Mushroom Companions

Mushrooms often form relationships with the with nearby trees and plants — some are mutual partners, sharing nutrients with roots, while others are parasitic, feeding on their hosts instead. Learning how to spot your favorite mushroom's favorite tree significantly increases your chance of finding that mushroom. Below you'll learn how to identify the common native trees that associate with popular edible mushrooms.

How To Identify PNW Conifer Trees

Conifer trees are generally evergreen, have needles or scales instead of leaves, and produce cones that bear seeds. Coniferous trees can be easier to identify throughout the year because you can frequently find fresh branches with needles or cones on the forest floor nearby.

Pine

Pinus

True Fir

Abies

Douglas Fir

Pseudotsuga

Spruce

Picea

Western Hemlock

Tsuga heterophylla

Cedar

Thuja, Calocedrus, Chamaecyparis

Cypress

Cupressus

Mountain Hemlock

Tsuga mertensiana

Western Larch

Larix occidentalis

How To Identify PNW Broadleaf Trees

Broadleaf trees have wide flat leaves and bear their seeds inside soft fruits. Most of these trees drop their leaves each year in the autumn (referred to as deciduous) making them really tough to ID during the winter. Fortunately the best mushroom hunting amongst broadleaf trees is in the spring and fall when you can find the leaves and seeds needed for identification.

Maple

Acer

Birch

Betula

Alder

Alnus

Cottonwood

Populus

Aspen

Populus

Oak

Quercus

Live Oak

Quercus

Tanoak

Notholithocarpus densiflorus

1920px-Lithocarpus_densiflorus_leaves3_e

Madrone

Arbutus menziesii