Yellow-gilled Gymnopilus vs Green-Staining Gymnopilus
Gymnopilus luteofolius compared with Gymnopilus viridans — 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.
Yellow-gilled Gymnopilus
Gymnopilus luteofolius
Inedible
Green-Staining Gymnopilus
Gymnopilus viridans
ToxicPsychoactive
How to Tell Them Apart
Develops greenish-blue staining on cap and flesh when bruised. Smaller overall, more restricted to conifer wood in the Pacific Northwest.
Side-by-Side Identification
| Trait | Yellow-gilled Gymnopilus | Green-Staining Gymnopilus |
|---|---|---|
| Cap | 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. | 3–10 cm across. Convex when young, expanding to broadly convex or nearly flat with age. Surface dry, fibrillose to slightly scaly. Color ranges from tawny-orange to golden-brown, developing greenish to olive-green stains with handling or age. Margin may be slightly inrolled when young. |
| Gills | Crowded, adnate to slightly decurrent. Bright yellow when young, maturing to rusty orange-brown. Edges sometimes finely fringed. | Attached (adnate to slightly decurrent). Moderately crowded. Pale yellow to rusty orange as spores mature. May develop greenish tones near cap margin. Edges slightly uneven. |
| Stem | 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. | 4–10 cm tall, 1–2.5 cm thick. Solid, fibrous. Pale yellowish to tawny, often with a fibrillose or slightly scaly surface. Partial veil may leave a faint ring zone that catches rusty spore deposits. Base may show greenish staining. |
| Spore print | Rusty orange-brown. | Rusty orange-brown. |
| Odor | Mild to slightly fungoid, not distinctive. Taste intensely bitter. | Not distinctive. Taste bitter, as with most Gymnopilus species. |
| Habitat | 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. | Saprotrophic on dead conifer wood. Found on fallen logs, stumps, and buried roots in moist coniferous forests. Prefers mature and old-growth stands of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and Sitka spruce. Fruits in small to medium clusters. |
| Season | Late summer through fall (August-November in most of its range). Occasionally earlier in warmer climates. | Late summer through autumn, typically August through November. Most collections are from September and October during the wet season in the Pacific Northwest. |
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.