The Ultimate "What is this Fungi?" thread.
- Thread starter Crafty
- Start date
Hi
Went for a walk last week end and came across a few fungi I was hoping the fungus experts out there could help me ID. Have tried looking these up in a reference book and about 99% sure I’ve correctly identified one of them, but the other two im not sure about. The orange caped one was in Birch woodland, the other two in mixed, mostly conifer, some Birch, Willow etc. Not to influence the outcome the point I got confused with was the thickness of the stems for the last two? I know its not an exact science but one is significantly thinner than the other? I'm at the stage when Im thinking of starting to collect edibles from the Boletus family, any words of advice on the bad ones in this family and where they occur, points to look out for etc.
PS: apologies if the photos go wrong, first try
Went for a walk last week end and came across a few fungi I was hoping the fungus experts out there could help me ID. Have tried looking these up in a reference book and about 99% sure I’ve correctly identified one of them, but the other two im not sure about. The orange caped one was in Birch woodland, the other two in mixed, mostly conifer, some Birch, Willow etc. Not to influence the outcome the point I got confused with was the thickness of the stems for the last two? I know its not an exact science but one is significantly thinner than the other? I'm at the stage when Im thinking of starting to collect edibles from the Boletus family, any words of advice on the bad ones in this family and where they occur, points to look out for etc.
PS: apologies if the photos go wrong, first try
1st one looks like Leccinum quercinum
2nd one looks like an old Bay Bolete Xerocomus badius
Working on the 3rd one
As always - if I post that it's edible, assume I'm a raving loon and that everything is deadly, this will likely prevent you being poisoned - never eat anything based on my identification as I'm not a mycologist only a layman with some mushroom guides.
Cheers,
2nd one looks like an old Bay Bolete Xerocomus badius
Working on the 3rd one
As always - if I post that it's edible, assume I'm a raving loon and that everything is deadly, this will likely prevent you being poisoned - never eat anything based on my identification as I'm not a mycologist only a layman with some mushroom guides.
Cheers,
1st one I would say is Leccinum versipelle The Orange Birch Bolete. 2nd looks like either a bay bolete Boletus badius or the red cracking bolete Boletus chrysenteron which are very common although I would expect a more cracked surface as the name suggests - it's hard to tell from the photos though. 3rd looks like the bay bolete. Hope that helps.
Been out and about again today, found some more mystery fungi.
Went cover-to-cover in Collins mushroom guide and checked Roger's mushrooms. Can't get the ID even close.
Found on that moss-covered stump, dead at a guess!
Just can't match the strong brown colour with the smooth underside.
Also on the same stump...
(ps I've got the pictures working this time!!)
Cheers all
Jay
Went cover-to-cover in Collins mushroom guide and checked Roger's mushrooms. Can't get the ID even close.
Found on that moss-covered stump, dead at a guess!
Just can't match the strong brown colour with the smooth underside.
Also on the same stump...
(ps I've got the pictures working this time!!)
Cheers all
Jay
Hi Lordyosch, the top one is Polyporus badius if you look in Roger's book the picture isn't that clear (well to me anyway) but if you do an image search in google for it then you'll see much more similar pictures. The bottom picture I can't quite tell, have you got anymore pictures of it? Hope this helps,
Motz.
P.S actually just a thought the bottom picture could probably be just older specimens of P. badius??
Motz.
P.S actually just a thought the bottom picture could probably be just older specimens of P. badius??
These wee brown guys are really tough at the best of times to be honest so not even able to venture a guess really I'm afraid.
Ones like that i tend to overlook as I am interested more in eating them than the id side of things.
Good luck. If you are really keen, do a spore print and that should at least rule out a good chunk of possibilities...
Ones like that i tend to overlook as I am interested more in eating them than the id side of things.
Good luck. If you are really keen, do a spore print and that should at least rule out a good chunk of possibilities...
It's probably a conocybe, but the picture isn't good enough even to be sure of that, let alone what species it is.
Were they growing near conifers (esp. spruce)? Do they smell a bit like radish/iodoform? I think these are Cortinarius (Telamonia) armeniacus. Very rare.
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I've looked online and my best match I can find for this is the edbile chicken-of-the-woods. The sources I've found suggest there are no poisonous types that look like chicken-of-the-woods, making it a safe to eat mushroom.
Is anyone able to confirm this, or suggest what I should be looking for to confirm?
FYI - That is the stump of a tree it is growing on, so it is in the right place!
I've looked online and my best match I can find for this is the edbile chicken-of-the-woods. The sources I've found suggest there are no poisonous types that look like chicken-of-the-woods, making it a safe to eat mushroom.
Are you completely insane? You find something that looks a bit like something edible, can't find anything like it that looks poisonous so you conclude it is safe to eat? :yikes:
NO, it isn't chicken of the woods. It is Giant Polypore (Meripus giganteus) which is inedible because it is far too bitter. Luckily for you, it isn't actually poisonous, but if you are still at the stage where you don't know the difference between these two species then UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you conclude anything is safe to eat unless you 100% *KNOW* what it is.
Hence why I asked on here before actually touching it.
Is there any chance anyone could point me to some sources to help me recognise the differences? I noted the porpus underbelly, the ringed pattern on top and yellow colour with cream underbelly, plus the growing location; oak. I'm guessing I missed something obvious?
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Bunny
OK. You're not crazy.
You'll know chicken of the woods if/when you find it because (a) it is a vivid orange/yellow colour, not a dull grey-brown and (b) it really does smell just like chicken, and giant polypore doesn't.
Geoff
Hence why I asked on here before actually touching it.
OK. You're not crazy.
You'll know chicken of the woods if/when you find it because (a) it is a vivid orange/yellow colour, not a dull grey-brown and (b) it really does smell just like chicken, and giant polypore doesn't.
Geoff
Ah, fair enough. I can see what you mean, now. Thank you for giving me sensible advice; I'd hate to do something stupid. My plan for now is to just identify mushrooms; even if I identify something as edible, I don't plan on actually testing that until I've had a lot more practice!
Bunny,
There's a few you really can't get wrong. You cannot confuse a penny bun with anything poisonous unless you are both completely colour blind and very stupid. You can't get shaggy inkcaps wrong. You can't get giant puffballs wrong. You can't get beefsteak fungus wrong. I would have normally said you can't get COTW wrong, but clearly you can (although you were correct to believe that what you'd found wasn't poisonous).
I teach people to forage in Sussex, if you're interested. Still some weekdays free this year...
Geoff
thsi was bursting out of the tarmac outside the local post office approx 12" across
(why cant you take a decent photo on a Phone )
(why cant you take a decent photo on a Phone )
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