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Dave W

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  • Birthday 05/09/1955

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  1. I think this is Pleurotus, ie. Oyster Mushrooms. Any notable aroma? What type of tree? The small one on top looks like it may be past prime, maybe beginning to decompose.
  2. The tree looks like a birch, similar appearance to the "yellow birch" (Betula alleghaniensis) where I find Chaga here in Pennsylvania, USA. If it's Chaga (Inonotus obliquus canker) then the inside of it will be golden-yellow or bright yellow-orange with white veins running through.
  3. Looks like a species in the Coprinellus micaceus group. It is believed there are two species that most commonly represent this group, C. micaceus and C. truncorum, although it may turn out these two names refer to the same species. The mushrooms in this group begin life with tiny glistening flakes on the caps ("mica" flakes). Rain or other erosion may wash most of all of the flakes off the caps. During humid conditions these mushrooms deliquesce, meaning they dissolve into a black inky substance. But, it the weather is dry, they may just dry out in-situ. "Mica Caps" generally fruit in clustered groups on or near wood (ie. roots, trees, stumps). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprinellus_micaceus Genera Coprinellus and Coprinopsis include some similar-looking species. For the latter, some cause illness if consumed prior, during, or after alcohol is also consumed.
  4. To begin, we need to see undersides.
  5. Looking at photos of "Pom-Pom Mushrooms" --ie. cultivated versions of Hericium, presumably Lion's Mane-- some look a lot like the white blobs pictured in this thread. So, I think the photos seen here are likely Hericium erinaceus. But, why do we not see photos in field guides of such white blobs that lack the long spines? I can think of two possibilities. 1. The white blobs represent a brief button stage of H. erinaceus, immature fruit bodies that have not yet developed the long spines. 2. The cultivated version of H. erinaceus is somehow different from the wild version, maybe a genetic mutation that does not change the genome enough for the DNA data to register at the level of different species? Perhaps what people are finding are fruitings of the cultivated version that have "escaped" into the wild. For many years it was said that the wild mushroom species Flammulina velutipes --with caramel-colored caps and stalks usually dark/velvety on the lower portions-- was the same species as the cultivated Enoki/Enokitake which looks like clusters of pure white bean sprouts with small caps. Even the ITS region of DNA (often called the genetic "barcode" for fungal species) for these two types of mushrooms are the same (or at least close enough to be regarded as the same species). However, data derived from other areas of the genome suggest these two types of mushroom --with vastly different appearances-- are in fact to be regarded as distinct species. The name now proposed for the cultivated Enoki is Flammulina filiformis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammulina_filiformis . Perhaps something similar has happened with Hericium erinaceus?
  6. Almost certainly a species from the Tubaria furfuracea group; common during periods of mild weather in winter. They are found on mulch, wood chips, lawns (probably from buried material), and small forest litter. The caps start out brown but fade to nearly white when they lose moisture. Spore print is yellowish.
  7. Even with a dozen books you will likely find mushrooms not documented in any of the books. You could try creating a post on either Mushroom Observer or iNaturalist. These sites have lots of participants from all over the world. I see the latex (liquid) on the gills is white. Did it change to another color after being exposed to the air? Also, nibble/taste/spit is safe to do with milk mushrooms, in order to asses the taste. This sometimes a useful ID feature for these type mushrooms. Have some water on hand to rinse. Some of these species have an unpleasant hot/bitter/acrid taste.
  8. There are some California Agaricus species than are toxic. I don't know the species ID for the ones seen in this discussion. Agaricus species are many and tricky, many are regionally based. Here's a link to a page that contains a good cross-section of CA Agaricus species. https://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species_index.html#1_2
  9. I don't know the Lactarius/Lactifluus species of CA. But, yours is one of these two genera. Lactifluus is a recent "split-off" genus of Lactarius. One useful ID feature seen is the scrobiculate stem surface, ie. marked by shallow potholes.
  10. Possibly an old waterlogged Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus). More information and/or photos showing additional features would help.
