TN mystery yard shroom- Hohenbuehelia petaloides?

[Bloodfly]

Hello mushroom people! 🍄

First post on here- my little brother found a mushroom today and we're hoping figure out what it is. It isn't one I'm already familiar with (I'm a complete fungi novice haha), so I poked around and thought I'd ask some experts on here!

Location is middle TN. Environment is a clear grassy lawn, with the shroom cluster sprouting from where an old Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) stump was ground down a few years back. Several other little brown mushrooms were nearby as well. 

 

 

The mushroom grew in a single cluster, and the whole body was about a foot & a half across. The caps were soft and spongy, with a pleasantly silky feel to the tops. No obvious scales/ hairs present. The surface had a glossy, almost metallic sheen in the sunlight. Color was a warm beige on top, and a paler cream underneath.

 

 

Individual shroom (the rightmost one in first photo) measured about 5 inches in length, 4 1/2 inches in width, and 2 1/2 inches in height.

 

 

When cut, the texture was solid but soft, and it gave off a somewhat pungent earthy/ fishy smell. We're waiting on a spore print now, so hopefully we can check that off tomorrow as well.  EDIT: spore print came back an off-white/ cream color.

My brother looked through his books/ iNat and we think this might be a Shoehorn Oyster mushroom (maybe Hohenbuehelia petaloides?). That seems plausible to me, but I'm no mycologist! Anybody got any thoughts/ ideas? 🍁 (Also, is this thing edible? He keeps asking me that one, so I figured I'd ask around for more opinions before he gives himself liver failure or something.)

Edited May 2, 2021 by Bloodfly
added spore print color

[Dave W]

The growth habit of H. petaloides is pretty much like what is seen here; appearing terrestrial but growing on wood/debris. But, the ones seen here actually look more like Pleurotus to me (true Oyster Mushrooms). The gills are broader and more widely spaced than is typically seen on Hohenbuehelia. Growth habit that appears to be terrestrial is unusual for Pleurotus, but I have seen this a few times. A tricky one, on account of the possibility of an usual Pleurotus fruiting. This is an example of an ID best settled with a microscope. H. petaloides has large distinctive cystidia on the gills. The spores are similar to those of Pleurotus, but shaped a bit differently.