The first image is of the mushroom 'host'.......I've not yet found it 'fresh' as everytime I've come across them they're in almost complete decay. They'll turn a solid black so I don't even know if they're a milky or another type. They're large and thick stemmed mushrooms........when decaying they emit a very pungent odor. The cap before the full decay seem to be of a light greyish-tan color. The rest of the photos are of the 'parasite' mushrooms I'm now finding on the first mushrooms. They're fairly small....only about 1/2 to 1 cm across.....they don't have gills and seem to have a smooth underside. My apologies for poor photos (it was pouring rain when I found them today and they're so small was unable to keep a sample) These are found in the wooded area of North East Kansas in the bluffs of the Missouri River. Mixed woods. The 'host' mushroom sometimes was just barely coming out of the ground and at other times fully 'blown' out.....growing not on wood but out of soil.
It could be Collybia tuberosa, which grows on Russulas (and possibly other mushrooms?). Your host looks like a Russula. I don't know this Collybia well, so this is really just a guess, as I am sure there are lots of other shrooms-on-shrooms out there. - frog
I agree with Frog that the host is a Russula (probably R. densifolia), but I think the parasite is probably Asterophora lycoperdoides. Your photo appears to demonstrate the powdery cap of this species, and you described the hymenium as a "smooth underside," matching the poorly formed or nearly absent gills of A. lycoperdoides. Here's a page for the species: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/asterophora_lycoperdoides.html . . . and here's a key to 25 mushrooms that parasitize other mushrooms: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/mycotrophs.html Best wishes, Michael
thank you again Michael for the ID....pretty sure u'r correct with the Asterophora lycoperdoides. I went back again later today and got more photos and not one showes any sort of gills or pores.........so is most likely that variety of mushroom. and also thanx for the link to help with more ID's on other parasitical mushrooms.....fascinating stuff!