  11. I don't know much about cultivating fungi. I think there's another forum here at WMH devoted to this topic. Regarding the red/scarlet/orange-capped Russula mushrooms... These numerous species are mycorrhizal, meaning the fungi associate with living trees in a symbiotic relationship. At least some Russula species associate with any of a wide variety of types of trees. It is possible that several species of Russula grow in the area you mention, and they may have very similar appearance. Of the brightly-colored Russula species, none are known to be dangerously poisonous. But, some will ruin your meal because of the acrid taste, and probably also make you sick. Russula emetica is one of several species grouped together in a classification called "Russula section Emeticinae." These types are all sickeners. However, even the acrid-tasting sickeners may be rendered edible (for most people) by par-boiling in "three waters" --ie. change the water twice-- prior to preparation as food. My Polish-American grandmother used to do this. Are there any dangerously poisonous Russula species? Yes, but they are not the brightly colored ones. There's a group of dirty-whitish to gray to blackish-capped species with flesh that stains black or red-to-black. These types include species that have very bad reputations. Also, there's a group of smelly yellowish/brownish-capped Russulas that are often slimy/sticky, and these types are also to be avoided as potential edibles. So, what's my opinion of the edibility of Russula? Russula mariae --generally muted wine-red to purplish with a frosty "bloom"-- is an okay edible. R. barlae, an orange/yellow-capped one that bruises brown on the gills and stalk and has a shellfish odor, is very good. R. parvovirescens --the "quilted green Russula"-- is very good when young and firm. (Other species of green-capped Russula --R. aeruginea, R. variata, etc.-- are mediocre at best and often sour-tasting.) R. crustosa --a yellowish one similar to R. parvovirescens-- is very good. R. brunneola and R. brunneoviolacea --dark purplish-brown ones-- are very good. Members of the R. xerampelina group --variously colored, shellfish odor, brown bruising-- are very good. Once summer I decided to try eating R. compacta --cream colored caps with a brownish spray, fishy odor, brown bruising-- which is very common in my area. I ended up getting sick on these. So, what about the bright red/scarlet/orange ones? Aside from R. barlae and reddish versions of R. xerampelina, the vivid-capped ones are mediocre at best. If you want to avoid the acrid/sickener ones, then nibble/taste/spit is essential, and IMO should be done with any given fruit body. Also, I live in PA. I think there's probably quite a bit of overlap among the Russula species found here and those found in FL. But, it's also likely that some FL species are not found in PA.
  12. It would help to see this fruit body in situ, on the tree where it was found. Was the tree black locust? I think this may be Phellinus robiniae. The shape looks like it fits. also, the last photo shows what appears to be a light brown underside. I think this is the pore surface. https://www.mushroomexpert.com/phellinus_robiniae.html
  13. The red, reddish, pink, scarlet, and orange capped Russula species are numerous. Even with more information, a confident ID to species would be unlikely without a fair amount of microscopy. But, there are a few helpful traits that are not difficult to check. Percentage of the cap radius for which the cuticle (skin) peels off the cap. Taste; mild, bitter, acrid, peppery? It's safe to nibble/taste/spit a Russula mushroom. Just have some water on hand to rinse. Spore print color is sometimes useful. Take the print on a white surface, so that any deviation from white may be observed in the print. With a few Russula species odor is notable.
  14. I think at least some of these are a species of Mycena. Seeing a few entire fruit bodies --including the stems and the undersides of the caps-- would help. But, Mycena is a large difficult genus. With a few exceptions, they are difficult to distinguish to species even when lots of details are observable.
  15. More details would be necessary for a confident ID proposal. Seeing an entire harvested fruit body photographed from different perspectives would allow us to assess different features. Also, obtaining a spore print color would be very useful (use both black and white surfaces to collect the print). Some low-confidence guesses follow. Tubaria species, yellowish spore print Galerina species, rusty brown spore print (possibly dangerously poisonous if consumed) Leratiomyces, dark purplish-gray/brown (almost black) spore print Flammulina species, white spore print Pholiota species, brown spore print
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