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Mushrooms by colour · 9 species

Red mushrooms

The best-known red mushroom is the fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), and it is poisonous. Edible Caesar's mushroom also has an orange-red cap, so colour on its own tells you nothing about safety.

A bright red cap dotted with white warts is the fairy-tale toadstool: the fly agaric. Its cap is bright red, sometimes orange-yellow, and the white or yellowish pyramidal warts can wash off in rain. Without its spots, a fly agaric can look very like other red species.

On this page we group mushrooms with red or reddish caps: the poisonous fly agaric (sinek mantarı in Turkish), edible Caesar's mushroom (imparator mantarı), reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), which is not eaten and is known for traditional use, and the deadly fibrecap (Inosperma erubescens), marked with pinkish and red stains.

Colour alone never tells you whether a mushroom is edible: the same colour includes both edible and deadly species. Never pick or discard a red mushroom based on colour alone; check the features on each species page and leave a firm identification to an expert.

Red mushrooms: edible or poisonous, and when?

MushroomStatusSeason
Beefsteak fungusFistulina hepaticaEdible speciesAug–Nov
Caesar’s mushroomAmanita caesareaEdible speciesJul–Nov
CordycepsCordyceps militarisTraditional useAug–Nov
Fly agaricAmanita muscariaPoisonousAug–Nov
Pinkmottle woodwaxHygrophorus russulaEdible speciesAug–Dec
Plums and custardTricholomopsis rutilansInedibleOct–Jan
Red cage fungusClathrus ruberInedibleApr–May, Oct–Dec
ReishiGanoderma lucidumTraditional useJun–Nov
Suillus collinitusSuillus collinitusInedibleAug–Jan, May

The status column is a guide and is not enough to decide to eat a mushroom. Do not eat a wild mushroom unless an expert has seen it in person. Edible mushrooms · Poisonous mushrooms

Poisonous lookalikes of the same colour

Fly agaric and Caesar's mushroom belong to the same genus (Amanita), and both caps range from orange to red. Once rain removes the warts, telling them apart is harder. Caesar's mushroom has yellow gills and stem; the fly agaric's are white. Even so, one feature is not enough for a safe identification.

The deadly fibrecap ranges from white to yellow-brown with pinkish-white and red stains and streaks. Treat any small mushroom with red stains with suspicion.

If poisoning is suspected in Türkiye, call 112 or the National Poison Information Centre (114) straight away, and keep a piece of the mushroom if you can.

Are red mushrooms edible?

Some red mushrooms are edible, others are poisonous or deadly. Caesar's mushroom is edible but should never be eaten without a firm expert identification; the fly agaric is poisonous and the deadly fibrecap can kill. Reishi is too tough and woody to eat.

Features that tell them apart

Look at structure rather than colour. The fly agaric has white gills and white warts; Caesar's mushroom has yellow gills and a white sac (volva) at the stem base. Reishi has no gills: it is a fan- or kidney-shaped shelf with a varnished red-brown surface. The deadly fibrecap's cap edge splits irregularly.

A note on reishi

Reishi is known from traditional East Asian use and is still being researched. We do not claim it prevents or treats any illness; talk to a doctor before using it.

Frequently asked questions

Are red mushrooms poisonous?

The classic red mushroom, the fly agaric, is poisonous. But red caps vary: Caesar's mushroom is edible and the deadly fibrecap is lethal. Colour alone does not show whether a mushroom is poisonous.

What is the red mushroom with white spots called?

It is the fly agaric (Amanita muscaria). The spots can wash off in rain, so a red Amanita without spots may still be a fly agaric.

Can you eat red mushrooms?

Some, yes; others are poisonous. Even edible Caesar's mushroom should not be eaten without expert identification, because it can be confused with the fly agaric.

How do you tell Caesar's mushroom from fly agaric?

Caesar's mushroom has yellow gills and stem; the fly agaric's are white, and it usually carries white warts. These are clues, not a safe identification on their own.

Is reishi a red mushroom?

Yes, reishi has a glossy, varnished red-brown cap. It is too woody to eat; it is known for traditional use and its health effects are still being studied.

I ate a red mushroom. What should I do?

If poisoning is suspected in Türkiye, call 112 or the National Poison Information Centre (114) straight away, and keep a piece of the mushroom if you can. Symptoms that start late do not mean you are safe.

What are reddish mushrooms?

Reddish mushrooms include the fly agaric, Caesar's mushroom, several brittlegills (Russula), the beefsteak fungus and the saffron milk cap. Edible and poisonous species share these colours, so we identify each one to species.

Is a red toadstool always poisonous?

Not always, but the most common red toadstool, the fly agaric, is poisonous. We never judge a mushroom by colour alone.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (EN): Amanita muscaria en.wikipedia.org
  2. Vikipedi (TR): Sinek mantarı tr.wikipedia.org
  3. First Nature: Amanita muscaria first-nature.com
All sources (11)
  1. First Nature: Amanita caesarea first-nature.com
  2. Wikipedia (EN): Amanita caesarea en.wikipedia.org
  3. Vikipedi (TR): İmparator mantarı tr.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia (EN): Ganoderma lucidum en.wikipedia.org
  5. Vikipedi (TR): Ganoderma lucidum tr.wikipedia.org
  6. First Nature: Ganoderma lucidum first-nature.com
  7. Wikipedia (EN): Inosperma erubescens en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia (EN): Psilocybe semilanceata en.wikipedia.org

Other colours

Last updated: Prepared by the Poros Mantar editorial teamReport a correction