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This is most likely Amanita banningiana, a member of the A. caesara clade. I don't know a common name for this one, but "banana amanita" suggests itself. This is quite possibly an edible species, though I can find no information confirming this and I have no desire to be the first to find out for certain. Neither should you if you happen to find this beautiful mushroom. Best appreciated for its aesthetic appeal; eating a poisonous amanita can be fatal. As my favorite plant biochemist likes to say, "All mushrooms are edible... once." |
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Amanita brunnescens, the prototypical brown-staining amanita, is among the most common of our local amanitas. It was fruiting in great profusion in the area I surveyed and probably made up close to half of the total amanita population. It is fairly easily identified by the appearance of distinct brown bruising on the cap when it is handled or in age as well as a volva bearing a split that frequently appears to have been chiseled with a straight-edged tool. In older specimens, such as this one, the volva has often disappeared, having been consumed by various insects. That doesn't make it edible to humans, of course. |
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Amanita flavoconia, another yellow(ish) amanita. As you can see in the photos, older specimens tend to fade. Unlike A. banningiana, this amanita has almost no volva at all. That portion of the veil has been reduced to a spattering of tiny yellow scales at the base of the stipe, these being so delicately attached that a bit of rain can wash them away, leaving a field mycologist scratching his head. Luckily for me, the younger specimen on the right in the second photo still has a few of the basal scales left. |
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Another common amanita locally is the red-orange variety of Amanita muscaria, the classic fly agaric (you can see one of its many other varieties, a red strain from Mexico, here). Fly agarics are hallucinogenic due to the presence of muscimol, but if one is inclined to ingest them one must also be very careful that one has got one's ID correct and that one prepares them properly. This one is unlikely to kill you, but a big dose of ibotenic acid is likely to make you very, very unhappy for a few days, too. I've never tried it myself and have no intention of doing so and, unless you truly know what you're doing, I would suggest you hold off as well. I hate losing readers to amatoxin. |
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An ornate-stemmed bolete, Boletus ornatipes, which is characterized by a moderately reticulate stipe, a lemon to chrome yellow color fading to tan or pallid in age, and a pore surface that starts off bright yellow but turns a drab olive in older specimens; crushing the pores (as I've done in the second image) does not produce any color change whatsoever. The spore print from this mushroom is a flat brown sometimes ranging into olive-brown. It seems to prefer very wet areas at Wachusett and grows as scattered, solitary fruiting bodies. It's edible, but all of the specimens I saw had already been thoroughly tunneled by fly larvae, so I haven't tried it. I don't mind consuming the occasional well-cooked mushroom maggot, but even I have my limits. |
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Boletus pallidus comes in a range of pale colors, but it always has a brown spore print and white, non-staining pores. Also edible but easily confused with a number of gastric irritants due to its variability. If there can be said to be a typical specimen, though, the one shown is as good as any. |
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Cantharellus ignicolor is a small, thin-fleshed chanterelle. Its edibility is listed by most authorities as questionable, but since there are no fatal chanterelles and only a small minority of the genus is indigestible when cooked, I tried it. I found it not only edible but quite tasty if not quite so robust as C. cibarius. The drawback is that you need a lot of these small mushrooms to make eating them worthwhile, but I had no trouble finding a copious supply wherever I found beech or oak. They seem to fruit most profusely on open ground where tree roots have extended some distance from the trunk. Note the characteristic veins (not gills) in the second photo and the fact that these mushrooms grow only on the ground (never on wood) and, if you feel sure of what you have, this is a safe one for amateurs to try for themselves. I stress these characteristics because the toxic mushroom that mimics chanterelles one is most likely to find, Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca ("false chanterelle") grows on decomposing wood and has salmon-colored, papery gills, but otherwise may be found in close proximity to real chanterelles. This latter mushroom contains a sugar-alcohol that we humans cannot digest and which produces extreme gastric upset in many people. I'm unaware of it ever proving lethal, but who really wants an attack of the false chanterelle quick-step? I found a few false chanterelles at yesterday's foray in Connecticut; I'll get around to posting photos of it later on. |
