Latin Names
with Common English Names or Nicknames in parenthesis

 

Over the years some mushrooms have been given common as well as their Latin names to describe them, due to an easily identifiable characteristic. Most of the common names [nicknames] below describe the fungi, but a few may need an explanation. Now and again differing fungi have a similar common name [as in Tremella mesenterica and Exidia glandulosa] which is why Latin names are used in describing fungi!

Amanita vaginata [the grisette]. This describes the cap colour which is grey. The word grisette is the French for a grey fabric dress. A. fulva [tawny grisette] is a reddish version which is also called The Dwindling in German due to it shrinking during cooking. A. fulva is one of the few edible Amanita. Due to being easily mixed up with the poisonous Amanita I wouldn't recommend it.
Armillaria mellea [bootlace fungus]. The under-the-bark rhizomorphs that spread this fungi resemble bootlaces.
Boletus badius [bay bolete]: Cap colour of bay red [brownish-red]
Boletus edulis [penny-bun or cep] due to the shape of its cap being similar to an English cake. The cep comes from the French, as does Chanterelle and Girolle for Cantharellus cibarius.
Clitopilus prunulus
[the miller] due to its strong smell of flour. A miller works in a mill grinding flour for bread.
Fomes fomentarius
[tinder or hoof fungus]. The word tinder means a very dry material or easily set on fire. Hoof I can understand as it looks like animals hoofed foot.
Ganoderma applanatum
[artist's fungus or artist's conk] because if you scratch a pattern on the underside it stays permanently. A conk is the fruiting body of a parasitic fungus.
Heterobasidion annosum [ root fomes]. The word fomes is a medical term describing a substance which causes infection. In this case the fungi which causes white rot.
Lepiota cristata
[crested lepiota] due to its dark reddish-brown centre of cap
Lepista nuda
[wood blewit]. The word blewit is the old English spelling for the colour blue, which is the colour of the mushroom stem [lilac-blue]
Mutinus caninus [dog stinkhorn]. Due to shape being similar to a dog's incisor tooth
Piptoporus betulinus
[razor-strop fungus] because in Victorian times members of the poorer families used the fungus to sharpen their open shaving-razors instead of using a leather strip.
Pluteus cervinus [deer agaric] probably comes from the animal's [deer] liking for the fungi
Polyporus squamosus [dryads saddle] because it looks to be a seat for a wood nymph [dryad] to use.
Russula xerampelina
[shrimp mushroom] because of its strong smell of crustaceans
Suillus luteus
[slippery jack]: Why this slimy form is called a jack I do not know!
Tremella mesenterica [yellow brain fungus or witches butter]. It consists of folding layers like a human brain. However I've seen it as witches butter in USA whereas in UK the fungi Exidia glandulosa is black witches butter, which could lead to confusion.
Tricholomopsis rutilans
[plums and custard] because of it's yellow [custard] and wine [plums] mixed cap colour which is reminiscent of a British pudding [dessert dish].
Xylaria hypoxylon
[candle-snuff fungus or staghorn]. Similar in shape to the tool used to put candle flames out. Also has antler shape, hence staghorn. However Calocera viscosa is the yellow staghorn so it's easy to become confused with the names of these two.

Agaricus augustus [the prince] 
Agaricus campestris
[field mushroom]
Agaricus silvicola [wood agaric]
Aleuria aurantia [orange peel fungus]
Amanita citrina [false death cap]
Amanita fulva [tawny grisette]
Amanita muscaria [fly agaric]
Amanita pantherina [panther cap]
Amanita rubescens [the blusher]
Amanita vaginata [grisette]
Armillaria mellea
[honeytuft fungus or bootlace fungus]
Auricularia auricula-judae [jew's ear]

Bolbitius vitellinus [sunny side up]
Boletus badius
[bay bolete]
Boletus chrysenteron [red-cracked boletus]
Boletus edulis [cep or penny-bun]
Boletus piperatus [peppery bolete]

Calocera viscosa
[yellow staghorn or jelly antler fungus]
Cantharellus cibarius [chanterelle or girolle]
Clavaria argillacea [field club or moor club]
Clavulina rugosa [wrinkled club]
Clitocybe clavipes [club foot]
Clitocybe flaccida [tawny funnel-cap]
Clitocybe infundibuliformis
[common funnel cap]
Clitocybe nebularis [clouded agaric]
Clitocybe odora [aniseed toadstool]
Clitopilus prunulus [the miller]
Collybia butyracea
[butter cap or greasy tough-shank]
Collybia confluens [clustered tough-shank]
Collybia dryophila [russet tough-shank]

Collybia fusipes [spindle shank]
Collybia maculata [spotted tough-shank]
Collybia peronata [wood woolly-foot]
Coprinus atramentarius
[common ink-cap or tippler's bane]
Coprinus comatus

