Identification: Help identify Mushrooms in Houseplant

Discussion in 'Fungi, Lichens and Slime Molds' started by bjhgardener, Jan 9, 2010.

  1. bjhgardener

    bjhgardener Member

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    Three mushrooms popped up in one of my houseplants. I don't know much about mycology. It would be nice to know what they are or if they are edible.
    One of them matured and died. It is about three inches long with a white stem, brown gills and an orangish\beige cap.
    The other two are very small, smaller than the tip of my little finger.
    Here is a link to some pictures:
    http://theexpansivezone.com/mycology/

    It would be great if someone could help identify these mushrooms for me.

    Thanks!
     
  2. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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  3. bjhgardener

    bjhgardener Member

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    Thanks for the reply but with the exception of the really little ones they don't look anything alike. Mine are not yellow, have a smooth cap with no scales and no ring or annulus on the stem.

    The stem is smooth all the way up to the gills from the soil. It is very white till it matures and by the time it is dead it becomes the same color as the cap which is kinda beige or orangish.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2010
  4. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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    o sorry im colored blind. I still wouldnt eat them. Just for fun I would stick them in a jar with some of the dirt they are growing on and have a little mushroom farm thing. Im going to keep searching for them.
     
  5. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    Do you know if the soil you have has any sort of wood or compost in it?
    These look similar to some fungi I found growing in a corn field this past year....
    Any chance, if one of these others mature that you can get a spore print by putting the cap gill-side down on a piece of paper?
     
  6. Psathyrellaceae

    Psathyrellaceae Member

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  7. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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    I havent had anyluck finding them. I emailed a place and I am waiting for the email back. Thoughs do look like them After reading this thread I noticed a little spotted mushroom growing through the snow at school I havent ever noticed it before.
     
  8. bjhgardener

    bjhgardener Member

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    There are wood chips mixed in with the soil. I also mixed in granulated sulfur because the house plant needs an acidic soil.

    There are not any spots on the mushrooms.

    They do look a lot alike the Conocybe tenera photos. I wish I could be sure though.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 12, 2010
  9. bjhgardener

    bjhgardener Member

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  10. Psathyrellaceae

    Psathyrellaceae Member

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    If you can get better photos and we can be more certain of what this is.

    Though I am 97% sure this is a Conocybe species.
    Maybe C. tenera, maybe not... What about the wikipedia article makes you so certain that your mushrooms are not C. tenera? If you are going by the photo on the page, then be aware that the mushrooms are hygrophanous, and the colour varies considerably when they are wet compared to when they are dry.
     
  11. bjhgardener

    bjhgardener Member

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    The photos and the description on the wiki describe the mushrooms as being a much darker color, cinnamon brown. My mushrooms are orangish and kinda tan or beige when growing. They become more tan and less orange when they dry.
    There were photos on mushroomobserver.org that looked just like mine but I think they might have been mislabeled as tenera.
     
  12. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    Although it's often hard to ID LBM's (little brown mushrooms) by photos...it's still a fun thing for us to do on the sights. As a photographer and mycophile, I know LOTS of times I've wanted to say one thing is this and not that because of my observations.
    I think these are some of those that will stump us forever unless you can get spore print and microscopic views.
    Remember that these are growing in a controlled environment. Often that affects colors, textures, growth rates...
    I, myself, am tending towards the Connoycbe tenera also, although colors may not be exact.........from experience I know this happens with many species of fungi (Flammulina velutipes, Gallerina autumnalis, Gym species, Trametes versicolor.....).
    Good luck with this...would love to see a cultivated grouping if you can achieve that?
     
  13. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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    I was talking about ones at my school outside. The mushrooms we are trying to ID do look alot like the Conocybe pictures that have been found. It might be correct and it might not be but I wouldnt trust wikipedia on IDing anything because anyone with an account can change it.
     
  14. bjhgardener

    bjhgardener Member

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    Cultivating mushrooms

    What is the easiest way of cultivating mushrooms? Also could anyone suggest an inexpensive microscope that can hook up to a PC for capturing images and\or video?
     
  15. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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    I have a microscope that hooks up to the computer, and a TV it also can do pictures and videos. It was purchased from hobby lobby for around 100-150$ it was the cheapest one that I could find.
    I have grown mushrooms in a pickle jar with some potting soil or dirt from outside in the bottom. I dont remember the name of them but you know the cotton swab things that people use to clean their ears and stuff, well use one of them and swab up some spores off of the mushroom and wipe the cotton thing with the spores on it over the dirt in the jar and keep it moist inside the jar. I grew some mushrooms out of my yard this way.
     
  16. bjhgardener

    bjhgardener Member

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    What brand and model is the microscope? Do the pics and video appear vivid or blurry?
    The only camera I have is on my Palm Centro and as you can see from the pics of the mushrooms the quality is awful.
     
  17. bjhgardener

    bjhgardener Member

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    I will try to cultivate them in a jar.
     
  18. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    The best way to grow them is a controlled environment.
    If you can, scoop out some of what is already growing, with more of the same substrate. Keep it damp inside and in the same light setting as what they're already in. I've done this many times...sometimes even forget that I'd started a culture....only to come back weeks later to spectacular displays.
    I often spray lightly every other day or so if it's not humid to keep the moisture...or enclose completely after a good spray to keep the humidity in........you might be surprised with reults!
     
  19. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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    The microscope is a , it may sound little kiddish but its collage grade, My first lab ultimate digital microscope. The videos and pics that it does are achually pretty high quality.

    O ya they also have a regular and a best type of them but they arent worth 20$
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 13, 2010

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