Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest
Thank you for coming to my resource page. This is not an exhaustive list of all of the mushrooms that grow here. Rather, it is a collection of mushrooms I regularly hunt that I find desirable. You may wish to branch out after you get familiar with some of the common ones and I encourage you to do so.
Please be confident in your ID before consuming wild mushrooms. Be aware humans have "confirmation bias". It is easy to misidentify a mushroom, check the internet, and have the next person also misidentify it. Your brain naturally wants to say, "ah-ha! see, I knew I was right". Lean heavily into confirming your finds by consensus (where multiple sources agree).
Cauliflower Mushrooms (Sparassis radicata)
Cauliflower mushrooms grow here in Oregon at the base of conifer trees, typically in old growth forests. They are truly spectacular mushrooms that can grow to immense size - the specimen here is about the size of a car tire.
They have a texture like al dente egg noodles and a "spicy" flavor. They are incredible in soups like ramen. You can find them from September to January. This species used to be known as Sparassis crispa, but DNA sequencing has shown that it is its own unique species, and we now refer to it as Sparassis radicata.
Chanterelles
We have a variety of mushrooms here in Oregon referred to as chanterelles. The most desired by many are Pacific Golden Chanterelles, but we also have white chanterelles and rainbow chanterelles. They grow in areas with loose soil, typically around abandoned railways, on hills, old logging trails, and places where humans used to go regularly but no longer frequent. We don't know why
Chanterelles will always have firm white meat on the insides and peel like string cheese. They will always smell and feel appealing. They rarely get buggy but can get soggy and bacterial. If you are new, look for that white meat, then later determine if slightly soggy ones are for you. At certain points in the season, slightly soggy is the name of the game, and concessions can be made based on your own personal risk tolerance.
You can find coastal rainbow chanterelles fruiting from spruce trees along the coast starting in June and they can persist until January.
Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sp.)
The term "Chicken of the Woods" refers to a basket of species in the Laetiporus genus. Here in Oregon, we get Laetiporus conifericola, L. gilbertsonii and L. sulphureus. L conifericola can be found growing on conifers, L. gilbertsonii prefers flowering dogwood and plum trees, and L. sulphureus prefers maples, ash, cottonwoods and oak. Though, you may find it growing on other trees occasionally. They start growing around Mid September and end before Thanksgiving, though you may find occasional specimens before or after this window.
Sometimes they just do what they want. Last year, I found older decaying specimens in August that must have fruited in early spring. I found a healthy and new massive flush in July 2026. Always be on the lookout.
Coral fungus (Clavulina cristata)
This is a fun one. There is not much body to this fungus and it doesn't taste like much, but it does make for fun picking! They are very odd and will often grow where an animal just walked a few days prior. If you're tracking game (or a human) you can use these fungi to tell where they go. It is pretty wild to see the trail animals leave long after sign of the trail is gone.
There are no known poisonous white coral fungi, though it is worth mentioning this fungi can be parasitized by Helminthospheria. It turns the white flesh into a bubbly, scaled, alligator-like skin that is bright blue. The transformation is similar to what happens to lobster mushrooms.
As far as I know, there is no documentation on edibility, so I always leave them when I see them. Maybe one day I will be brave enough. Until then, I will enjoy picking hedgehogs, wood blewits and coral into the winter months!
Please also be aware that the poisonous rough-skinned newt shares a spawning habitat with these mushrooms and it may not be a good idea to eat them when the newts are out in large numbers.
Hedgehog Mushrooms (Hydnum repadnum)
Hedgehog mushrooms grow off the roots of fir trees from fall into February. They have been recently collected as late as May at high elevations. They are a very "nutty" and slightly "spicy" mushroom with a lot of flavor. They continue to grow when most other mushrooms go to sleep for the season, so it is always worth looking for them. They have an abnormally long fruiting season that happens to begin and end at strange times.
We have a species native to Oregon and there are a variety of species within this genus. However, there are no known poisonous lookalikes with modified gills in the shape of spikes. You will know this mushroom when you see it.
Lobster Mushrooms (Hypomyces lactifluorum)
This is a mushroom that is formed when a short-footed Russula (R. brevipes) becomes infected with a parasitic fungus. The parasite overtakes the host mushroom and replaces the entirety of its DNA and becomes an entirely new organism. They are incredibly desirable, delicious, and unmistakable. They're some of the earliest mushrooms that begin on the coast and at higher elevations when the Fall season rolls around. They can be found in old growth forest and coastal forests with ease.
