Marasmiaceae is a taxonomic family of fungi. It includes a few edible species such as the shiitake mushroom, but most members of this family are considered inedible. They grow from dead wood or mulch and produce white spores.

Waxgills is a diverse family of fungi containing over 600 species. Most produce a waxy upper surface. They primarily grow in soil, but a few species can be found feeding directly off wood or lichen. Some genera in this family form mutually beneficial relationships with tree roots, lichens, or algae.

Psathyrellaceae is a fungus family that consists mostly of saprobic fungi that feed on decomposing material. This way, these agaric mushrooms serve as decomposers in terrestrial ecosystems. Although the members of this family vary in size, many of them are very fragile and delicate. They all have a dark spore print.

The members of the typhulaceae family share a common appearance in that they are typically slender upright fungi. They are classed as club fungi, since many species of this type of fungus are club-shaped. However, most species in this family are far more slender and delicate. You are most likely to see these fungi growing on forest floors on dead wood and leaf litter.

Coral fungi (Clavariaceae) is so-named because the growth shape of some member species resemble that of corals. This taxonomic family was classified (or *circumscribed*) in 1826 by the French botanist Fran?ois Fulgis Chevallier. In the past, all member species were thought to have this characteristic coral fungi-like shape, but more recently, species with more ordinary mushroom-like bodies were discovered.

A good way to identify members of the cortinariaceae family is by looking at their web-like "cortina" of fibers underneath the mushroom cap. Many members of the family contain a toxin called "orellanine". These mushrooms are ground-growing and some develop symbiotic relationships with the roots of plants.

Physalacriaceae is a family of fungi that includes different mushroom genera. Nearly all grow in the presence of aging or rotting wood, and they often grow gregariously. Among the more famous physalacriaceae species are the so-called honey mushrooms.

Strophariaceae is a family of mushrooms that grow on decaying plant matter. Among the multiple genera that fall under the strophariaceae categorization is the infamous Psilocybe. Most species in this family develop the stereotypical umbrella-shaped mushroom cap, and nearly all are inedible.

Its most famous species is Hypholoma fasciculare. The hemispherical cap can reach 6 cm in diameter. It is smooth and sulfur yellow with an orange-brown center and whitish margin. The crowded gills are initially yellow but darken to a distinctive green color as the blackish spores develop on the yellow flesh. It has a purple-brown spore print. The stripe is up to 10 cm tall and 1.02 cm wide, light yellow, orange-brown below, often with an indistinct ring zone colored dark by the spores. The taste is very bitter, though not bitter when cooked, but still poisonous.

Pluteaceae mushrooms is a family of fungi that lives by decomposing wood. To the casual observer they look just like regular mushrooms, but to fungi experts they present more of a problem since the members of this genus are notoriously hard to classify, and some resemble deadly poisonous fungi. This is a great reminder why only experts should collect mushrooms.

A very large and diverse family of mushrooms, pale-spore mushrooms (Tricholomataceae) includes some excellent edible species, but also some that are severely poisonous. As their common name suggests, all these mushrooms have a pale spore print. The large majority of these fungi are saprophytic, meaning they feed on dead and decomposing plant matter.

Mushrooms of the hydnangiaceae family are nicknamed "the Deceivers" for a valid reason. Their varied appearance makes it difficult to tell them apart from other types of fungi. Juvenile and adult specimens of the same species can differ in coloring, even in the same growing conditions, making them extra difficult to identify.

The best-known member of the fistulinaceae family is *Fistulina hepatica*. The fungi in this family typically have shelf-like bodies. This family is similar to its close neighbor, Polyporaceae, but you can tell the difference by noticing the separate tubes under the caps of mushrooms in the fistulinaceae family, whereas those in Polyporaceae are joined together.

The genus Amanitaceae contains some of the world's most toxic fungi, and it is responsible for over half of all cases of mushroom poisoning. There are several toxins present in amanita species including amanatins, phalloidins, hemolytic compounds, and ibotenic acid. The majority of amanita species are gilled mushrooms with a central stem - in other words, they look like most people's idea of a stereotypical mushroom.

Lyophyllaceae is a taxonomic family of fungi that was only grouped together, or circumscribed, in 1981 by Swiss mycologist Walter Jülich. Many species in this family have characteristic mushroom shapes and are noted for their pale-colored spores.

Marasmiaceae is a large family of mushrooms that are all drought-tolerant, having the ability to shrivel up in dry weather and then re-grow. The best-known member of this family is the shiitake mushroom, an edible mushroom that is used extensively in Chinese cuisine for its strong flavor. Note, however, that most members of this large and diverse fungus family are not edible.

Perhaps the best-known member is the oyster mushroom, Pleurotaceae ostreatus. The mushroom has a broad, fan, or oyster-shaped cap spanning 5 to 25 cm. Natural specimens range from white to gray, tan to dark brown. The margin is enrolled when young and is smooth and often somewhat lobed or wavy. The flesh is white, firm, and varies in thickness due to stipe arrangement. The gills of the mushroom are white to cream and descend on the stalk if present. If present, the stipe is off-center with a lateral attachment to wood. The spore print of the mushroom is white to lilac-gray, best viewed on a dark background. The mushroom's stipe is often absent. When present, it is short and thick.

Its most famous species is Mycena galericulata. The mushrooms have caps with distinct radial grooves, particularly at the margin. The cap's color varies from grayish brown to dark brown and the shape ranges from bell-like to bluntly conical to flattened with an umbo. The stem is hollow, white, tough and thin, without a ring and often roots deeply into the wood on which it grows. The gills are white to grayish or even pinkish when mature and are connected by distinct cross-veins. The caps can reach 4 cm in diameter, and have a mealy odor and taste.

Agaricaceae is a cornerstone of the fungi world and encompasses many commonly found mushrooms. As a scientific family, it has over a thousand classified species! From tiny and toxic to massive and meaty, agaricaceae has a lot to offer. Research has found that it is an ancient family and could date back 20.44 million years ago.

Entolomataceae (Entolomataceae) is a group of fungi in the agaric family. Members of the family have very different characteristics although all of them have gills that are attached to the rim of the mushroom cap. Most are inedible or poisonous, and since it is incredibly hard for even the experts to identify different species they definitely shouldn't be eaten.

Schizophyllaceae is a small family of wood-growing fungi. The species in this family cause white rot, a wood disease resulting in the decay of the host tree or wood as the fungus feeds on it. The species you are most likely to encounter is Schizophyllum commune.