Jump to content

Confirming ID polypore (black-staining polypore?)


ghigg403

Recommended Posts

I was walking my dog in my neighborhood here in north-central NC and came across a large polypore about 5 feet from the base of a small tree, growing in grass. I later went back with my field guide but forgot my camera so photographed it when i got home. Underside is light buff color continuing over edge of cup shaped edges about 5mm before turning to brown in the cup. Pores are small enough that I can't see them with my crappy magnifying glass. Smells very fresh, mushroomy. Bruises light brown as can be seen in photos. Black-staining polypore (Meripulus giganteus) is the closest I could find to it but maybe it's not in my field guide. There were a couple other small specimens growing within several feet but this was the largest. About 2 pounds, 10" across. Let me know what you think. Thanks for your help and thanks for letting me join the community.

KIMG0139.JPG

KIMG0140.JPG

KIMG0141.JPG

KIMG0142.JPG

Meripilus sumstinei? Any thoughts. I want to eat it.

Garrett.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was looking at Berkeley's but the pore size seems to be so different you would almost certainly be able to differentiate on this basis alone. The staining wasn't super dark, kind of less than I would have expected from "black-staining" in the name so I'm not sure...

Both are edible, right? I plan to start dehydrating them tomorrow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ha! Yeah, the jerky worked really well while bass fishing out on a lake, but maybe not the best choice to bring to a covered dish party :-)

Young Berkeley's usually doesn't have so many fronds. It tends to start out as a single formless mass and later spreads out into fairly uniformly-shaped semi-circular fronds. The polypore seen here shows dark staining along the margins of the fronds and on the surface of the frond that was cut off. This is probably the result of handling (bruising), and is consistent with the amount/type of darkening expected on a young Meripilus sumstinei, which is what I think this is. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Confirming the identification. I went back to the spot to find 6-10 more sprouts around the infected tree so harvested about another 1.5 pounds and made gravy last night. Using the entire frond rather than slicing the ends yielded about 1/3 of the mushrooms in the gravy un-chewable. The flavor is good though. They will lend themselves to jerky very well with the tough texture. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

Hi, I found in my back yard I think black stained polipore. It looks identical to yours, and stains dark brown. The only thing , that makes me worry is - it is not typical smell of mushrooms I used to.I tried raw flesh a little bit. The taste was good at the beginning, but than It kind of tasted chemical like magic mushroom taste.

Any comments, thoughts?

Everything would be helpful.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Photos?

In general, edible wild mushrooms should not be consumed raw. Also, some edible types acquire a different flavor once they're cooked. Meripilus sumstinei (Black Sating Polypore) is not known for it's pleasing flavor. And, as has already been mentioned, it can be pretty tough/chewy. Not a highly regarded edible. But the jerky --despite the provocative appearance-- was really good. About 35 years ago I tried frying some Meripilus with onions. Seemed soemwhat like beef liver, but flavor was a bit displeasing. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Guidelines | We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.