White mushroom with pink gills - Confirm ID please

[Matt Weir]

Hello,

I found this fella today on the allotment and as far as I can tell it looks to be a common Field Mushroom Agaricus campestris. I am in the process of taking a spore print so I'll post details on that later.

Thanks.

 

[Matt Weir]

No takers for this?

[SULK MODE]

I even found the macro wotsit on me camera to get a nice piccie

[/SULK MODE]

 

[dave k]

Hi,
I'd go with field mushroom. Giveaway is the pink gills. should smell failtly mushroomy (surprisingly!!).

 

[Matt Weir]

Cheers Dave,

It did indeed smell nice and mushroomy. I ID'd it using Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Great Britain and Europe by Roger Phillips.

Forgot to check the spore print so I'll do that tonight.

 

[dave k]

I always carry at least 2 books, to be on the safe side. If there is a mushroom I'm identifying for the first time it is always a help to cross-reference, as sometimes the pictures and description can vary.

I tend to find a lot of these field mushroom's (only little ones, 1-2 " across) on pathway's in the new forest.

 

[Matt Weir]

I always carry at least 2 books, to be on the safe side. If there is a mushroom I'm identifying for the first time it is always a help to cross-reference, as sometimes the pictures and description can vary.

I tend to find a lot of these field mushroom's (only little ones, 1-2 " across) on pathway's in the new forest.

Indeed, I am expecting delivery of HFW mushroom book any day now (postal strikes and backlog allowing) to accompany my huge Roger Phillips 'field' guide

 

[gregorach]

Yep, that's a common Field Mushroom, no doubt about it.

 

[xylaria]

Argaricus bitorquis I'd say only because the ring looks a bit doubled up and the bruising colour. It looks a little young to get a spore print out of, but I agree with you that it looks like it is agaricius spp. You saw the colour the yellow stainers go as long as you avoid those you will be fine.

 

[Matt Weir]

Thanks Dunc & Fi.

Are there any other common fungi that look like this but should be avoided for the pot? Obviously apart from the yellow stainer

 

[dave k]

I belive anything with white flesh and white gills is a no-no. Older field mushroom's can change from pink-gilled to a sort of brown, much like the ones you get in the supermarket.

 

[gregorach]

Are there any other common fungi that look like this but should be avoided for the pot?

Yes - anything that you don't know for certain is safe. Always err on the side of caution.

 

[Matt Weir]

Yes - anything that you don't know for certain is safe. Always err on the side of caution.

I know, that's very true Dunc Please don't have visions of me running with gay abandon through the countryside with a 'WORLDS BEST MYCOLOGIST' T-shirt on snaffling any white 'shroom in my path

 

[gregorach]

S.orry, should've thrown a could of smileys in there...

Like Dave says, white flesh and gills is often a bad sign - especially when combined with a ring and a bulbous, sack-like volva. These are diagnostic of the amanita family, which contains all the really nasty ones you're likely to find in Britain. I'd also stay away from Little Brown Mushrooms (LBMs) as a point of principle - they're just not worth messing with.

Personally, I'm pretty conservative when it comes to 'shrooms. I'll take field mushrooms, parasols, boletes, chanterelles, and a couple of brackets - oysters or beefstakes. Jew's ear at a push (they just never look appetizing to me), shaggy ink caps if they're just right. I'd take morels if I could find any. Anything else I'm suspicious of. I know there are some good russulas, but there are too many different ones for me to be confident about them.

 

[Matt Weir]

S.orry, should've thrown a could of smileys in there...

LOL no worries Dunc, I took it with the intended humour.

Like Dave says, white flesh and gills is often a bad sign - especially when combined with a ring and a bulbous, sack-like volva. These are diagnostic of the amanita family, which contains all the really nasty ones you're likely to find in Britain. I'd also stay away from Little Brown Mushrooms (LBMs) as a point of principle - they're just not worth messing with.

That was basically what I learned from Xylaria's walk at the summer Moot (that plus leave the yellow stainers but the wee purple Amethyst Deceivers are good).

Personally, I'm pretty conservative when it comes to 'shrooms. I'll take field mushrooms, parasols, boletes, chanterelles, and a couple of brackets - oysters or beefstakes. Jew's ear at a push (they just never look appetizing to me), shaggy ink caps if they're just right. I'd take morels if I could find any. Anything else I'm suspicious of. I know there are some good russulas, but there are too many different ones for me to be confident about them.

I think I'll be following in your footsteps here but I clearly have some catching up to do

 

[xylaria]

Matt you have seen a death cap, the white mushroom with with white flesh that is to be avoided you have held one of them in your hands. Amantia virosa is very simmerlar. What makes a amanita an amanita is the bag at the base, in the toxic species the bag is quite obvious. There are pink gilled fungi Pluteus, entoloma, nolanea. Some entolomas are toxic, but none of them have a ring and they tend to be tall in habit.

The picture shows no sign what so ever of a volva, and has a very clear ring. Don't eat anything you are not sure of. I tend to pick a fungi, learn to ID it, and then harvest for the pot next time I see it.

 

[Matt Weir]

Matt you have seen a death cap, the white mushroom with with white flesh that is to be avoided you have held one of them in your hands. Amantia virosa is very simmerlar. What makes a amanita an amanita is the bag at the base, in the toxic species the bag is quite obvious. There are pink gilled fungi Pluteus, entoloma, nolanea. Some entolomas are toxic, but none of them have a ring and they tend to be tall in habit.

The picture shows no sign what so ever of a volva, and has a very clear ring. Don't eat anything you are not sure of. I tend to pick a fungi, learn to ID it, and then harvest for the pot next time I see it.

Aiye, the deathcaps were up the banking at the back south end of the site weren't they? I know that many of the white gilled amanitas are bad news.

I am now confident with the field mushroom at the age it was when I found it so hope I'll find more and let them grow to maturity so I can ID them at all stages.

 

[bushcraftbob]

I found exactly the same mushroom on sunday. It was situated on its own in woodland, which made me think it was not a field mushroom, despite looking exactly like it. Decided not to fry it up, as per the saying "if in doubt leave gilled funghi out". But will know to eat it next time, cheers