Some guides advise using a moisture-resistant enclosure, like a glass or jar, to contain the mushroom during printing.If the mushroom is to be preserved, a small hole can be made in the spore print paper rather than cutting the stipe.Spore prints are usually white to cream, black, or shades of red, purple, or brown.[7] Historically the classification of many families of fungi were based on spore colour, a feature first systematically emphasized by Swedish mycologist Elias Fries.However recent molecular research has shown some strange relationships, with some fungi of disparate spore colours showing close relations.
Making a spore print of the mushroom
Volvariella volvacea
shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing warm orange ("tussock") color spore print. A 3.5-centimeter glass slide placed in middle allows for examination of spore characteristics under a microscope.
A printable chart to make a spore print and start identification
