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Which Pleurotus is this? - Oregon Willamette Valley


Jeremy G

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Normally, I pick pearl and Pleurotus Pulmonarius in the backyard growing on dead alder trunks.

But today I found this guy...much darker than I normally see...albeit its also much later in the fall than I normally see them. We've had some mild wetter weather as of late...but normally they are more pearl / Pleurotus ostreatus  in color.

Thoughts on what Pleurotus variety this might be?

 

-J

 

 

 

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These look like Fall Oysters, Panellus serotinus, an edible but mediocre-tasting mushroom that is pretty common in the Pacific Northwest.  Some people like them, but I only tried them once and didn't like the flavor.

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I think Sarcomyxa serotina (aka. Panellus serotinus; Late Fall Oyster) is a good possibility. On a few of the ones pictured I see a trait that points in this direction. Third photo down, upper right, there appears to be a more-or-less bald "pseudostem". That is, a stubby stem-like attachment to the wood that does not have the gills running all the way down. Another way to explain... the gills terminate abruptly, rather than tapering gradually down the pseudostem. This is something often seen with Sarcomyxa. With species of Pleurotus the gills either run all the way down the pseudostem (when present) or they taper gradually and phase-out close to the where the mushroom attaches to the wood. 

On the other hand, the gills seen here are whiter than I'm used to seeing on Sarcomyxa. The gray cap color fits either Sarcomyxa or Pleurotus (late-occurring P. ostreatus often has dark caps). One thing you can do is evaluate the thickness/texture of the flesh. Sarcomyxa tends to have thinner more rubbery flesh than Pleurotus ostreatus. 

To really be sure of the ID a microscope would seal the deal. Viewed at 400x, the spores of Pleurotus are much longer and wider than the short very thin spores of Sarcomyxa. 

My experience with eating Sarcomyxa is that it's okay; not as good as Pleurotus. Reports of bitterness may be because... 1. differences due to type of wood; 2. age of fruit bodies; 3. variability among people's sensitivity to bitterness. I find Sarcomyxa to be a decent addition to an Asian-style stir-fry that features other more flavorful ingredients... veggies, pork/shrimp, sauces, spices. The Sarcomyxa adds texture. 

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Hi Dave. Thanks for the additional info.

You are right on the 'pseudostem', all of them have that little bald area.

They all seem to be fairly rubbery in texture too. I took a little bite to chew and spit out to see if it was bitter or not...but I don't taste any bitterness. Fairly mild taste to me...

-J

 

 

stem.jpg

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I'd say Sarcomyxa serotina, although maybe more robust and darker-capped than I'm used to seeing here in PA. Mushroom Expert says this species is "all but absent where temperatures are warm year round." This suggests that Portland, OR may be an unusual place to find it. Has there been a recent spell of chilly weather? It would be interesting to see what the spores look like. 

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Dave, chilly is all a matter of perspective as you East coast folks know 😀

Its 41F now with a low tonight of 32 in our area. We've had a stretch of 30-40 degree weather. This last week we got a warm spell at 60 with heavy rain because of this crazy weather from the South...but we are back to lows in the 30's and highs in the mid-40's to low 50's for the next few days.

So not sure how we define 'warm weather' or 'cold weather' for this particular specie.

-J

 

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