Late Fall Oyster

Sarcomyxa serotina

Edible

Also called olive oysterling, late oyster.

The late fall oyster is an oyster-like mushroom with a greenish-yellow to olive-brown cap and yellowish gills that grows on dead hardwood logs from late fall into winter, often after frost. A gelatinous layer under its cap skin separates it from true oysters.

A few rounded, olive-tan late fall oysters growing from a lichen-covered log

The tell

Greenish-yellow to olive oyster-like caps with a gelatinous layer under the skin, after frost.

Field marks

What to look at

Cap, underside and stem show in a photo. The spore print does not, and it is often the deciding check.

Cap
Kidney- to fan-shaped, greenish yellow to olive or brownish, finely velvety and slightly sticky when wet. A layer of gelatinous tissue lies just beneath the cap surface.
Underside
True gills, crowded, pale yellow to orange-yellow, running to a short stem or the point of attachment.
Stem
Short, stubby and to one side, yellowish to brownish with fine hairs, or absent.
Flesh
Whitish and firm. Taste is reported as mild to bitter.
Spore print
White to pale yellowish.
Size
Cap 1 to 4 inches wide (2.5 to 10 cm); stem under 1 inch (2.5 cm) when present.

Where and when

Where and when it grows

Habitat
Hardwood and mixed forests.
Grows on
Dead hardwood logs and stumps, occasionally conifer wood.
Season
Late fall into early winter, often after the first frosts.
Range
Widespread across North America, most common in the North and East.

Lookalikes

What the late fall oyster gets confused with

Each card says how to tell the two apart.

  3. Mock oyster (Phyllotopsis nidulans)

    Orange to yellowish orange with a densely hairy cap and a strong, unpleasant smell.

  4. Bitter oyster (Panellus stipticus)

    Much smaller, usually under 1 inch, tan to buff, with a short stem at one side.

Edibility

What the field guides say

Edible

Field guides disagree on its quality. Most list the late fall oyster as edible but describe it as tough or bitter unless cooked for a long time, and some list it as not worth collecting. It is not recorded as dangerously toxic.

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.

FAQ

Questions about the late fall oyster

Is the late fall oyster edible?

Most field guides list Sarcomyxa serotina as edible, but describe it as tough or bitter unless cooked for a long time. Some guides rate it as poor.

How do you identify a late fall oyster?

By its greenish-yellow to olive cap, yellowish gills, short hairy stem to one side, and the gelatinous layer just under the cap skin. It grows in overlapping groups on dead hardwood logs in late fall, often after frost.

When does the late fall oyster grow?

From late fall into early winter, usually after the first frosts, when few other mushrooms are fruiting. It grows in overlapping groups on dead hardwood logs and stumps.

Sources

Where these facts come from

  1. Panellus serotinus

    MushroomExpert.com

  2. Sarcomyxa serotina

    Fungi Growing on Wood, Gary Emberger (MushroomExpert.com)

  3. Sarcomyxa serotina

    Index Fungorum

Waitlist

Hear when it opens

We will send one email when Mushrooms.id opens, and nothing else.

Email us to join

This opens your email app with the request written for you. Send it and we add you to the list. No email app? Write to hello@mushrooms.id with the subject “Add me to the Mushrooms.id waitlist”.