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Slimy purple corts, Cortinarius iodes, were present in unthinkable profusion, literally by the hundreds in boggy parts of the area I forayed. While totally inedible, they do add an amazing pallete of purples and violets to the landscape. If you look carefully at the first photo, you'll see that this mushroom has considerately provided a spore print, the larger of the pair depositing its spores upon the smaller. The cap of a happy, healthy C. iodes is extremely viscid; you'll likely think someone has blown his nose on the cap should you handle one. |
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Black trumpet chanterelles, Craterellus cornucopiodes, is so distinctive that I would consider it safe for beginners and well worth pursuing. In addition to being one of the hardest mushroom names to spell, however, it's also one of the hardest to see. It's form and color allow it to blend thoroughly into a background of dead leaves. I found only one, albeit large, patch of these right where the upper elevation beech forest gave way to the lower elevation hemlocks. Finding them at all was rather serendipitous; I saw an area that looked like a good spot for chanterelles and checked it out. By the time I became aware of these mushroom, I was already standing squarely in the middle of the patch and had stepped on a number of them. Note that this chanterelle has neither veins nor gills; the lighter-colored spore surface appears almost completely smooth. Many of these were inhabited by a number of springtails; I have no idea what the relationship of the bouncy little bugs is to the mushroom, but I do suggest that you open and thoroughly clean your black trumpets if you don't want to cook up a side order of Collembola with dinner. |
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The hedgehog mushroom, Hydnum repandum, is a choice edible that is rather unlikely to be confused with anything else. Though it looks a little bit like any number of other white mushrooms from the top, turning it over reveals that it has neither gills nor veins but icicle-like teeth on its underside (second photo). I used to find these at high elevations in California, too, but there the brownish variety is most common, appearing in spring at the same time as the wild irises first bloom. In the northeast, the white variety (album) is much more frequently encountered. It tends to grow solitary in wet areas; I'm not sure with what its mycorrhizal in this part of the country. |
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The witch's cap mushroom, Hygrocybe conica, comes in an assortment of bright colors, ranging from yellow to red and stopping at all points between. All are characterized by the acutely conical pileus and the habit of staining black when handled to any degree. The latter has given rise to the belief among some that these mushrooms are poisonous, but I've tried them myself and found that not to be the case. Then again, they have no flavor whatsoever and are best appreciated for their vivid colors. |
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Another brilliantly-colored waxy cap, Hygrocybe miniata, has a planar pileus and does not stain when handled. The stipe is roughly the same color, or just a shade lighter, than the cap. Again, best left on the forest floor to add vibrant color to the habitat. |
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Here we have two fungi rolled into one. The orange-red exterior, reminiscent of the color of cooked lobster shell, is a fungus called Hypomyces lactifluorum that parasitizes a couple of genera of other mushrooms but appears to be most common on Russula sp. here, as in this instance. Said to be edible, but I'm rather reticent about trying it because I know of no way to identify the russula within, and even without the parasitic crust, russulae can be quite tricky to identify. I prefer not to accidentally consume, say, Russula emetica. Probably better left alone to add color to the environment, there are undoubtedly any number of people who'll tell me why I just have to try eating this stuff! |
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Lactarius hygrophoroides, AKA weeping milky cap, is considered a choice edible; I now have a bag of them in the refrigerator and intend to try them today for the first time. Its close relative, L. volemus, is also a good edible and one I have tried personally. The two look identical, but the latex of L. volemus (the liquid seen oozing from nicked pores in the second photo) changes slowly from white to brown when exposed to air and the mushroom itself has a somewhat fishy odor, neither of which trait is present in L. hygrophoroides.
I posted some information about the deadly velvet pax, Paxillus atrotomentosus a couple of days ago that was not entirely correct. In addition to potentially confusing the toxic mushroom with Chroogomphus sp., a Finnish enthusiast who goes by the name "windy" reminded me that the pax might also be confused with one of the velvety brownish Lactarius species as well. Note the second photo shown here; Paxillus sp. will never produce latex when the gills are nicked. If you find what might be a Lactarius, use your fingernail to nick the gills and count to 30. If you don't see liquid seeping out as shown in this photo, don't eat the mushroom. Thank you, windy, for correcting me on this!
