| WARNING ! |
The following key has been reproduced from a tabulation of characters by Norman Bamforth, a member of the North West Fungus Group in the UK. It was originally produced to help amateurs, who are taking their first steps in identifying fungi, to key out commonly found fungi to genus level.
It is placed here as an exercise in using a browser to produce an interactive key. The file can be downloaded and used off-line.
Clicking on the number of your choice will place that choice at the top of the screen. To retrace by one step at any stage, click on "return". To return to the beginning of the key at any stage, click on "top".
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This key is not infallible! For example; Amanita is keyed out three times as having veil remnants on the cap. These can sometimes be absent for various reasons and Amanita can be found with a clean cap. The key must not, therefore, be used for identifying fungi for eating. No responsibility can be accepted for any harm caused to people who use the key for that purpose. |
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Caps are broad and 'mushroom-shaped' where not otherwise stated.
| 1 | With volva 2 |
| Without volva 5 | |
| 2 | Ring present, gills free, broad cap with veil remnants, spores white / cream Amanita |
| Ring absent, gills free, broad cap 3 | return | top | |
| 3 | Spores white / cream, veil remnants on cap Amanita |
| Spores other than white 4 | return | top | |
| 4 | Spores pink, on wood or rich soil Volvariella |
| Spores dark-brown / purple, cap with scales Agaricus return | top | |
| 5 | Without volva, with ring 6 |
| Without volva, without ring 16 | return | top | |
| 6 | Spores white / cream 7 |
| Spores dark brown / purple 10 | |
| Spores brown 13 | |
| Spores black 15 | return | top | |
| 7 | Gills adnate, cap broad, medium sized, growing on wood in troops Flammulina |
| Gills decurrent, growing on wood 8 | |
| Gills free 9 | return | top | |
| 8 | Large, tufted. Cap with fibres Armillaria |
| Cap slimy, pure white, translucent Oudemansiella return | top | |
| 9 | Large. Veil remnants on cap Amanita |
| Cap scaly, often dark at centre Lepiota return | top | |
| 10 | Gills adnate 11 |
| Gills not so 12 | return | top | |
| 11 | Small fungus, usually amongst grass Psilocybe |
| Cap slimy, on soil or dung Stropharia return | top | |
| 12 | Gills free, cap dry with scales Agaricus |
| Gills sinuate, often tufted, on wood Hypholoma return | top | |
| 13 | Gills adnate / sinuate. Small with slender stem Galerina |
| Gills adnate 14 | return | top | |
| 14 | Smooth cap, on soil or wood Agrocybe |
| Cap scaly, with inrolled margin, usually on wood Pholiota return | top | |
| 15 | Gills adnate, cap domed, drying paler. On or near tree stumps Psathyrella |
| Gills adnate / sinuate, mottled dark brown, cap domed. On soil or dung Panaeolus | |
| Gills decurrent. Cap broad, waxy, with glutinous veil Gomphidius | |
| Gills various, crowded, liquefying. Cap conical Coprinus return | top | |
| 16 | Spores white / cream 17 |
| Spores pink 23 | |
| Spores dark brown / purple 26 | |
| Spores brown 28 | |
| Spores black 34 | return | top | |
| 17 | Gills adnate 18 |
| Gills adnate / free 19 | |
| Gills adnate / decurrent, distant Laccaria | |
| Gills adnate / sinuate. Brightly coloured, not waxy Tricholoma | |
| (Compare with Hygrocybe - 19, Hygrophorus - 20 ) | |
| Gills sinuate, gill-edge fringed (lens). Growing on wood. Tricholomopsis | |
| Gills decurrent 20 | |
| Gills free 21 | |
| Gills various 22 | return | top | |
| 18 | Small fungus, scaly cap Cystoderma |
| Robust fungus Lyophyllum | |
| Slender stem Marasmius | |
| Cap with central swelling, flesh thin Melanoleuca | return | top | |
| 19 | Usually growing in leaf litter. Cap broad to domed Collybia |
| Gills distant. Brightly coloured, waxy Hygrocybe | |
| (Compare with Tricholoma - 17 , Hygrophorus - 20 ) | return | top | |
| 20 | Cap flat to funnel-shaped Clitocybe |
| Cap funnel-shaped, very small fungus Omphalina | |
| Cap flat, stem excentric, very small fungus Panus | |
| Cap flat, stem excentric, large fungus Pleurotus | |
| Cap shape various, waxy, brightly-coloured. Gills distant Hygrophorus | |
| (Compare with Tricholoma - 17 , Hygrocybe - 19 ) | return | top | |
| 21 | Small fungus. Cap scaly, often darker at centre Lepiota |
| Very small fungus. Stem excentric Panellus | return | top | |
| 22 | Cap conical. Small fungus Mycena |
| Broad cap. Gills issue milk when broken Lactarius | |
| Flesh brittle. Gills not issuing milk Russula | return | top | |
| 23 | Gills sinuate 24 |
| Gills adnate 25 | |
| Gills adnate / decurrent. Distinctly mealy smell. Waxy feel Clitopilus | |
| Gills free. Usually growing on wood Pluteus | return | top | |
| 24 | Medium to large fungus with lilac tinge or lilac stem Lepista |
| Medium to large fungus, stem fibrous Entoloma | return | top | |
| 25 | Stem cartilaginous, cap striate Nolanea |
| Stem cartilaginous, gill edge sometimes darker, cap often with fine scales Leptonia | |
| Medium to large fungus with lilac tinge or lilac stem Lepista | return | top | |
| 26 | Gills adnate / sinuate 27 |
| Gills adnate, cap conical, small, usually in grass Psilocybe | |
| Gills sinuate, cap broad, medium sized, often tufted, usually on wood Hypholoma | return | top | |
| 27 | Cap domed. Gills brown, mottled. Growing on soil or dung Panaeolus |
| Cap domed, drying paler. Fragile, growing on, or near, stumps Psathyrella | return | top | |
| 28 | Gills adnate 29 |
| Gills adnate / sinuate 30 | |
| Gills decurrent 31 | |
| Gills free 32 | |
| Gills various 33 | return | top | |
| 29 | Cap domed, slimy. Stem slender Galerina |
| Cap often scaly. Rolled rim. Usually on wood Pholiota | return | top | |
| 30 | Fungus often viscid, with radish odour Hebeloma |
| Cap smooth. Growing in damp places with Alder and Willow Naucoria | return | top | |
| 31 | Cap flat. Stem excentric Crepidotus |
| Cap flat. Stem excentric. Gills orange Paxillus | |
| Cap flat, top felty, rolled rim Paxillus | return | top | |
| 32 | Cap flat, liquefying. Growing on wood or dung Bolbitius |
| Cap domed to conical, often with central swelling. Fibrous or scaly Inocybe | return | top | |
| 33 | Rust coloured spores. Very variable fungi Cortinarius | return | top |
| 34 | Gills adnate. Cap domed, drying paler, fragile. Growing on or near stumps Psathyrella |
| Gills adnate / sinuate. Cap domed. Gills brown, mottled. Growing on soil or dung Panaeolus | |
| Gills decurrent. Cap broad, waxy, with glutinous veil Gomphidius | |
| Cap conical. Gills crowded, liquefying Coprinus | return | top |