It's a mystery!

[1shotwade]

I don't have a clue what this is!I just mowed here last week and found this today. It is about a foot across and far beyond good by now even if it were eatable.It's "mushy" and full of bugs already.

The other pix is of the same type fungi located a couple feet away,only younger.It is about 2" across.Both are growing off the root system of a sweet gum that finally died this year.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Wade

[Dave W]

The gills in the first photo look to be kinda dark. Otherwise, Armillaria tabescens looks like a possibility. Wade, are you certain the one in the second photo is the same species? This one looks like the stalk attaches laterally to the cap. This reminds me of Lentinellus cochleatus. The mushrooms in the first photo also look somewhat like L. cochleatus, except the gill edges look to be even, and L. cochleatus should have jagged/serrated gill edges.

[1shotwade]

I think you nailed it on the first try Dave!Everything I have been able to find looks to be Armillaria tabescens. I'm convinced these are both the same. They are 18" apart on a direct line to the tree as if connected to the same decaying root.I was shocked to see how much the "young" cluster had degraded since I snapped the first photo just 6-7 hours ago.

No jagged gills on either cluster and yes,the stem fooled me by my first incounter but it is centered on them. The ones I had looked at appeared that the stem was offset so I must have just picked one that had been damaged.

Here's a couple pix that might help.One is of each cluster ane one is of the "young" along side larger ones from the "old".They are in pretty bad shape.and by how fast they seem to go down hill,I think you'd have to collect them on the first or second day they were up.I didn't try to "spore print" Because of the shape they are in but I will watch them the next couple days to hopefully find "white " released spore to confirm their identity.

Thanks again.

Wade

[Dave W]

I agree that trying to spore print these would likely be a wasted effort. Pretty surprising how quickly these have reached a post-mature state. Hopefully, you get to see some nice fresh ones.