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The sulfur shelf, Laetiporus sulphureus, is one of my favorite edibles. It grows on a variety of dead woods, though I suggest sticking to specimens found on hardwoods if one wishes to try it because those found on conifers can absorb terpenes from their host and take on a bad flavor. Some people have allergic reactions to this fungus, so try a small piece first before having a meal of it (which is good advice with any new mushroom). It isn't uncommon to find clusters of ten pounds or more, and the pads cook up with a consistency and flavor rather reminiscent of chicken breast. The rooting portion of the pads can be extremely dense, so you'll want to cut away that part before cooking. The fungus is characterized by an upper surface colored with some shade of pumpkin orange and a pore surface below of yellow hue (though I have also found white-pored specimens that were just as good). The consistency of the raw fruiting bodies can be somewhat crumbly. This is a fairly safe bet for beginners as anything that looks vaguely like Laetiporus but is not will also taste absolutely awful and probably too tough to cut through, anyhow. I've prepared this large, tasty mushroom in a number of ways, including Chinese-style sweet and sour and breaded with mozzarella cheese. If you find it and want a recipe, send me email with photos of the fungus and ask. Barring allergy, this is a very healthy, high fiber, high antioxidant chicken substitute. Did I mention it's a personal favorite? Yes, I think I've gotten the point across now. |
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Would you care for a jelly baby? Probably not, but I did find a profusion of Leotia lubrica sprouting from all sorts of dead wood. The first photo shows a cluster that has aged past its prime, while the second shows a vigorous bunch that the light was hitting just right to give an idea of the translucent structure of the sporocarps. |
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Pleurotus ostreatus, the oyster mushroom, is an excellent edible if one can find specimens to which one hasn't been beaten by the many insects that also enjoy it. Usually found growing on tree trunks, this one has managed to get started on some buried wood. There are a few toxic look-alikes, so be very certain of your identification before trying wild oysters. Luckily, one can commonly find this one for sale in specialty grocery stores like Trader Joe's, albeit for a bit too much money for a relatively common and easily raised mushroom. P. ostreatus will eagerly consume any sort of dead hardwood if moisture and CO2 levels are favorable. I've seen it growing on old furniture. |
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Handsome but decidedly inedible, Russula emetica is commonly known as The Sickener. This particular specimen was growing in decomposing matter that has collected in the crotch of a beech tree, but the fungus is a hearty and adaptable one and can be found almost everywhere. It can grow quite large and its coloration may make it look tempting, but a little piece yields a burning acrid sensation/flavor when chewed that will quickly dissuade all but the densest of human mycophagists. The only use it might serve for a human being is as a handy ipecac in the field if one realizes that one has inadvertently consumed something else more toxic, in which case I must ask... what are you doing eating uncooked mushrooms in the first place? Are you insane? Squirrels, on the other hand, frequently eat sickeners with no apparent ill effect, giving a lie to the folk method of identifying edible mushrooms by watching for consumption by other animals. Frankly, that's a good way to get oneself killed, if not by a poisonous mushroom than perhaps by an irate moose. Good rule of thumb: never, under any circumstances, attempt to eat an uncooked irate moose. You have been warned. |
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Strobilomyces floccopus, commonly named the old man of the woods, is quite a good edible, even if its appearance and habit of bruising black are a bit off-putting at first. I've eaten these before, though I'd been under the impression they were a southern mushroom (I was clearly wrong on that count). I'm told by one of my lab mates that these also grow in Bavaria, from whence he came, but that Germans won't touch them and friends back home think he's a bit nutty for eating them himself. He berated me yesterday for not saving a bunch of these for him. This is a good beginner's edible; I can think of no other mushroom that looks like this one and stains deep black when cut or bruised upon any part of the sporocarp as is the case with S. floccopus. Note the greyish-white pores and partial veil; the closely-related S. dryophilus usually has yellow pores but otherwise looks identical. I've found that one to be inedibly bitter. |
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Another specimen of S. floccopus, this one in the juvenile "button" stage (e.g., no rupturing of the partial veil has yet occurred). |
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Finally, here's S. floccopus all grown up and in full spore production. By the time they get this big, the flesh of this mushroom has often become rather spongy and frequently tunneled by insect larvae and so is best left alone to insure that the fungus has a chance to spread by spores. This specimen's pileus is about 10 cm across, which is as large as I've personally seen them get. |
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A word of caution about consuming witch's waxy cap, Hygrocybe conica (see above): it has occasionally been known to turn someone who eats it into a newt. You'll get better. |
