Spectacular Rustgill vs Yellow-gilled Gymnopilus
Gymnopilus junonius compared with Gymnopilus luteofolius — how to tell them apart in the field.
This is a dangerous confusion.
At least one of these species is toxic. Never eat a wild mushroom based on a photo comparison alone — verify with local experts.
Spectacular Rustgill
Gymnopilus junonius
Yellow-gilled Gymnopilus
Gymnopilus luteofolius
How to Tell Them Apart
Also in the genus Gymnopilus and also found on wood. Smaller (2-8 cm cap), with purplish to wine-colored scales on the cap and a purplish spore deposit. Some collections contain psilocybin. Distinguished by the purple tones and smaller stature.
Larger (caps to 20+ cm), golden-orange without purplish tones, grows at base of living hardwoods, extremely bitter. Psilocybin content debated and variable by region.
Side-by-Side Identification
| Trait | Spectacular Rustgill | Yellow-gilled Gymnopilus |
|---|---|---|
| Cap | 5-18 cm across. Convex, expanding to broadly convex or nearly flat. Bright golden-orange to tawny-orange, sometimes with a slightly darker center. Surface is dry, smooth to slightly fibrillose or scaly. Flesh is thick, firm, and yellow. | 3-15 cm diameter. Convex to broadly convex, becoming plane. Dry, fibrillose to scaly. Purplish-red to reddish-brown when young, fading to rusty tan or yellowish-brown with age. |
| Gills | Attached (adnate to slightly decurrent). Bright yellow when young, becoming rusty orange-brown as spores mature. Crowded. Edges may be slightly uneven. | Crowded, adnate to slightly decurrent. Bright yellow when young, maturing to rusty orange-brown. Edges sometimes finely fringed. |
| Stem | 5-15 cm tall, 1-3 cm thick. Solid, firm, yellow to orange-brown. Has a membranous ring (annulus) in the upper portion that is often stained rusty by deposited spores. Base often slightly swollen. Flesh is yellow and fibrous. | 4-10 cm tall, 0.5-2 cm thick. Yellowish above the ring zone, darker rusty-brown below. Fibrillose partial veil leaves a membranous to cortinate ring that stains rusty from spore deposit. |
| Spore print | Rusty orange to bright orange-brown. | Rusty orange-brown. |
| Odor | Not distinctive, sometimes faintly mealy. The taste is intensely and persistently bitter, which is a key identification feature. | Mild to slightly fungoid, not distinctive. Taste intensely bitter. |
| Habitat | Saprotrophic, occasionally weakly parasitic. Grows in dense clusters at the base of hardwood stumps and logs, especially oak, beech, and maple. Also found on buried roots, causing it to appear to grow from the ground. Occasionally on conifers. Common in deciduous and mixed forests, parks, and urban tree plantings. | Saprobic on decaying hardwood and conifer stumps, logs, and buried roots. Found in mixed forests, deciduous woodlands, and occasionally disturbed areas with dead wood. Fruits in dense overlapping clusters (caespitose growth). Causes white rot. |
| Season | Autumn, typically September through November in temperate regions. Peak fruiting in October after sustained autumn rains. Can appear earlier or later depending on local conditions. | Late summer through fall (August-November in most of its range). Occasionally earlier in warmer climates. |
Found one of these in the wild? Don't rely on memory — identify it from a photo with Orangutany and check it against both species before you touch it.