I found these on some stacked Cottonwood firewood... The long skinny nature may be caused by the fact that it had to grow between the stacked wood. The photos are rotated correctly, they are growing horizontally. There is some white foamy substance on them as well. Anyone know what they are? Is it dangerous to still burn the wood? Thanks!
They are probably Pholiota squarrosa or possibly P. squarrosoides. Mushrooms grow toward the brightest light source, which, in this case, was towards the gaps between horizontally stacked logs. It is not dangerous to burn the wood, but it is obviously damp and won't burn very well unless it is dried out first.
Thanks vitog! Yeah this stack is still seasoning and drying this winter and next summer, but will be in the rotation for 2015 :) I just wasn't sure about any of the foamy white residue drying on the wood and then burning. Plus I thought it was neat how they grew tall and skinny because that was the space they had, sure makes them Phallic though ;) Are the edible?
These Pholiotas have mixed reviews regarding edibility, but none of the reports say that they are good tasting. Since we have lots of definitely tasty mushrooms in this area, I have not bothered to try them; and I would not advise anyone else to try them. As a general rule, mushrooms grow tall and skinny when they have too little light.
