Group A - Gilled Fungi that are Sessile or have a lateral stem

1. Gill edges notched or toothed, like a saw; cap brownish, densely hairy .........................Lentinellus ursinus

1. Gill edges even

    2. Basidiocarps grayish black, very small (2-6 mm wide), found on undersides of
        logs..................................................................................................................Resupinatus applicatus

    2. Basidiocarps not black, typically larger, more prominently displayed

        3. Fruitbody with gill-like folds either crimped or split lengthwise; folds whitish, gray or pink-tinged

            4. Folds crimped................................................................................................Plicaturopsis crispa

            4. Folds split lengthwise.............................................................................Schizophyllum commune

        3. Fruitbody with true gills present, neither crimped nor split lengthwise

            5. Spore print white, lilac-gray, pink or yellowish

                6. Spore print white or lilac-gray

                    7. Stipe well-developed (up to 15 cm long, 4 cm thick) and densely coated with
                        coarse white hairs, especially toward base............................................. Lentinus levis

                    7. Stipe absent or much smaller (up to 4 cm long), pubescence not as above

                        8. Cap conspicuously hairy or fuzzy

                            9. Fruiting body small (1-3 cm wide); cap whitish, whitish-gray to
                                brownish; cap semi-circular or kidney-shaped; gills brownish
                                to pale cinnamon; bitter taste......................................................... Panellus stipticus        

                            9. Fruiting body larger (2.5-7.5 cm wide); cap pinkish-tan to reddish
                                -brown or tinged violet, tan with age............................................Panus neostrigosus

                       8. Cap smooth to minutely hairy or scaly, not distinctly hairy or fuzzy

                           10. Cap, stem, and gills violet when young but fading to tan with age
                                 (older specimens will not key out) ............................................Panus conchatus

                           10. Cap, stem, and gills never violet

                                 11. Cap flesh rubbery or tougher in texture due to a
                                       gelatinous layer below the cuticle; caps up to 10 cm
                                       wide, tan to brownish or grayish

                                       12. Cap surface covered by thick, gelatinous, conical
                                             spines or ridges in a net-like pattern...........................Hohenbuehelia mastrucata  

                                       12. Cap surface smooth to minuely hairy.........................Hohenbuehelia petaloides

                                 11. Cap flesh not gelatinous or rubbery; caps may be wider than
                                       10 cm, white to cream to grayish or grayish-brown, sometimes
                                       with lilac tones

                                       13. Growing on conifers, particularly hemlock; cap white, flesh thin
                                             (somewhat translucent); gills white to cream, decurrent; stalk
                                             absent or rudimentary; caps fan to shell-shaped, up to10 cm
                                             wide, shelving.........................................................Pleurocybella porrigens

                                       13. Growing almost always on hardwood logs, stumps, or standing
                                             trees; cap white to cream to grayish or grayish-brown, sometimes
                                             with lilac tones; cap flesh typically thick (> 1 cm); gills white or
                                             grayish-white; decurrent; stalk present or just a thick, stem-like
                                             base present; caps convex to flat to fan-shaped, often growing in
                                             overlapping clusters, up to 20 cm wide..................................Pleurotus spp.

                6. Spore print pink or yellowish

                    14. Spore print pink; cap densely fuzzy, yellowish- orange; gills yellow to orange,
                          odor bad .................................................................................Phyllotopsis nidulans

                    14. Spore print yellowish

                          15. Cap olive-yellow to yellow-brown, surface dry, gills yellowish, forked, often wavy
                                or crimped at least toward base ...................................................Tapinella panuoides

                          15. Cap color a combination of yellow, green, and purple; surface sticky when young,
                                gills yellowish to orangish yellow, not forked or crimped .............Sarcomyxa serotina

            5. Spore print brown......................................................................................Crepidotus spp.