McWalter Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 Hello all, mushnoob here! I haven’t really a clue in identifying mushrooms so here we go! (I appreciate any help!) I live in the East Midlands, UK. This weekend (Easter weekend) we have pretty good weather! (Highs of 25 degree C) so I have been making sure the garden has plenty of moisture. Last night I was out watering the plants and I found a small handful of small brown mushrooms growing. I haven taken some photos and will provide as much info as possible! The mushroom appears to be growing out of soil/compost and not off the wood of the tree/plant (sorry I can’t tell what plant/tree as it was left by a friend). The cap of the mushroom is about the size of a 20p coin and the stem is approx. 20mm and is fairly strong but brittle (applied pressure and then the stem snapped) When I picked the mushroom last night it just smelt earthy/mushroomy (typical shop bought mushroom smell) although this morning after inspecting the spore print, the mushroom smelt stronger but I cannot put my finger on what it smells like! (Welcome to the world of a bad sense of smell!) I apologise if I’ve done something daft or missed something obvious out! Please tell me for future posts (as I’m sure more will come!) Thanks guys! Looks forward to hearing from you! Walter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 The mushroom pictured does not show a ring on the stipe, which suggests this type lacks "partial veil". But, it would be useful to examine a few of the young buttons that are barely emerging form the substrate. What you want to check is for evidence of a covering over the young gills. Some types of mushroom have partial veils that form persistent rings. With others, the veil collapses as a "ring zone" on the stipe, or it may be quite ephemeral. Many types of mushrooms completely lack partial veils. My guess is these are a species of Agrocybe. Some of these types have partial veil, others don't. (At least some species of) Agrocybe mushrooms fruit from small underground masses known as sclerotia (singular is sclerotium). Maybe some sclerotia are mixed in with the potted soil? Another possibility is genus Kuehneromyces. These types have partial veils. The description of the stalks as being "fairly strong" seems to rule out genus Psathyrella, which generally have stems that easily break apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McWalter Posted April 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 Good afternoon Dave! Thank you for the in-depth detailed reply, at some point in the next hour or two I will go out and inspect a young one, I will get my camera (opposed to my phone) and get some detailed photos of the smaller, younger ones. I will read up on the mushrooms you have listen to (hopefully) extend my knowledge! Thanks again Dave, be sure to check back in a few hours for the new photos! Walter EDIT So I removed a few smaller ones and here are the photos (the larger one on the right is about the same size as the one I pictured in my previous post and did the spore print with). I have misplaced my macro lens so apologies the quality isn't as expected. Thanks Walter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 Good pics. On the young ones, It's easy to see the rings formed by the partial veils. My best guess is still genus Agrocybe (or perhaps Cyclocybe, a genus recently split off of Agrocybe). The ring looks to be too membranous for Psathyrella. Another genus to consider is Pholiota. I had suggested also Kuehneromyces, although mushrooms from this genus generally grow directly on wood. As I am sure you can see, IDing LBMs (Little Brown Mushrooms), even to genus, can be quite challenging. Often, microscopic analysis is required. With your permission, I could use the photos to make a post on Mushroom Observer, where there's a good chance that someone may better recognize these mushrooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McWalter Posted April 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 I’m glad the photos are good enough! Yes feel free to use my photos and if you need any more information feel free to message me. I really appreciate the input you have given and I will look further into what you have suggested. Top man Dave! Walter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 Let's see if we get any bites https://mushroomobserver.org/364575 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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