There are often misapplied distinctions between toadstools and mushrooms that can get people into a great deal of trouble if they’re amateur mushroom hunters. Some define the main difference between toadstools and mushrooms as one based on poisonous versus edible versions of these fungi. To many, toadstools may refer to all poisonous versions of mushrooms, while mushrooms are not poisonous.

This is a completely inept way of describing the matter. Those mushrooms classed as toadstools may not be toxic, or only mildly so, and many mushrooms are deadly. It’s therefore not possible unless you are expert in this topic to decide that a mushroom is edible (unless you’re buying it in a grocery store) based on looks alone, or on fictitious distinctions between toadstools and mushrooms. In general, never eat wild toadstools and mushrooms unless an expert and professional mushroom hunter evaluates them.

Some people define toadstools as any fungi that do not have a centrally located cap, lack a stem or don’t have “gills underneath the cap. In fact, fungi commonly found in woods that might be identified as toadstools, like polypores, are still mushrooms, even though they don’t have stems. These, however, like the beautiful Trametes versicolor, which looks like tiny rainbows and often grows on the bottom of trees or on fallen logs, may be called toadstools to distinguish them from mushrooms that are more typically “mushroom shaped.” This distinction from a scientific standpoint is not correct.

Others define certain fungi which have the mushroom shape as toadstools, among them, the fly agaric or Amanita muscaria, a red capped stemmed mushroom that is both poisonous and possesses hallucinogenic properties if ingested. The main distinction here is degree of toxicity. Again this mushroom, though bright red with white polka dots on the top looks very “mushroom-like” in shape, more resembling those mushrooms shapes you’d buy at a grocery store.

What remains important about toadstools and mushrooms are the following facts:

• Toadstools and mushrooms are the same and no scientific distinction exists between them.
• You cannot define either by shape, color, or appearance since there is no standard differentiation between either.
• Mushrooms aren’t fungi with caps and stems while toadstools lack caps and stems.
• Toadstools and mushrooms are not defined by level of toxicity: anything classed as either may be nontoxic, mildly toxic, hallucinogenic or extremely poisonous.
• You should never consume anything classed as toadstool or mushroom without having it first examined by a professional mushroom hunter.