MycoMatch is a phone app that can help you identify
many hundreds of gilled mushroom species found in the Pacific
Northwest of North America.
Privacy Notice: The MycoMatch
app does NOT collect any data whatsoever about you, the user.
The only connection this app makes to the internet is to allow you
to see other possible information about a species. The websites this app
links out to are Wikipedia, Google, iNaturalist and
D. Miller's website.
Caution: never eat any
mushroom based solely on this or
any other single source. Always confirm unfamiliar mushrooms
using many sources or by checking with more experienced mushroom identifiers.
1 When in doubt, do not eat the mushroom.
Using this app is like shopping for products on-line. You filter the possibilities by various features until
you find likely candidates.
Instead of shopping for something like "Women's, running shoes, brown, size 9, wide width" you search
for
"Gilled mushrooms with brown caps, 2 cm wide, 5 cm high, black gills, growing on wood chips".
With this app you can ...
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use the app without having internet data service.
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view hundreds of species and hundreds of photos.
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select criteria that describe what you observe and understand.
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choose tens of features of the cap, stipe (stem), gills, spores, what it
grows on, its taste and smell etc.
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read detailed scientific descriptions from many sources.
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check other sources for information about of the same species.
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click on mycological terms and references to see more details and definitions.
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choose in any order what aspects to observe (unlike a dichotomous key).
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compare the facets (features or characters) of multiple species.
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look up mushrooms by scientific or common name.
This app does not
use any image recognition to attempt to help you identify mushroom.
The authors of this app do not recommend
any apps that use image recognition for several reasons:
- You have to know how to provide good images, for example, many species look the same
from above or have similar gills. Many bald men look the same from above.
- Nearly all of the apps have neither detailed information on how
they are trained nor the range of species they are trying to identify.2
- Remember that using even a better image recognition system requires
careful use of good photos and an understanding of each tools limits.
The data that drives this app has been collected over many
years from a myriad of sources by expert mushroom
identifiers. The data is updated with each new release.
To get the latest information and the latest species please download
the latest version of the app from the iPhone App Store or Android Play Store.
For information about the app and to report bugs please contact the developers at
MycoMatchMobile@gmail.com, or
MMM@alpental.com.