gypsie

[gypsie]

Greetings,

Found these in an old wood chip pile.  Are they edible?  Thanks.

[Dave W]

Of the thousands of fungal species that produce mushrooms, some types are edible, some will cause illness if eaten, some contain lethal toxins, and most are considered to be inedible due to undesirable taste or texture. The ones seen here are likely a species that I don't see here in Pennsylvania. There's quite a bit of difference between the fungi of temperate versus tropical/subtropical regions. Do not consume any mushrooms that have not been confidently IDed.

An idea about these? First, mushrooms that are harvested for the purpose of discussing ID should be completely extracted from the substrate so that all features are observable, including the bases of the stalks. The photo does show the undersides, which is useful. However, the resolution is not sharp enough to assess one important feature, "gill attachment." This refers to whether or not the gills reach and attach to the stalks. Do any of these mushrooms show a deposit that forms a ring on the stalk? Equivalently, Is there a young/unexpanded one that has a covering over the gills (partial veil)?  It looks like these may have partial veils, but I can't quite tell from the photo.  Another feature that is useful is knowing the spore print color. Cut the stalk off one mushroom and lie the cap gills facing downward on one of the following... each of black and white non-absorbent surfaces; clear flat piece of glass; piece of aluminum foil. If the mushroom is mature but not too old/dry then after 10-24 hours you should be able to see the spore drop on the surface(s). 

[gypsie]

A friend ate one and is still kicking, so i'm guessing they're not toxic, but i'll hold off on stir frying and consuming until definitively id'ed.  They seem to be prolific here in hawaii.  Thank you.

[Dave W]

Do you have a proposal for the identity of these mushrooms? Scientific classification? Common name? 

Eating mushrooms that have not been properly identified is like playing Russian roulette. One difference is that a big-time loser does not die immediately from a bullet to the head. Instead, the "prize" is a slow painful death by organ deterioration. Other less significant undesirable possibilities... puking, diarrhea, dehydration, a visit to the ER, ruining an otherwise tasty meal by incorporating a nauseating ingredient. In some cases a genus includes both edible and toxic species. Some types of mushrooms are edible for some people but cause others to become ill. 

It would be interesting to try to arrive at an ID proposal for the mushrooms seen in the original photo, even if it's only narrowed down to genus. Why not follow my previous advice? Carefully harvest a few entire fruit bodies and record notable observable traits (including any odor). Obtain a spore print and note the color. Actually, this is often just the beginning of one's attempt to arrive at an ID. Beyond these recommendations comes using a microscope. Okay, it's not always this complicated. Some types of mushrooms are more difficult to pin down than others.

[troutddicted]

21 hours ago, gypsie said:

A friend ate one and is still kicking, so i'm guessing they're not toxic, but i'll hold off on stir frying and consuming until definitively id'ed.  They seem to be prolific here in hawaii.  Thank you.

This is how people die - eating unidentified mushrooms.  Never do that again - tell your friend, spread the news.