Elderflower identification and foraging: don't confuse for deadly poisonous water hemlock

Identification difficulty: Intermediate

Warning: This plant has been mistaken for the very deadly water hemlock. Ingestion of water hemlock can kill in 15 minutes to 2 hours -- often less time than you can get to medical attention.

Even if correctly identified, parts of the elder plant: including roots, bark, leaves and green fruit are poisonous. Only the flowers and ripe fruit are edible, in moderation, and the fruit must be cooked. 

Thanks to their etherial beauty, it's easy to imagine elderflowers as magical

Elder quick history

The shrubs we call elder, members of the genus Sambucus, grow throughout most of the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, and were once a staple food and medicine for many different peoples: Native Americans, Europeans, Asians and North Africans. Everywhere it grows its been revered, used as food, flavoring, in wine and liquor-making, medicine, basket making, for perfumes, natural dying and cosmetics, and ritualistically. In Europe especially, elder bushes were believed to have magical powers and to be inhabited by benevolent spirits.

Black elderberries are the most common U.S. varieties 
east of the Rocky Mountains

Elder varieties 

There are many individual species of elderberry, all in the the genus Sambucus. They are bushy shrubs or small trees bearing large clusters of white or off-white flowers, though some varieties have been cultivated to bloom pink.

Elderberries are most often defined by the color of their fruit: black, blue or red, though there will be many individual species and varieties producing fruit of each color. In Australia there are also white or yellow-white fruiting species, but I have no experience with them. 

Please note: in this post we will be looking at the flowers of black elderberry, but the tips here will also apply to the flowers of blue elder.  The flowers of red elder look quite different.

Finding black and blue elderflower 

It's hard to see in this picture,
but this enormous grove of elderberries
were growing alongside an old stone
millstream

Some of the best places to look for elder plants, flowers or berries, as well as places to avoid.

• Old homesteads and farmlands, especially directly by the old home, or as the dividing edges between two farms. 
• Along old millstreams, especially the kind with stone embankments. Beside old millhouses or lands that formerly had a millhouse.
• River and creek banks, high bluffs over wetlands, and areas that occasionally experience seasonal flooding. All of these areas should have good drainage without long periods of standing water.
• Drainage ditches that would border old farmland, orchards, pastures and especially vineyards. Don't risk contamination by picking from plants growing in culverts off highways, industrial areas, or active farms using pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
• Suburban parks and residential developments built on former farmlands or wetlands.
• Elderberries do not like standing water or areas that flood frequently and remain soaked. If you find a similar-looking plant in these kinds of environments, you most likely have deadly water hemlock, and you should avoid!

 

Identifying elder in the flowering stage

Elder is reasonably easy to identify when fruiting, but when it's in flower the list of potentially poisonous look-a-likes grows significantly longer and more dangerous. 

Elderberry growth 

Blue and black elderberries are large shrubs or small trees that can grow up to around 10-12 feet tall. 

Sometimes elders grow quite bushy and filled-in, but when crowded into a forest with other trees they will often grow more like a tree--with branches spaced thinly, spread out to catch the light. 

Elder bushes will start to produce flowers and fruit at about 2 years old, often when the shrub is as short as 3ft tall. 

However, at this age it may still have green stems with no bark. If you are inexperienced, it's advisable to wait till the shrub has bark, as the safest way to rule out deadly poison hemlock. 

All 7 of the "leaflets" on the left make up one true leaf. The same with the 9 leaflets on the right.

Elderberry leaves

Elderberry leaves are "oddly pinnately compound". 

Compound means that each leaf is actually made up of multiple "leaflets", see the picture above for more detail. Pinnately means that the leaflets are directly opposite one another, not offset. And oddly refers to the fact that there are an odd number of leaflets, with one sticking out at the end. 

The entire leaf will be up to 13" inches long, with 5 to 11 leaflets, with 7 or 9 being most common.

Be VERY CAREFUL if you see leaves like those on the right. 

As the leaf grows bigger, the leaflets will appear to branch off into triplets (groups of 3). These are actually new leaf stems (petioles) with new compound leaves forming. Only some varieties of elderberry will grow this way. 

However, this is very similar to the growth of deadly poisonous water hemlock. If you see bottom leaf division like this, make extra sure to check all the other identifying features to confirm you do not have water hemlock. 

Leaf images are for identification only. Elderberry leaves are poisonous. 

