On Dec 20 we saw a number of these large mushrooms growing at UBC under a large cherry tree on northwest Marine Drive just west of the Liu Institute & the path to the Nitobe Gardens. When I noticed them it was still light, but by the time our concert was over it was too dark to get a picture in situ. I took one home for closer examination, but was unable to find it in any of my mushroom guides. The mushrooms were a bit old and fragile, but still in pretty good shape when I photographed them the next day. They were quite large; I'd estimate 6" to 8" across, with a fairly long central stem and a wide funnel shaped cap with undulating edges that gave a lobed impression. The cap and stem colour was tan and the gills were greyish beige. The spore print was white or very pale cream. See attached photos.
Because of the size and the lateness of the season (and the stem base), my first reaction is Leucopaxillus, though it could be a Clitocybe. When you held the stem, did it feel very firm/tough/solid or did it feel hollow, brittle or bendy? Since the critters may have got at it by this point, this might not be the best character, but if you recall please do let me know. If it is a Leucopaxillus, my next step would be smell and taste (note - always spit out mushrooms after tasting). cheers! frog
The lobed effect did make me think of Clitocybe, but the colours were wrong for anything I found. Both Clitocybe and Leucopaxillus are described as having crowded gills, which I didn't feel these were. The stem was not very firm, more bendy I'd say. The cap had a tendency to break apart easily, but the stem stayed intact the whole time, so it wasn't brittle. I never thought to cut it in half, to see if it was hollow, though since it wasn't young it could have been hollowed out by insects. As you can see in the last photo the stalk made an S curve at the bottom but was not thicker at the base. I didn't taste it, but the smell was very pleasant. I thought perhaps a bit reminiscent of blewits, but milder and much less fruity. Since I haven't had blewits for many, many years I'm not sure that impression is worth much.
It can be very difficult to identify an older specimen at this time of year. We have had rain almost every day of December so far, and mushrooms that have been around for a while are swollen with water, with their true colors (and odors) washed out to some extent. Looking at the spores with a microscope is probably the only way to get a reasonably accurate identification.
Agreed, I think we may be out of luck on an ID unless some fresh specimens come up ... which is possible, I've noticed the oddest things suddenly fruiting recently. Also agreed that the not-so-crowded gills favour Clitocybe over Leucopaxillus, but I'd still consider both ... hard to get a sense without specimen in hand. cheers, frog