You may find the Coast Range more productive than sea level on the coast.
You can hunt Russula brevipes throughout most of the year then return in the fall when it is parasitized into lobster mushrooms.
Look for the presence of Dyer's Polypore and Ghost Pipe. These typically grow as part of the ensemble around their host trees.
Russula brevipes:
Matsutake (Tricholoma murillianum)
Tricholoma murillianum (or Western matsutake) is a delicious and firm mushroom that grows off Pinaceae trees in the Pacific Northwest. You can find them in areas with volcanic ash or sand. On the coast, they prefer shore pines (Pinus contorta) or Western White Pine and fir in the mountains. Often, you hunt these mushrooms by looking for bumps under moss or in pine needle beds. They can be tricky but that's what makes it fun!
Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus sp.)
Oyster mushrooms are one of the most common mushrooms that grow in Oregon. On the coast, they grow on scotchbroom, alder, and coastal hedges. Look for any hardwood (tree or not!) with snaps, breaks or cuts from landscaping crews, weather or hikers. They are everywhere and once you see them, you won't stop finding them.
Porcini (Boletus edulis)
The porcini mushroom is my favorite. It is very beginner friendly and unmistakable. They tend to favor fir trees inland and I find them mostly on pine trees (Pinus contorta, specifically) on the coast. They also enjoy spruce and Western Hemlock. They are incredibly large mushrooms and you get a lot of reward for the amount of work you put in.
The baby versions of them are referred to as bouchons and are significantly more desirable to some than the larger fruits. They pack a whole lot of flavor despite their smaller size.
Portobello (Agaricus bisporus)
These are an incredible mushroom that begins to fruit with the first round of rains when Fall begins. They grow at the base of fir trees. They have light purple gills when young that fade to dark brown. There is a poisonous lookalike (Agaricus xanthodermus) but they stain highlighter-yellow when damaged and smell like bandaids or medical equipment.
It is incredibly important to inspect each Agaricus before adding it to your basket. A number of species share overlapping habitats and you may find A. xanthodermus growing in a patch of portobello. The smell and bruising become less apparent the colder it gets, and A. bisporus will fade away first, leaving a bunch of yellow-stainers by the time winter rolls around.
I sometimes still find it hard to get a smell or yellow reaction when it is 35-45F out, so approach with more caution as the season ends. Chemical reactions happen slower when it gets colder and smells can be less obvious.
Reishi (Ganoderma oregonense)
We have a native reishi species here in Oregon called Ganoderma oregonense. They are a polypore that grows on fallen conifer logs. Your target habitat is older growth forests with a lot of decay. They typically grow amongst a variety of other polypores, so check each individual one if you see a large spread of them. There is very often a sneaky reishi hidden in there.
Their buttons are little white puffball sponges when young. Other polypore buttons will be hard like cement. Only reishi are soft. Gentle poke them with your finger as to not damage a potential reishi. They are a bright red varnish color when fully mature but have leading white and yellow edges at younger stages of growth which then turn to deep red.
Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus) & Inky Caps (Coprinopsis artramentaria)
These are two species that used to belong the same genus but have been found to be genetically different enough to be separated into their own. Shaggy Mane grows in spring and fall on substrates lacking in nutrition, like gravel roadways, on sod, or hard packed dirt. Inky Caps prefer rotting logs and thick, deep forest duff. I aim for blackened, fertile leaf litter when hunting inky caps.
Both species auto-digest and you cannot consume alcohol for 48h after eating them due to the enzymes. They turn to a black inky goo if you don't cook them immediately after harvesting. Online resources say the black ink is bitter but it has been my experience that it does not become bitter. You just need to hijack the part of your brain that says black food is bad. The experience is worth abstaining from alcohol and taking that dive into the unknown - they are both incredibly delicious mushrooms.
Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)
This mushroom is a weird one. It has been used for thousands of years to boost the immune system. Recent studies have been performed that show polysaccharide-P and polysaccharide-K stimulate immune cells in invitro studies. They grow on hardwoods throughout the year. I prefer to use Klein electrical scissors to cut off the stem before drying.
In winter, I find them growing on oak, typically on limbs or trees that have fallen during storms.
Wood Blewits (Lepista nuda)
Wood blewits are incredible mushrooms that begin their life a bright purple color and fade to brown. They prefer growing on forest litter but you can find them in scotchbroom groves on the Coast. They smell much like frozen orange juice concentrate and are unmistakable.