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Is this cauliflower? Help please


Bellaru

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Posted

I found this against a pine tree. A little smaller than a basket ball. Pinkish orange color with the a smaller section barried under leaves and pine was a yellowish white. Is it edible? Are there any concerning lookalikes? In South Carolina.

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Posted

That's definitely a cauliflower mushroom, probably Sparassis crispa; but I'm not familiar with eastern North American mushrooms. Check MushroomExpert.com for a detailed description of the differences between this species and S. spathulata, the other eastern species. The pink color seems a bit unusual.

Posted

Beautiful Sparassis. Depending on where in the country you live, if you are east coast it is Sparassis crispa.

Posted

Cauliflower, but it should be called Noodles. Or pile of noodles. They sure look more like noodles than cauliflower to me. ...........I made soup out of one I found a month or so ago and it was great. The noodles hold their shape and firmness even after being cooked a long time.

As an aside; A wise mushroom expert told me that Sparassis is one mushroom you want to cut off rather thanpull it free. This can be a bit of s chore if it is a really big one to getinto the stalk, but if you do this it will likely come back next year. Same stump or log! .............I'm new here and wanted to try posting a picture - so excuse me if this turns ugly.

Posted

Great! Thanks everyone for your input and advice. I'm well versed in specie identification but new to mushrooms and fungus. It seems a bit more challenging than things I've studied in the past.

I did read some where about cutting it at the base to help with future growth. And gonna give it a try in some soup and maybe a buttery noodle type recipe. Any other recipes would be appreciated.

Thanks again Matt

Posted

So I went back out and picked it today. Here are a couple more pictures I took when I got home. Very excited about my first foraged mushroom dinner!

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Posted

I believe this is the species Sparassis crispa. Looks like it has been cut off near ground level, through a thick solid portion. This suggests the presence of additional material some of which was likely underground. S. crispa has a large rooting stalk with the underground part a dark color. This species grows near coniferous trees. The pinkish color seems bit unusual. Clearly a species of Sparassis. Nice find! A large specimen in excellent condition.

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