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Sheephead ?


Gregory

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Hey guys, glad to be here and always had a love for hunting mushrooms and eating them as well. Live in SW PA along the mountain. Was bringing firewood logs down from the top of the mountain and found this mushroom beside an old oak stump. Any opinions on this? I think it's a steelhead after some research. Did eat a piece raw to test it and I'm still kicken :)

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I'm not so sure it actually is Sparassis spathulata. I've been seeing a number of these showing up on the facebook group and they don't really quite match S. spathulata. Take a look at Hydnopolyporus palmatus. https://www.google.com/search?q=hydnopolyporus+palmatus&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS586US586&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=BtwEVLjeBtfDggTgjIGIAg&ved=0CB0QsAQ&biw=1024&bih=499

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Gregory, you never want to take our word for an ID when it comes to eating something you are not sure of. Any time you are trying a new to you mushroom for the first time, you should always just try a very small amount to be certain it is not going to react with you in a negative way. Just because a mushroom is labeled as edible doesn't mean it is good for everyone. Some people have sensitivities that will cause gastronomic upset in some whereas others are just fine. In this case, it is still an unknown for certain and you should not be eating it unless you have had an expert look at it and tell you it is a safe edible. Sparassis mushrooms are safe, but then again, I don't believe this specimen is a Sparassis mushroom.

One other thing, do not eat wild mushrooms raw. There are very few instances where this is an exception to the rule, like with Boletus edulis and some of the Caesar Amanitas. If you want to test a mushroom for taste or bitterness, just put a piece in your mouth and bite between your front teeth, chew it a bit and spit it out. You can do this with any mushroom as long as you don't swallow. It is a good way to help with ID'ing a mushroom you are unfamiliar with. But don't ingest it.

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Wow ladyflyfish! The resemblance between Sparassis and Hydnopolyporus is really striking. I see on Mushroom Observer that Hydnopolyporus has confused a few really notable mushroom IDers.

Sometimes Hydnopolyporus grows on standing dead wood, and may actually cover much of the surface. In this state, one may eliminate the possibility of Sparassis. http://mushroomobserver.org/56748?q=2AeSc

But when it is found as a rounded mass at the base of a tree...?

http://mushroomobserver.org/83725?q=2AeSc

I wonder what characters may be used to separate Sparassis from Hydnopolyporus?

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No problem, I was just asking for an opinion. I do research before I eat and it was tasty indeed. Thank you lady for your help as well. Do you have a picture of a steelhead from NE PA?

Always heard they were good eating but have yet to locate one. I have a forestry of older red oaks and hope to find a few this fall.

Greg

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No problem, I was just asking for an opinion. I do research before I eat and it was tasty indeed. Thank you lady for your help as well. Do you have a picture of a steelhead from NE PA?

Always heard they were good eating but have yet to locate one. I have a forestry of older red oaks and hope to find a few this fall.

Greg

Greg, Steelhead are anadromous fish that are born in fresh water and live their lives in saltwater, to return to fresh water years later to spawn. If you are referring to what people call sheepshead, that is a mushroom known as Maitake or hen of the woods. This is neither of those. Are you wanting a photo of Grifola frondosa? Hen of the woods http://www.mushroomexpert.com/grifola_frondosa.html.

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