Spore print - Definition and Overview

Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown
in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white
and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours
showing pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5 cm glass slide placed in middle
allows for examination of spore chacteristics under a microscope.

The spore print of a mushroom is an important diagnostic character in most handbooks for identifying mushrooms. A spore print is made by placing the spore-producing surface flat on a sheet of dark and white (or just white) paper. The mushroom is left overnight in this manner. When the mushroom is removed, the color of the spores should be visible on the paper. Incorporating a glass slide allows for examination of spores under a microscope, or moving the spore print to a darker or lighter surface for good contrast.

One rule of thumb for determining if a mushroom is poisonous may be a green spore print. While most poisonous mushrooms do not have a green spore print, all but a very few species of mushroom species with green spores are poisonous. Mycologists, however, would be quite reluctant to identify any mushroom from its spore print alone.

See also

• mushroom hunting