What Is the Difference Between True Gills & False Gills on a Mushroom?

Mushroom Gills

• Mushroom gills, also known as lamellea, are structures that form on the underside of a mushroom cap. Mushroom gills are richly coated in microscopic basidia, which hold the mushroom's spores and release them when they're ready to germinate. Recognizing and identifying mushroom gills is a major part of mushroom identification. The gills of a mushroom usually have a unique bruising pattern that reveals the mushroom's identity. Furthermore, mushroom gills change over the course of a mushroom's life cycle, revealing crucial information about a mushroom's maturity.

True vs. False Gills

• The gills of any given mushroom are uniquely spaced. Mushrooms like the shiitake, for example, have distinctly compacted gills, and mushrooms like the chanterelle have gills that are distinctly far apart from one another. True gills are clearly separated from one another regardless if they are compacted or further apart. Mushrooms with false gills are plate-like and not separable whatsoever. The underside of a mushroom cap with false gills has a solid base without separate, blade-like gills.

Making the Distinction

• To help make the distinction, attempt to pluck a bit of the gills with your fingers. You'll have a difficult time plucking away the false gills because they are one large, solid plate. However, it's very easy to pluck away true gills, as they're clear individual, blade-like fans. Run a toothpick across the gills. If the gills bend like prairie grass blowing in wind, then the mushroom has true gills. In contrast, if the gills remain solid as you glide a toothpick across, the mushroom has false gills.

Chanterelle Mushrooms

• Chanterelle mushrooms are a popular mushroom for which people go hunting. This mushroom has a vast array of look-alikes with false gills. Many pickers make the mistake of picking chanterelle mushrooms with false gills because they fail to make the distinction. It's particularly important to use extra caution and pay attention to gill composition when picking chanterelles. Use a field guide whenever hunting for mushrooms, regardless of the type, to help you identify features that distinguish it from look-alikes.