Mushroom Identification: The Twins Book

The first of its kind, The Twins is a comprehensive list and exploration into the lookalikes for some of the most common edible mushrooms in Europe and North America.I’m not sure about you, but I own more than 30 books on mushroom identification. Even with all these books and more than 10 years of mushroom collecting, and the entire World Wide Web, when I find a mushroom that I think I know, a question immediately pops into my head.

Is this the mushroom I think it is, or is it an evil twin?Most of my books mention a lookalike, or two. Sometimes, there is an illustration with a side by side comparison of the edible mushroom and its toxic twin. But I’m always struck by the lack of information; the lack of a more comprehensive list of lookalikes.

The Twins is this list for 49 of some of the most common edible mushrooms in Europe and North America (excluding Mexico).

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned forager, this book will give you the information you need to differentiate the edible mushroom from one of its lookalkes, most of the time. Sometimes, it is just really difficult or impossible to identify a mushroom, or distinguish it from a lookalike, because its environment has altered one or several of its key characteristics. And for certain mushrooms, identification requires further research or tools like a microscope or chemical testing.

But most of the time, with 1 or better yet, 2 adult mushrooms in good condition, you should be able to eliminate confusion between the toxic ones and the edible one. If it turns out NOT to be that mushroom, you will have some direction on which other mushroom it could be.