Angel wings vs oyster mushroom
- Toxic: Angel Wings
Angel wings are pure white, paper-thin and grow on conifer wood. Oyster mushrooms are thicker, often gray or tan, and grow mostly on hardwoods.
Oyster mushroom vs shiitake: how to tell them apart
Quick answer
Shiitake has a distinct, tough, fibrous stem, central or off-center, and its gills stop at the stem; oyster mushrooms grow as overlapping shelves with little or no stem, and their gills run down to the point of attachment. Both print white, oysters sometimes faintly lilac-gray.
Side by side
The tell for each
Edible
The tellFan-shaped caps in overlapping shelves on dead hardwood, with white gills running down to a short stub of a stem.
Edible
The tellA brown cap with whitish fibers at the edge, white gills with ragged edges, and a tough, fibrous stem.
How they differ
| Feature | Oyster Mushroom | Shiitake |
|---|---|---|
| Stem | Oyster MushroomA short stub, off-center, or none. | ShiitakeA distinct tough, fibrous stem, 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm), central or off-center. |
| Gills | Oyster MushroomRun down to the stem or the point of attachment. | ShiitakeAttached or notched at the stem and ending there, with finely ragged edges. |
| Growth | Oyster MushroomOverlapping shelves on dead hardwood. | ShiitakeSingle caps or small groups, usually on cultivated logs or sawdust blocks. |
| Cap | Oyster MushroomSmooth, fan- or oyster-shaped, white to gray, tan or brown. | ShiitakeRound, tan to dark brown, often with whitish fibers near the inrolled edge. |
| Where found in North America | Oyster MushroomWild and widespread, and also cultivated. | ShiitakeNot native; found where it is cultivated. |
| Spore print | Oyster MushroomWhite to pale lilac-gray. | ShiitakeWhite. |
FAQ
Common questions
Are oyster mushrooms and shiitake the same?
No. Oyster mushrooms are Pleurotus ostreatus and shiitake is Lentinula edodes. Both grow on hardwood, but shiitake has a distinct stem and oyster mushrooms grow as stemless or nearly stemless shelves.
Does shiitake grow wild in North America?
No. It is native to East Asia. In North America it fruits where people grow it, mostly on oak logs and sawdust blocks.
Is every mushroom on a shiitake log a shiitake?
No. Mississippi State University Extension notes that other fungi commonly grow on inoculated shiitake logs and should not be treated as shiitake.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Pleurotus ostreatus
MushroomExpert.com
- Shiitake Production on Hardwood Logs
Mississippi State University Extension Service
Keep checking
Read both pages in full
- More on the oyster mushroom
- More on the shiitake
- Not sure it is either? Narrow it down with the identification key
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.
More comparisons
King oyster vs oyster mushroom
King oysters have a thick white stem bigger than the cap. Common oyster mushrooms grow in shelves on wood with little or no stem.
Hypsizygus ulmarius
Photo coming
Elm oyster vs oyster mushroom
Elm oysters have a distinct stem and gills that stop at it. Oyster mushrooms grow in shelves with gills running down to the attachment.
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