Leaflet detail of the black elderberry

Elderberry leaflets  

Each individual black elderberry leaflet is an elongated oval shape with a pointed tip. They also attach to the leaf stem at a point (Red elderberry leaves are more round). 

Leaflets have a subtly serrated edge, which is to say they are saw-like or toothed. The key word is subtle. Elderberry serrations are shallow, often curved partially inward towards the leaf and are very irregular in size and shape.

Deadly poisonous water hemlock has deep serrations that come to sharp points. They angle upwards but don't curve back on themselves, and they are fairly regular in depth, shape and size. 

The veins on elderberry leaflets are shallow, they do not pucker the leaf material. 

Most importantly, elderberry leaflet veins MOST OFTEN terminate with the tip of the serration. 

Water hemlock veins most often terminate in the groves between serration points. 

Elderflowers

Just as the leaves of elder are compound, so to are the flowers. Each flower head, known as an umbel, is made up of tiny white or off-white flowers, each with 5 petals. 

Each flowerhead looks like it's made of lace.

The flowers grow off the very end of the bush branches. They are not nestled into the leaves.

When the flowers bloom, they weigh down the flower head such that it bends backwards, creating a shape like an umbrella, hence the name "umbel". 

Stems/trunks

One of the most important aspects of elderberry identification is the presence of bark on mature plants, which rules out the most dangerous similar-looking plant: water hemlock. Water hemlock is a weedy plant which dies off each fall and grows back. It will never have true woody stems or bark. 

Young elder plants will not have bark yet (it takes 2-3 years) but they also most LIKELY won't flower or fruit. To be on the safe side, make sure your perspective elder plant has bark before harvesting -- it's better to potentially miss out than to risk consuming one of the most deadly plants in the world. 

How to identify Golden Chanterelles, gourmet edible wild mushrooms

Identification difficulty: Intermediate

Warning: despite the frequency with which these are foraged, I feel that the risks associated have been downplayed. I personally believe there is the potential for confusion with deadly species. That said, I believe you can learn how to rule those out. 

Summer 2021 is turning out to be a nation-wide bumper year for the greater chanterelle family, which includes cinnabar red chanterelles, black trumpets, and, of course, golden chanterelles. 

Facebook foraging and mycology groups, Reddit foraging and mycology boards are all flush with pictures of, well, flushes of mushrooms. There's a lot of books, websites, etc out there that talk about how to identify golden chanterelles, so I wasn't really sure how necessary another post would be, but at the same time I'm seeing a lot of misinformation or incomplete information going around on social media. 

Overview and history

The term chanterelle can be used to describe a group of related genera (that's plural for genus): Cantharellus, Craterellus, Gomphus, and Polyozellus. Craterellus includes the black trumpets and yellow foot mushrooms, Gomphus includes the pig's ear, Polyozellus is a one-species genus that contains the blue chanterelle, and Cantharellus contains several species of golden chanterelles, red or cinnabar chanterelles, the smooth chanterelle and the white chanterelle. The lobster mushroom, Hypomyces lactifluorum, looks similar but it is unrelated and, while also being a choice edible, tastes completely different from chanterelles of any kind. 

For most people, however, when they think of chanterelles, only the golden chanterelle comes to mind. 

Golden chanterelles are a gourmet wild mushroom, one of the "big five" mushrooms that command the highest prices globally. The "big five" include truffles, matsutake, chanterelles, morels, and porcini. These are the five most expensive mushrooms for their CULINARY value; there are some fungi which sell for higher prices due to their use in Eastern medicine. 

We don't know exactly when humanity began it's love affair with the golden chanterelle. Asian, African and European cultures all have long histories of the mushroom, and we can safely assume it was eaten before it was recorded as well. In Europe, chanterelles were reserved for the nobility for many centuries.

Chanterelles are a mycorrhizal species, they grow in symbiosis with trees. This makes them very difficult and expensive to cultivate, as one would need to both own a forest and be willing to wait for decades while the trees and the fungi mature, before the fugal mycelium would grow mushrooms. 

At one point in time, all golden chanterelles were believed to be Cantharellus cibarius, and older books will still refer to them this way. With the advent of DNA testing, we now know that there are many, many kinds of golden chanterelles, some with sub-varieities, and that C. cibarius only grows in Europe. 

Golden Chanterelles as a group

Since "golden chanterelles" are a group, there are many, many color variations. There are species that are all golden or egg-yolk yellow, some that have white areas, such as a white stem, white gills or a white cap, and some that have those same variations except pink instead of white.

