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Oyster Mushroom Look-alikes: Angel Wings and Mock Oyster
These look-alikes can make you seriously ill. Get the identification right before you eat anything. Oyster mushrooms are fleshy, with a mild smell and decurrent gills, growing on hardwoods. Angel wings are thin, pure white, and grow on conifers, and have been linked to fatal poisonings. Mock oyster is orange and fuzzy with a foul smell.
The dangerous species
⚠ do not eatAngel Wings
Pleurocybella porrigens
David Hera · CC BY 4.0
How to tell it apart
- It is a white-rot wood-decay fungus on conifer wood, particularly hemlock (genus Tsuga). — Wikipedia ↗
- The first incident occurred in September and October 2004 across nine prefectures in Japan, documenting the sickening of 59 people and the eventual death of 17. — Wikipedia ↗
⚠ do not eatMock Oyster
Phyllotopsis nidulans
Matt Schultz · CC0
How to tell it apart
- The fungus fruit body consists of a fan-shaped, light orange fuzzy cap up to 10 cm (4 in) wide that grows singly or in overlapping clusters. — Wikipedia ↗
- Mock oyster mushrooms have an unpleasant odor and are regarded as inedible. — Wikipedia ↗
Edibles people confuse with these
If you are foraging any of these, rule out the look-alikes above every time.
The notes above are an educational starting point, not a substitute for a field guide or an experienced forager. If you are not completely certain, do not eat it.
