Help ID Weird Growth On GA Lawn!! Please help me figure out what this is! Your help is appreciated! I saw it for the first time last year. It measures around 8-10" across. Thanks! Here's some larger pictures so you can see the details better:
Re: Help ID Weird Growth On GA Lawn!! Its an invading triffid from outer space. Run for the hills!!! Actually its a fungus that appears after a good soaking summer rain. The odd creature standing next to it is a human child. Be very careful. They can be especially unpredictable and can eat you out of house and home. They often hang around for years and are very expensive to maintain.
Re: Help ID Weird Growth On GA Lawn!! Hi, I just had the ID confirmed by the Mycologist, David Fischer. It is a Cauliflower Mushroom and is edible. Here's what Wiki says: "Sparassis crispa can be very tasty, but should be throughly cleaned before use as the folds can contain dirt and other material, as it grows and envelops objects around it such as pine needles. Antonio Carluccio reports that European Sparassis crispa should be picked when creamy white, and once yellow are too indigestible to eat. It is good for drying and reconstuting as it retains its cartilaginous texture and hence is good for soups."
Well thanks to the 'Cauliflower Mushroom' lead I got on another thread I started in plant identification, I have found the name of this growth! It is: Sparassis spathulata http://www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wood/club and coral/species pages/Sparassis spathulata.htm The above site explains the details. Thanks for the help!
Dad ended up making a soup with his mushroom last night. He said it was very tasty and to pass along a work of thanks for this new find! He looks forward to it coming back next year so he can try it in another recipe!