For the sake of this article, the term "golden chanterelle" will apply to any species that is 50% or more "egg-yolk yellow"., We won't be trying to identify individual golden chanterelle species, as all are edible, all are choice and they share many identification features. 

NOTE: Some chanterelles have a tan or deep yellow spot at the center of the cap. I would personally avoid these. And you must avoid all potential "chanterelle" species that have a cap or stem that is entirely tan or brown as it may be a potentially deadly look-alike in the genus Paxillus. Also spore print any all-yellow mushroom with decurrent gills where the stem seems thin for the cap size. 

Why I think chanterelles are an intermediate difficulty to ID

Overall, I think most foraging and mushroom hunting books leave out important potential look-a-like species for the chanterelle. They generally talk about false chanterelles, Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, and jack o' lanterns, Omphalotus species, as the only real danger. Both these mushrooms can make you sick, Omphalotus can make you seriously sick, but neither will kill you. 

I'm more concerned about Paxillus species, which have the potential to be deadly poisonous. Paxillus are not super common and don't STRONGLY resemble chanterelles, at least not in America. However, there are yellow varieties in Australia, which could always make the cross-ocean trek on tree roots. And there are brown-yellow varieties in North America and Europe which we will go into in greater detail.

As I've said on the page where I define these terms, if I feel there is potential for confusion with a deadly species, then I consider it to be an intermediate difficulty identification. 

Identifying hemlock, deadly plant, by its leaves. Resembles wild and cultivated carrots, parsley, celery and more.

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) leaves closely resemble the leaves of several edible plants.
Skull image designed by Vecteezy www.vecteezy.com

I want to talk to you about a plant that I HAVEN'T eaten.

Pin me!

I haven't eaten this plant, because if I had, I wouldn't still be here.

This plant is Conium maculatum, commonly known as Poison Hemlock. (Also: English or European hemlock, carrot fern, Devil's porridge, spotted hemlock, wild hemlock and poison parsley) It should probably be known as deadly hemlock, as it's one of the most dangerous wild plants you can encounter.

I have read that poison hemlock is so toxic, it has poisoned children who used the hollow stems as whistles -- simply the act of putting it to their lips and later licking them.

C. maculatum, and the closely related (and equally deadly) Water Hemlock (Cicuta species) are members of the greater Apiaceae family. The Apiaceae family is the carrot family, and provides us with many of our most important cultivated edibles, including carrots, parsley, parsnips, fennel, dill, coriander/cilantro, anise and celery. Europeans will also know the food plant "Alexanders".

Because the deadly hemlocks are so closely related to many edibles (including wild carrots/queen anne's lace, sweet cicely, cow parsley, and--more distantly, alexanders (Europe only), parsnips and fennel) they closely resemble them as well, and it's essential for any forager to completely familiarize themselves with hemlock BEFORE they attempt to eat any wild plants in the Apiaceae family.

It's a good thing for gardeners to know about this plant, as it can spring up in their garden, and will resemble carrots, parsley and celery.

But this post will help you safely identify and avoid poison hemlock.

Note: this post deals exclusively with the young, pre-flowering plant, when it is most likely to cause confusion with edible plants like carrot and parsley.

How I find and safely eat pokeweed shoots in early spring

Hi all, I'd like to start by saying, this post is my personal story about how I safely eat pokeweed, a plant which can be deadly if not properly harvested and prepared.

I prepare poke the way my Southern grandma did; many people say now that the old ways are too conservative, that the plant is safe to harvest older, and to spend less time processing. I believe that those people do what's right for them, but I don't think that there is a "right for everyone" way to eat this plant. 

Though I will share some tips for identification, this is not primarily an identification post, rather a personal experience post. Maybe I'll do an ID post down the line. 

Pokeweed should not be eaten by young children, or women who are pregnant, looking to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.

UPDATE: I now have an identification post for young spring pokeweed. Read on to learn how to prepare poke, but to identify, click here.

Pokeweed quick history

Pokeweed was extensively eaten throughout the Eastern and Southern United States until quite recently, sometime in the 1960s. It was an especially important food for the early colonists, some Native American tribes, African Americans, and the people of Appalachia. It's free, very abundant, easy to identify and one of the earliest greens that can be harvested in the spring. Pokeweed also has an important role as a dye for fabrics, and in the traditional medicines of the Native Americans and the people of Appalachia.

