Pyza Posted May 16, 2019 Report Share Posted May 16, 2019 I found a patch of these, in a area where there was a lot of fallen tree and semi long grass / sandy soil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted May 16, 2019 Report Share Posted May 16, 2019 I think these may be the European species Calocybe gambosa. I have never seen this type mushroom first-hand. The species does not occur in North America. So, my confidence here is not very high. Spore print color could be helpful. Best to not cut off the stipe base when harvesting for the purpose of identification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyza Posted May 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2019 Hey Dave thanks for the possible ID and tips. It’s a whole new world for me. Doing a spore print now, based on Wikipedia it suggests you are right. It doesn’t have the smell or colour attributes of the look alikes, if correct it’s also called the St.Georges mushroom. A tasty meal they say. The reference photo looks bang on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyza Posted May 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2019 Spore print from one of them yesterday I see a hint of pink, or am I biased. Trying to find reasons why it’s not Calocybe gambosa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted May 17, 2019 Report Share Posted May 17, 2019 That's what I would do if trying to ID an alleged edible species for the first time... play "devil's advocate" and look for a reason why I might be incorrect. As for the spore print color. If you think it may be other than white, then collect a print on a non-absorbent white surface. Any deviation from pure white may be detected as contrasting with the white background. Interpreting color in a photo can be tricky, but this print looks white to me. The pale spore print (white/nearly white) does eliminate some major concerns... Entoloma has deep salmon pink print (much darker than this), Inocybe and Hebeloma have light brown prints. Lepista species have pale fleshy-pink prints, but to my knowledge there are no toxic Lepista species. The main concern here would be white-spored mushrooms... genus Tricholoma (mainly late season mushrooms in my area), Clitocybe (more likely in summer/fall, some of the small ones are toxic), and Leucopaxillus (bitter flesh). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyza Posted May 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2019 Hey Dave thanks again, I’m doing a print on a white laminated paper see what it holds. I researched the other probabilities and the main feature I’m not seeing is the depressed center on cap. I looked up Lepista personata and it closes like a close by second beside the colour in the stems separating the two - otherwise both are tasty. leucopaxillus I noticed the gills merged into the stem smoother where mine defiantly look emarginate. I’ll do a small test bite to see if I get the sweats that clitocybe give - I’m within a 90% degree of confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted May 17, 2019 Report Share Posted May 17, 2019 Just saw this on Mushroom Observer https://mushroomobserver.org/366759?q=n9yM . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyza Posted May 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 Did the taster waited 30 mins and no sweats or I’ll affects. When cut you really smell 🥒 cucumber. Spore print showed up white against white laminate. Tasty mushroom, cooked with olive oil, spring onion, eggs and homemade sourdough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 This has been a really excellent thread. We discussed identification information, compared with possible alternate IDs, eliminated some of the most troubling ones, and the collector/possessor of the mushrooms made the ultimate decision about the ID/edibility. This is the way such discussions should play out. My responsibility --as I see it-- is to proceed very cautiously, playing "devil's advocate" throughout the discussion. Unless it is completely obvious to me that a certain mushroom under consideration represents an edible type, I will refrain from recommending consumption. However, if the person holding the mushroom is willing to do the work and accept responsibility for ultimately making such a decision, then sometimes we end up with a happy result like we have here (and also always avoid a sad result). Also, good decision to include a modest portion of this mushroom as part of meal. Especially when trying a presumably edible mushroom for the first time, it's good policy to go easy on the amount. Some people are allergic to types of food that others consume without any negative consequence. Even with notably edible fungi moderation is recommended. Fungal material is not the easiest to digest. This is the way I generally consume mushrooms, as one component of a tasty meal of perhaps as a flavor-enhancer for another component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyza Posted May 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 Hi Dave, Thanks so much again for your insights, it was really good to get deep into the identification of the mushroom at hand. I think it's also good to weight your risks as to know what the possible look alike may do to you. I saw in this case that it was mild discomfort for the most part - no immediate deaths. So that weight in with the work you helped me to figure out with this mushroom was enough to give it ago. Smell was a big one, when cut it does smell like cucumbers yet the look alikes also smell foul - I never thought of the concept to smell a mushroom! I thought we didn't have enough for a big meal for my wife and I so I bought some store bought oyster mushrooms that almost looked identical when chopped and cooked. Looking forward to some more positive I.ding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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