Angel wings vs oyster mushroom: how to tell them apart

Quick answer

Angel wings grow on rotting conifer wood, especially hemlock, and the caps are pure white and so thin they look almost translucent; oyster mushrooms grow mostly on hardwoods and are thicker and fleshier, often gray, tan or brownish. Angel wings print white and oysters print white to pale lilac-gray.

Toxic lookalike

The angel wings is toxic.

Angel wings (Pleurocybella porrigens) was once listed as edible. In 2004 in Japan, 59 people who had eaten it developed brain damage (acute encephalopathy) and 19 died, most of them older people with kidney disease, according to the University of British Columbia's Mushrooms Up! guide. Symptoms began anywhere from 1 to 31 days after eating it, with difficulty moving, muscle spasms and later convulsions. The toxin has not been confirmed; a 2015 study in Food Safety proposed cyanide and thiocyanate intoxication.

If someone has eaten a wild mushroom and feels unwell, or may have eaten one of these, call poison control now: 1-800-222-1222 in the US. Do not wait for symptoms.

Side by side

The tell for each

A thin, fan-shaped white angel wings mushroom held between a person's fingers
Toxic lookalike
Angel WingsPleurocybella porrigens

The tellThin, pure white, fan-shaped caps in overlapping groups on dead conifer wood.

Gray-brown oyster mushrooms growing in overlapping shelves on a tree trunk
Edible
Oyster MushroomPleurotus ostreatus

The tellFan-shaped caps in overlapping shelves on dead hardwood, with white gills running down to a short stub of a stem.

How they differ

Differences between the angel wings and the oyster mushroom
FeatureAngel WingsOyster Mushroom
WoodAngel WingsRotting conifer logs and stumps, especially hemlock.Oyster MushroomDead and dying hardwoods: aspen, poplar, beech, maple and oak.
FleshAngel WingsVery thin and pliable, nearly translucent.Oyster MushroomThick and soft.
Cap colorAngel WingsPure white, sometimes cream with age.Oyster MushroomWhite to gray, tan or brownish, often darker in cold weather.
Cap sizeAngel Wings1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 cm).Oyster Mushroom2 to 8 inches (5 to 20 cm).
StemAngel WingsAbsent, or a tiny stub.Oyster MushroomA short, stubby, off-center stem, often hairy at the base, or none.
SeasonAngel WingsLate summer to fall.Oyster MushroomMostly fall through spring in cool weather, but any month.
Spore printAngel WingsWhite.Oyster MushroomWhite to pale lilac-gray.

FAQ

Common questions

Are angel wings mushrooms poisonous?

Current guides list them as poisonous. In 2004 in Japan, 59 people became ill and 19 died after eating them, most with kidney disease. The toxin has not been confirmed.

How do you tell angel wings from oyster mushrooms?

Angel wings are pure white, paper-thin and grow on conifer wood. Oyster mushrooms are rarely pure white, are thicker and fleshier, and grow mostly on hardwoods.

Can a photo tell angel wings from oysters?

Not reliably. Thickness and the kind of wood are the main clues, and a photo shows neither well. A white oyster seen from above can look much like angel wings.

Sources

Where these facts come from

  1. Pleurocybella porrigens, angel wings (Mushrooms Up!)

    Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia

  2. Pleurotus ostreatus

    MushroomExpert.com

Keep checking

Read both pages in full

This page states what field guides record. It is not advice to eat, taste or handle anything, and a photo cannot settle edibility. If someone has eaten a wild mushroom that may be toxic, call poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) right away, before symptoms start: the deadliest species act hours later.

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