MushieMushroom spore print colour chart: what each colour tells you
A spore print reveals the mass colour of a mushroom's microscopic spores after the cap sits gills-down on paper for a few hours. Because gill colour often changes as a mushroom ages, spore print colour is a far more reliable clue—separating white-spored velvet shanks and honey fungus from the rusty-brown-spored deadly funeral bell, or white-spored St George's mushroom from the pink-spored livid pinkgill.
Key field checks for spore print color guide
| Feature / Clue | What it means in the field |
|---|---|
| Pure white to cream | Amanitas (death cap, destroying angel, fly agaric), oyster mushroom, chanterelle, honey fungus, velvet shank and St George's mushroom. |
| Salmon-pink | Entoloma species including the poisonous livid pinkgill (Entoloma sinuatum). |
| Rusty or cinnamon-brown | Deadly funeral bell (Galerina marginata), deadly webcap (Cortinarius rubellus) and sheathed woodtuft. |
| Dark chocolate to purple-brown | Field mushroom (Agaricus campestris), yellow stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus) and poisonous sulphur tuft. |
| Jet black | Ink caps including shaggy ink cap and common ink cap. |
Deadly species in this group (3)
Poisonous species in this group (2)
Edible with caution species in this group (4)
Edible (expert ID) species in this group (1)
Frequently asked questions
Does gill colour match the spore print colour?
Not always. Young field mushrooms have pink gills that later turn dark brown, while many white-spored mushrooms have yellow, orange or violet caps and gills.
Why use half-white and half-dark paper for a spore print?
A white spore print is invisible on plain white paper, while a dark brown or black print stands out clearly on the white half.
Not sure what you found?
Photograph it with Mushie for possible matches, look-alike warnings and an AI guide for follow-up questions. Results are suggestions, never a safe-to-eat verdict.