Angel's wings: poisonous

Identification in 5 steps

Angel's wings is a pure white, thin-fleshed oyster mushroom on conifer wood. It is considered poisonous and must not be confused with the oyster mushroom.

SeasonSeptember to November

Spore printwhite

FamilyMarasmiaceae

Cap. The cap is 2 to 6 cm wide, pure white, ear-shaped to kidney-shaped.
Underside. The gills are white and close together.
Stem, ring and volva. The stem is lateral, thin and white, with no ring and no volva.
Smell and taste. The smell is mild to mealy. Never taste it.
Flesh and colour change. The flesh is thin and white.

Lookalikes

Pure white, thin-fleshed oyster mushroom on conifer wood; severe encephalopathy has been described in Japan in people with kidney disease.

Elastic oysterling Panellus mitis

inedible

Much smaller, white, on thin conifer branches; flesh gelatinous and tough. Inedible.

Oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus

edible

Grey to brown, thicker, edible, often on deciduous wood.

View on the map

Lung oyster Pleurotus pulmonarius

edible

Pale grey, edible, on deciduous wood.

View on the map

Side by side

	Angel's wings	Elastic oysterling	Oyster mushroom	Lung oyster
Cap	pure white, ear-shaped	white, small, kidney-shaped	grey-brown	pale grey
Underside	white gills	whitish gills	whitish gills	whitish gills
Stem	thin, lateral	short, lateral	short, lateral	lateral
Flesh	thin and papery	tough, gelatinous	firm	firm, elastic
Edibility	Poisonous	inedible	edible	edible

Habitat & Season

On dead wood and stumps. Lowlands up to mountain woods.

Host trees

Conifer wood, especially spruce and pine.

Season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

possible good main season

Autumn, on conifer wood.

Mushroom regions with a daily forecast

There are no records per region for this species yet. The country pages lead to all regions with a daily forecast.

All mushroom regions →

Safety

Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Poisonous mushroom: do not eat it. If you suspect someone has eaten it, call the emergency number and the poison centre immediately.

Advice for your country

United Kingdom

Poison centre:

NHS 111 (England)111

Emergency: 999 · 112

Ireland

Poison centre:

National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166

Emergency: 112 · 999

Germany

Poison centre:

Giftnotruf Berlin030 19240Giftinformationszentrum München089 19240GIZ-Nord Göttingen0551 19240

Emergency: 112

Mushroom advice: DGfM: find a mushroom expert. Certified mushroom experts of the German Mycological Society (DGfM).

Collecting rules: Mushrooms that are not specially protected may be collected in small quantities for personal use unless a protected area or ban applies. Certain specially protected edible species (e.g. cep, chanterelle, birch bolete) may be collected in small quantities for personal use.

Austria

Poison centre:

Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ)01 406 43 43

Emergency: 112 · 144

Mushroom advice: Austrian Mycological Society (ÖMG): mushroom advice. Mushroom advice by the Austrian Mycological Society or regional services such as municipal market offices.

Collecting rules: At most 2 kg of mushrooms per person per day unless the forest owner has prohibited collecting; organised collecting events are prohibited. Additional state rules apply (collecting hours, closed seasons), e.g. Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg.

Conservation and collecting rules

Not specially protected.

Salzburg: Collecting poisonous mushrooms is banned, except single specimens for identification.

Poisoning

ToxinUnknown toxins.

SyndromeGastrointestinal syndrome, rarely encephalopathy.

SymptomsNausea and diarrhoea; in isolated cases severe neurological symptoms.

OnsetA few hours to days.

What to do now: This is an emergency, even if there are no symptoms yet. Go to a hospital immediately or call 999 / 112 and the poison centre (NHS 111, England). Do not wait to see whether symptoms appear, and do not be misled by an apparent improvement. Do not induce vomiting. Keep leftover mushrooms, cleaning scraps and vomit, and tell everyone who shared the meal.

Frequently asked questions

Is angel's wings edible?

No, it is considered poisonous and should not be eaten.

What is the difference from the oyster mushroom?

The oyster mushroom is grey to brown and thicker; angel's wings is pure white and thin.

What should I do if it has been eaten?

Call the emergency number and the poison centre, especially if there are pre-existing conditions.

Related species

Sulphur tuft Hypholoma fasciculare
Fly agaric Amanita muscaria
Devil's bolete Rubroboletus satanas
Yellow-stainer Agaricus xanthodermus
The sickener Russula emetica
Spotted tricholoma Tricholoma pardinum

Open the mushroom map Mushroom trainer: test yourself

Sources

Photo credits

Photo: Bernhard Krause · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Oyster mushroom: Photo: Hamilton (Mushroom Observer) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Lung oyster: Photo: Jose Angel Urquia Goitia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.