Lion's Mane-esque

[brendan]

Found this today growing on what I believe is either a fallen Tulip Poplar or Oak, (Sycamore maybe but I don't think so). There were two about a foot apart. About 3-4" diameter. They felt a lot like a lions mane (squishy and damp) and resemble one but the hallmark hairs/teeth are missing, the surface is almost like someone gave a lion's mane a haircut. We haven't had rain in a few weeks if that helps. I've found lions mane even smaller than these previously that definitely had distinct hairs so I'm pretty much ruling that out. Thanks for any help in advance!

[Howard]

This doesn't appear to be lion's mane. The hairlike teeth would be evident from the start. I attached a photo of a very young Hericium americanum which is commonly called bear's head, as apposed to Hericium erinaceus (lion's mane).

You may have found Tyromyces chioneus, called "white cheese polypore" that hasn't yet shelfed out to bracket shape. Try cutting into it to see if any pore surface is visible.Here is a pic of one that was on the same log as the Hericium above.

[brendan]

Doesn't seem like a bracket type of fungi, in cross section it kinda looks like a puffball, but there seems to be a diminutive stem. Fleshy, not hard at all. 

You know, it almost resembles cultivated lions mane... but agreed not like any I've ever found in the woods, here's one from a few weeks back-

[vitog]

This looks like a very young, white Coral Mushroom.  Notice that the cross-section shows branching that mostly points up.  Hericium species have teeth that point down.  We need to see a more mature specimen to determine the actual species.

[brendan]

Hmm. Any particular varieties that come to mind? It doesn't resemble any coral mushroom I've ever seen, it's not huge but seems large to be a completely undeveloped mushroom? Branching seems more radial from the center, going outward in all directions rather than strictly "upward". Note the "stem" in the cross section was sticking out of the wood horizontally, not vertically. 

[Dig]

Looks similar

[brendan]

Thanks for your help everyone! Darn I was really curious about this one. 

[Dave W]

I don't think brendan's mushroom is Hericium, although maybe it could be a H. erinaceus that has not developed normally. 

Reminds me somewhat of Postia ptychogaster, except this species occurs mainly on coniferous wood and the fruit bodies are fuzzier/fluffier. Maybe some other species of Postia? As has been said, if it matures the form may become more recognizable. 

[brendan]

Thanks Dave, yeah interesting suggestion, there are some photos of postia ptychogaster that definitely resemble it, at least closer than anything else I’ve seen, I’ll look into other postias. Of course there were two of these and I picked them both for identification, (if I only pick one, it will get damaged somehow and if I pick both this happens haha classic) so I’m not sure we will ever know what they may have grown into. I still have them in a bag in the fridge, anything else I could do to test them? Never tried for a spore print I suppose it couldn’t hurt.

[Dave W]

I'm guessing you would need to examine spores at 400x with a microscope in order to get a better idea. Whatever it is, it's probably white-spored. It may be difficult to get spores to fall from this. 

[Amavity]

I have one growing on two trees joined together in my front yard.  Took a sample of one and am growing it on agar.  But that's as far as I can get. If someone else could help identify this I would be very grateful

[Jade Rodriguez]

Mushroom newb here. (Location: NE PA) Recently have come across one I found that looks very similar. Squishy to the touch, does not have distinct hairs so I’m questioning if it is lions mane. Not sure on the tree identification, as I’m starting out but I left it and am curious to see how much it’s grown in the last week with the rain. 

[Dave W]

I've recently (and also within the past few years) seen some observations that are very similar to this (and to the original posted fungus). People are IDing this type thing as Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane). As others have pointed out. The spines on H. erinaceus are typically longer. This would be very interesting to analyze in detail.

Jade, where are you located in NE PA? There's a mushroom club based in Luzerne/Lackawanna Counties. 

[Jade Rodriguez]

Hi Dave! I am in Lehigh/Northampton county. 

I noticed others mentioning Lions Mane as well. 

I went back to see if it had changed any since my last visit and the heavy rain in my area and was unsuccessful in finding it. Maybe next time. Or maybe someone else snagged it to analyze in more detail, who knows lol. 

[Dave W]

I'm still puzzled by these white blobs. If the wood is conifer, then another suggestion that may apply to Jade's is Postia ptychogaster. But, Brendan's observation was reported as occurring on oak or tulip poplar. Some photos of cultivated Hericium erinaceus look different than the (mature) wild version. The shapes of the ones seen in this thread don't seem right for Tyromyces chioneus, which (unlike many other polypores) has soft/squishy flesh. 

Jade, I thought maybe you would be interested in the club here in Luzerne County. But, it looks like you live a bit too far away. 

[Nizar]

I was looking for answers since I’ve never seen foraging guides have lions manes pictured without the teeth but this one did not have them. iNaturalist gave lions mane. The one on the log and the one next to the ruler are different ones from the same log.

 

I’m also located in Memphis

[Dave W]

Looking at photos of "Pom-Pom Mushrooms" --ie. cultivated versions of Hericium, presumably Lion's Mane-- some look a lot like the white blobs pictured in this thread. So, I think the photos seen here are likely Hericium erinaceus. But, why do we not see photos in field guides of such white blobs that lack the long spines? I can think of two possibilities.

1. The white blobs represent a brief button stage of H. erinaceus, immature fruit bodies that have not yet developed the long spines.

2. The cultivated version of H. erinaceus is somehow different from the wild version, maybe a genetic mutation that does not change the genome enough for the DNA data to register at the level of different species? Perhaps what people are finding are fruitings of the cultivated version that have "escaped" into the wild. 

For many years it was said that the wild mushroom species Flammulina velutipes --with caramel-colored caps and stalks usually dark/velvety on the lower portions-- was the same species as the cultivated Enoki/Enokitake which looks like clusters of pure white bean sprouts with small caps. Even the ITS region of DNA (often called the genetic "barcode" for fungal species) for these two types of mushrooms are the same (or at least close enough to be regarded as the same species). However, data derived from other areas of the genome suggest these two types of mushroom --with vastly different appearances-- are in fact to be regarded as distinct species. The name now proposed for the cultivated Enoki is Flammulina filiformis  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammulina_filiformis . Perhaps something similar has happened with Hericium erinaceus? 

[Kevin Hoover]

Dave, 

They look to me to be immature Lions mane.  The ones I grow start out looking very much like that, and are sometimes slightly pinkish too.