Identification: Gilled Mushroom on Cottonwood Logs?

Discussion in 'Fungi, Lichens and Slime Molds' started by Laure, Oct 21, 2009.

  1. Laure

    Laure Member

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    Does anyone know what they might be... fleshy foot, brown gills, brown spores, tan cap
    4-8 inches across, stem 4-6 inches, no ring, stem is about an inch wide.
     
  2. mycomania

    mycomania Member

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    you have to post a pic, friend.
     
  3. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    I'm taking a wild guess without a photo? But...maybe Destructive Pholiota? The veil becomes less evident as the mushroom ages, sometimes becoming completely non-visible.
    It's a very fleshy mushroom....extremely heavy-weight. The stem is very strong and solid. The cap very thick...with the gills becoming dark brown with age.
    This species LOVES cut Cottonwood trees.
     

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  4. Laure

    Laure Member

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    Thanks C.Wick
    Looks like a match, will try to take pics. Eatable?
     
  5. Frog

    Frog Generous Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Hi Laure,
    Most local Pholiotas are not edible (may make you ill), and requires some expertise to ID them to species.
    I strongly recommend caution: Making an ID from a photo for something you are considering eating is an iffy proposition.
    frog
     
  6. MycoRob

    MycoRob Active Member

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    Also could be Neolentinus ponderosus. See frog's post about IDing from pictures.
     
  7. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    I recently recieved news of a fellow mushroom hunter I'd forayed with in the past...who made the mistake of eating a deadly mushroom thinking it an edible variety. PLEASE don't make an positive ID with my photos....as Frog said, most Pholiotas are NOT edible...and can make you very sick...even wnen they are considered 'ok' to eat.
     
  8. MycoRob

    MycoRob Active Member

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    May I ask what species (or genus) this person was looking for and what they thought it was?
     
  9. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    My understanding was he thought it was Flammulina velutipes...and he harvested Gallerina autumnus instead.
    I've only hunted with this person twice so I'm not really sure just how good he'd NORMALLY have been at ID'ing mushrooms........
    I got a call from a mutual friend that he'd made this mistake but the family is trying to keep it quiet. He'd harvested several other species that WERE edible? But...somehow...got the wrong one.
     
  10. MycoRob

    MycoRob Active Member

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    Thanks for sharing - that really brings home the risks we take eating wild mushrooms (and teaching about them). Even if you're 99.5% sure of a mushroom identification, that means you make one mistake for every 200 mushrooms you eat.
     
  11. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    I have my 'Elite 20' that I know I can't mistake when eating....
    1.Hen of the Woods
    2.Chicken of the Woods (we only have this and the sulpher shelf...not the other species)
    3.Shaggy Mane
    4.Oysters
    5.Blewit
    6.Honey
    7.Puffballs...(at least 3 edible species here)
    8.Hericiums...(unmistakable!)
    9.Morels
    10.Beefsteak
    11.Reishi
    12.Purple-gilled Laccaria
    13.Rooting Collybia
    14.Chanterelles
    15.Ringless Honey
    16.Old Man of the Woods
    17.Tree Ear
    18.Jellies
    19.Prince Agaricus
    20.Ischnoderma resinosum (don't think it has a common name)
    Anyway....these are all species that I know on site. Without doubts. I have not had issues with mistaking these....and know that some, like the Honey and Ringless Honey have fooled people in the past...but I do know to check for spore/rhizomes/hosts....all the necessary 'markers' to know if they're safe or not. If I have doubts, the mushroom/fungi gets left behind.
    We do have many, many more species here locally that I've tried, but as my positivity when hunting alone aren't as strong as when in groups with the EXPERTS....I'm much more caucious then.
    I don't want to loose more friends to these issues....nor does my son deserve to loose his mom.
     
  12. Laure

    Laure Member

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    would never think of eating a mushroom from an id on one picture. I live on a piece of land and see the same varieties come back every year, so I am slowly educating myself (as time allows).
     

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