I found this Fungus in Pack Forest, which is near the western base of Mount Rainier. Any help in identifying it would be most helpful (my professor directed me to this site). Thank you for any light you can shed.
Interesting! Well it sorta looks like the love child of a Schizophyllum and a Thelephora ... :-). Do you have a photo of the underside or do you remember what that looked like? Schizophyllum seems like a possible ... perhaps older specimens that have split heavily? I'm wondering if the underside has forked gills. thanks, frog
Beautiful fruiting - I think it is a Schizophyllum commune. I've seen that light purplish color on them before.
Thank you for the replies. I had ruled out Schizophyllum due to the finger-like lobes that protrude out from the center of this fungus (I'm certainly no expert though). It did not seem to be a case of the structure breaking down to create the lobes but I could be wrong. I saw no gills, although I did not give it a thorough looking over. The lower few are coated in a blueish-gray mold it seemed like, which was very hairy. I'm posting a more zoomed in photo of the one I originally posted so hopefully it will give a better view. The one in the top right gives the best look at the underside of the fungus. It seemed to me to be a solid mass all the way around. Some were funnel-shaped like the one in the top right, while others were flat and splayed out. Again, thanks for the help in figuring this out. As I've learned in class, fungi can be a pain to nail down sometimes, so I really appreciate it. Eli
Check out this picture at the following site, similar? http://www.mushroomexpert.com/images/contrib/robbins_schizophyllum_commune_01.jpg http://www.mushroomexpert.com/schizophyllum_commune.html
I can certainly see the possibility of it being Schizophyllum, but if there were other possibilities I would say no. If this is simply an old deteriorated form of the fungus (the mold on the lower ones might help argue that point) then I could buy that. When I was looking at it they didn't seem to be old or deteriorated however. Quite firm and the lobes seemed to be formed purposely.
Wonderful image....I'd still go with everyone on the Schyz. species. I've come across many 'odd' formations of this fungi often. Depends on amounts of moisture or dry....amounts of sunshine or shade I believe. This is a fungus that can dry, rehydrate, dry, rehydrate, dry.....and again rehydrate. Each time becoming more and more ragged on the edges but often no less splendid. The colors and 'mold' I've also seen...think the actual mold is a type of lichen that grows in the 'hairs' on the tops of the caps? Would love to see an undershot of these.......the gills will look doubled.....with wider spacing every other line. Close up looks will show that where the lobes are is probably where each of the doubled-gill is meeting the edges of the caps. I've kept an eye on branches covered in this species many times thru the years...some looking almost as fresh months after they first appeared.
Thank you all for the help, it looks like there is more or less a consensus on Schizophyllum, I'm just wishing I had taken more pictures of it. I'll certainly remember to next time :) Thanks again. Eli O.
