from.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a large mushroom, you can cut off a section to set on the paper.
• Use white paper for mushrooms that leave brown and black spore prints and use black paper for mushrooms that leave light prints.