The Ultimate "What is this Fungi?" thread.

[Geoff Dann]

Hi Emdiesse

1. [Edited to change to: not sure]
2. Yes.
3. Oyster mushroom.
4. Not sure.
5. Looks like a Panaeoulus, but these usually grow in grass.
6. Looks like a Wood Blewit, not certain from that photo.
7. Stump puffball.
8. Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea)
9. Oyster.

Geoff

 

[Emdiesse]

Thanks for the reply. My girlfriend said the 3rd looked like an oyster mushroom! I'd like to be able to start to recognise oyster mushrooms when I see them (I hear that it's the easiest to get to grips with) but to me the 3rd and the 9th look so different. How can I be sure when I see what I suspect to be an oyster mushroom that it is definitely an oyster mushroom, what do I look for/at? Are there any other similar species?

 

[Geoff Dann]

Thanks for the reply. My girlfriend said the 3rd looked like an oyster mushroom! I'd like to be able to start to recognise oyster mushrooms when I see them (I hear that it's the easiest to get to grips with)

Then I'd check back the last few pages of this thread if I were you....

but to me the 3rd and the 9th look so different. How can I be sure when I see what I suspect to be an oyster mushroom that it is definitely an oyster mushroom, what do I look for/at? Are there any other similar species?

There's several species of oyster mushroom (genus Pleurotus) in the UK, which are not always easy to tell apart, but all of which are edible. It's pretty hard to mistake them for anything seriously poisonous....apart from those Angel's Wings (see a few pages back, long story....)

Oyster mushrooms are one of many species of fungi that just happen to be very variable by nature, and for that reason they can't qualify amongst the easiest to identify.

 

[Emdiesse]

Then I'd check back the last few pages of this thread if I were you....



There's several species of oyster mushroom (genus Pleurotus) in the UK, which are not always easy to tell apart, but all of which are edible. It's pretty hard to mistake them for anything seriously poisonous....apart from those Angel's Wings (see a few pages back, long story....)

Oyster mushrooms are one of many species of fungi that just happen to be very variable by nature, and for that reason they can't qualify amongst the easiest to identify.

Thanks for the info, following on from this I discovered this report which, amongst many other poisonings, discusses the Angel Wing poisonings in Japan.
http://web.archive.org/web/20080704075615/http://www.sph.umich.edu/~kwcee/mpcr/2004Case.htm

Although I already had it in my mind that I would like to attend some mushroom foraging courses this has really pointed out just how important it is that you can be >120% certain of any single mushrooms identification before you even consider your options with it, especially eating it. Scary stuff. I feel even if you can be >120% sure of a fungus' identity maybe you should always keep a small sample slice of the mushroom just in case (There seemed to be even cases of other mushrooms known to be edible causing poisoning (contamination? or freaks of nature?))

 

[Geoff Dann]

Although I already had it in my mind that I would like to attend some mushroom foraging courses

I run courses in Sussex. I'll have new webpage sorted out in the coming days and will post a link in this thread.

 

[Emdiesse]

I run courses in Sussex. I'll have new webpage sorted out in the coming days and will post a link in this thread.

Sounds good to me, A little google and I have found some information about this however I will patiently await the arrival of your new webpage.

Cheers

 

[Geoff Dann]

Sounds good to me, A little google and I have found some information about this however I will patiently await the arrival of your new webpage.

Cheers

Still a couple of pictures not working as I type this, should be fixed shortly.

Geoff's partially-complete non-profit-making guide to edible fungi in Sussex:

http://www.wibberley.org/fungiforaging/fungiindex.htm

 

[Harvestman]

Thanks for that link Geoff, that's a really informative site even if it isn't finished. Great work.

 

[Emdiesse]

Still a couple of pictures not working as I type this, should be fixed shortly.

Geoff's partially-complete non-profit-making guide to edible fungi in Sussex:

http://www.wibberley.org/fungiforaging/fungiindex.htm

Thanks for the link, also I am very interested in your mushroom foraging sessions. I believe I will have a few friends who would be interested as well and so I will discuss this with them.