Pokeweed was most commonly prepared as "Poke Sallet", sometimes corrupted as "Poke Salad" but it's important NEVER to eat these plants raw, doing so can make you sick or worse. Poke sallet are boiled greens that are then fried up with bacon and butter to make a hearty meal perfect for the season: using the end of last years preserved meats with the fresh taste of new greens.

The Declaration of Independence is written in pokeweed ink, as were many of the letters Civil War soldiers wrote home. (It was free and readily available).  Supporters of 1844 Presidential candidate James Polk wore pokeweed on their lapels. (He went on to win, against the odds, and become the 11th President of the United States). Poke Salad Annie was a 1969 Billboard hit, about a poor Southern girl who has to eat poke, as it's free.

The ringless honey mushroom: Desarmillaria caespitosa (Formerly Armillaria tabescens)

Warning: this is NOT A BEGINNER's mushroom. 

This mushroom cannot be positively identified by observing features alone, a spore print must be done for positive identification. This mushroom has many lookalikes, some of which are deadly, others will make you very sick. Use the following tips as a guideline only, but confirm your identification with other reliable sources and a trusted local expert.   

As always, it's your responsibility to make sure you are 100% sure of any wild plant or mushroom you consume.  

Finally, even when properly ID-d, ringless honeys are notorious for giving some people ACUTE GI problems. Always try a very small amount, like a single cap, for the fist time, then a small portion (3-4), before you consume a whole meal's worth.

Identification difficulty level: Intermediate 

Armillaria tabescens, commonly known as the ringless honey mushroom, is one of the most prolific edible wild mushrooms of early fall, at least some years. When they fruit, I find I can't go anywhere without tripping over hundreds of patches, still other years I won't see a single one. 

2022 Update Note:

Originally believed to be a species within the genus Armillaria (the ringed honey mushrooms), recent (2017-2019) Korean DNA sequencing has proved that ringless honey mushrooms are actually different enough to be their own, related, genus. 

The new name for this genus is currently Desarmillaria.

Further sequencing in late 2021 revealed that the North American and European species are not exactly the same, meaning the name Desarmillaria tabescens belongs to the European species (which was discovered first) and the new name of Desarmillaria caespitosa has been created for the North American species. I have updated this 2016 post accordingly. NO ID FEATURES HAVE CHANGED, ONLY THE NAME. 

 

Please read carefully all content below. Each step, including location and substrate, is essential to identification of this fungus. Wherever possible, I have tried to illustrate every single feature with a photograph, or two.

I chose to write this article because a blog post can show many, many more pictures than a book can, allowing me to really illustrate more features.

Update: identification for beginners, novice and intermediate

Hey all, just a quick update. In general I try to keep all my identification posts geared towards plants and mushrooms that a beginner or novice can identify. But I've recently decided to start adding intermediate content as well.

As such, I've developed a new labeling system, and will tag each identification post with either "for beginner" , "for novice" or "for intermediate".

Making spore prints for wild mushroom identification, crafts, and science fun!

Hallo! So I ran a survey about 6 months ago, and I'm really really happy with the number of responses I got. To anyone who took it, thank you very much, I really appreciate the time you  put into helping me generate valuable content.

So the overwhelming thing people wanted to hear about was plant and mushroom identification. Another thing I got a lot of calls for were content more geared towards beginner and novice foragers.

One of the most foundational identification tools you'll need for wild mushrooms is knowing how to do a spore print.

What is a spore print?

All mushrooms reproduce with spores. Spores can be considered to be like seeds, except they are tiny--individually invisible to the naked eye. (There are other differences as well, but they aren't really relevant to foraging).

Though we can't see individual spores, they do have a color, and when a lot of them are together, the masses of spores form patches of color, which can be seen with your eye. Sometimes these colors are distinctive, and are a necessary tool to help positively identify one mushroom from another.

Many mushrooms look similar, but have different colored spores, so discovering the colors of the spores is the key to differentiating the species. For example, edible Blewits look similar to potentially deadly Cortinarius, but Blewits have a salmon pink spore print, and Cortinarius have a rusty brown one.

Identifying the Most Common Poisonous Mushroom: Chlorophyllum molybdites (the Green-Spored Lepiota)

There is one mushroom which I get shown pictures of, and asked to identify, more than any other. It seems to be the most commonly encountered, or at least most commonly noticed mushroom in any region of the U.S. that I have lived.

Many times the request for information also comes with something along the lines of "it looks like it would be tasty!" And, in fact, this large, pristine, ubiquitous, and frequently abundant mushroom does look like it would be a great meal. . .

But looks are frequently deceiving.