[lawyer's wig or shaggy ink-cap]
Coprinus disseminatus
[fairies bonnets or trooping crumble cap]]
Coprinus micaceus
[glistening ink-cap or mica cap]
Coprinus picaceus [magpie ink-cap]]
Coriolus versicolor
[many-zoned polypore or turkey fan tail]
Cystoderma amianthinum [saffron parasol]

Dacrymyces stillatus [orange jelly]
Daedalea quercina [maze gill]
Exidia glandulosa [black witches butter]
Flammulina velutipes [velvet shank]
Fuligo septica [yellow slime mould]
Fomes fomentarius [hoof or tinder fungus]
Ganoderma applanatum [artist's fungus]
Geastrum triplex
[collared earthstar]]

Hebeloma crustuliforme [poison pie]
Heterobasidion annosum
[root fomes]
Hydnum repandum [pig's trotter or
wood hedgehog or urchin of the woods]
Hygrocybe coccinea
[scarlet hood or righteous red waxy cap]
Hygrocybe nigrescens
[blackening wax cap]
Hygrocybe nivea
[snowy wax cap]
Hygrocybe pratensis [meadow wax-cap]
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca [false chanterelle]
Hypholoma fasciculare [sulphur tuft]

Laccaria amethystea [amethyst deceiver]
Laccaria laccata
[the deceiver or lacklustre laccata]
Lactarius blennius [slimy milk-cap]
Lactarius deliciosus [saffron milk-cap]
Lactarius glyciosmus [coconut-scented milk-cap]
Lactarius quietus [oak milk-cap]
Lactarius rufus [rufus milk-cap]
Lactarius torminosus
[woolly milk-cap or poison powderpuff]
Lactarius turpis [ugly milk-cap]
Lactarius vietus [grey milk-cap]
Leccinum scabrum [brown birch bolete]
Leccinum versipelle
[orange birch bolete]
Lepiota cristata
[crested lepiota or stinking parasol]
Lepiota rhacodes
[shaggy parasol]
Lepista nuda [wood blewit]
Lycoperdon perlatum [common puffball]
Lyophyllum decastes [fried chicken mushroom]

Marasmius androsaceus [horsehair fungus]
Marasmius oreades
[fairy-ring champignon]
Marasmius rotula [little wheel toadstool]
Melanoleuca melaloleuca
[changeable melanoleuca]
Meripilus giganteus [giant polypore]
Mutinus caninus [dog stinkhorn]
Mycena epipterygia [yellow stemmed mycena]
Mycena galericulata
[bonnet mycena or helmet mycena]
Mycena galopus [milk-drop mycena]
Mycena haematopus
[bleeding mycena or bleeding heart mycena]]
Mycena pura [lilac mycena]

Nectria cinnabarina [coral spot fungus]

Oudemansiella mucida [porcelain fungus or
poached egg fungus or slimy beech cap]
Oudemansiella radicata
[rooting-shank]
 
Panaeolus foenisecii [haymakers mushroom]]
Panellus mitis
[kidney-shaped pleurotus]
Paxillus involutus
[brown roll-rim]
Phallus impudicus
[stinkhorn]
Pholiota flammans [kummer cap]
Pholiota squarrosa [shaggy pholiota]
Piptoporus betulinus
[birch polypore or razor-strop fungus]
Pleurotus ostreatus [oyster mushroom]
Pleurocybella porrigens [angels wings]
Pluteus cervinus [deer agaric or fawn pluteus]
Polyporus squamosus
[dryad's saddle]
Pseudohydnum gelatinosum [jelly tongue]
Psilocybe semilanceata [liberty cap]
Rhizina undulata [pine fire fungus]
Rhytisma acerinum
[tar spot fungus]
Russula aeruginea
[grass green russula]
Russula atropurpurea
[blackish-purple russula]
Russula claroflava
[yellow swamp russula]
Russula cyanoxantha
[charcoal burner]
Russula delica [milk-white russula]
Russula emetica [the sickener]
Russula fellea [geranium-scented russula]
Russula foetens [fetid russula]
Russula mairei [beechwood sickener]
Russula nigricans [blackening russula]
Russula ochroleuca [common yellow russula]
Russula sardonia [changeable russula]
Russula xerampelina [shrimp mushroom]
Suillus bovinus [shallow pored fungus]
Suillus grevillei
[larch bolete]
Suillus luteus [slippery jack]
Stereum hirsutum
[hairy stereum or yellow stereum]
Stropharia aeruginosa [verdigris agaric]
Stropharia semiglobata [dung roundhead]

Tremella mesenterica
[yellow brain fungus or witches butter]
Tricholomopsis rutilans
[plums and custard]
Tyromyces caesius
[blue-green polypore or blue-cheese polypore]

Xylaria hypoxylon [candle snuff fungus]
Xylaria polymorpha [dead man's fingers]]

 

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