One final note, I love the bottom picture on the fungi foraging website, so many mushrooms! Only one I can recognise however is the Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria); which I guess shows my level of skill ...

 

[Geoff Dann]

Thanks for the link, also I am very interested in your mushroom foraging sessions. I believe I will have a few friends who would be interested as well and so I will discuss this with them.

OK. You've got my contact details.

One final note, I love the bottom picture on the fungi foraging website, so many mushrooms! Only one I can recognise however is the Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria); which I guess shows my level of skill ...

Most of the rest of them are puffballs, with a few little boletes, some white Inocybes, some pink Mycena rosea and a few other bits and pieces too. I've been to that exactly the same location in the past and found it carpetted with false saffron milkcaps.

 

[resnikov]

Was out for a walk today and saw these.

And also

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

 

[xylaria]

Bottom one jelly ear, top one looks like it is/ was a called clitocybe geotropa, trooping funnel but the latin name has probably changed.

 

[mercurykev]

I was out for a lovely walk this afternoon and came across these bad boys:

The cameras hasn't quite been able to capture the vivid violet colour and although they have been photographed on a bed of deciduous leaves, they were found growing deep in a spruce plantation on pine needles. Not quite sure what they are but I've narrowed it down to some form of webcap - Cortinarius terpsichores?

 

[Geoff Dann]

I was out for a lovely walk this afternoon and came across these bad boys:

The cameras hasn't quite been able to capture the vivid violet colour and although they have been photographed on a bed of deciduous leaves, they were found growing deep in a spruce plantation on pine needles. Not quite sure what they are but I've narrowed it down to some form of webcap - Cortinarius terpsichores?

Hi Kev,

Trying to identify cortinarius specimens to species from a picture is something most of the experts won't even try to do in most cases. However...this does look like sub-genus phlegmacium, so you're on the right page, but I think it is more likely to be C. purpurascens (which is the next entry in Phillips).

Geoff

 

[Rich_]

Jews ear fungi, can be eaten but has to be cut up or i hear it explodes..?

 

[mercurykev]

Hi Kev,

Trying to identify cortinarius specimens to species from a picture is something most of the experts won't even try to do in most cases. However...this does look like sub-genus phlegmacium, so you're on the right page, but I think it is more likely to be C. purpurascens (which is the next entry in Phillips).

Geoff

Thanks, purpurascens was one of the others that I thought it could be - the photo in Phillips of the gills looked very similar. It didn't occur to me to cut it to see if it discoloured but I'll remember that as a test for the next time.

 

[Geoff Dann]

Jews ear fungi, can be eaten but has to be cut up or i hear it explodes..?

Cutting it up just leads to smaller explosions. It is still likely to end up on your kitchen wall.

I cook it by holding the pieces down in the frying pan with a metal spatula.

 

[Emdiesse]

Cutting it up just leads to smaller explosions. It is still likely to end up on your kitchen wall.

I cook it by holding the pieces down in the frying pan with a metal spatula.

I have eaten Cloud Ear fungi in a Korean noodle soup dish before but not Jews Ear... although I thought it was Jews Ear whilst eating it. When looking online I see they are both different fungi, but they look very much the same to me. What are the differences? Or is one found in Asia and the other in Europe but with just different names?

Thanks.

 

[Geoff Dann]

I have eaten Cloud Ear fungi in a Korean noodle soup dish before but not Jews Ear... although I thought it was Jews Ear whilst eating it. When looking online I see they are both different fungi, but they look very much the same to me. What are the differences? Or is one found in Asia and the other in Europe but with just different names?

Thanks.

Close relatives, different ranges and growing habitats.

 

[Rich_]

Cutting it up just leads to smaller explosions. It is still likely to end up on your kitchen wall.

I cook it by holding the pieces down in the frying pan with a metal spatula.

I slice mine very thinly and boil which works for me