Fungus Fact Friday

Tagged: agaric

Pleurotus ostreatus 3

Fungus Fact

#180: Pleurotoid Mushrooms

Pleurotoid mushrooms are agarics that have a single common feature: they lack a well-developed stipe. Originally, I was not going to include pleurotoid mushrooms as a distinct agaric morphology. Their other physical characteristics vary widely and they belong to multiple unrelated taxonomic groups. To anyone classifying mushrooms, grouping them based on pleurotoid growth is decidedly unhelpful. However, it is a useful group from a field guide standpoint because it quickly reduces the number of possible matches. Eventually, I decided to discuss the pleurotoid mushrooms because they are often mentioned in field guides and because “pleurotoid” is a commonly-used mushroom descriptor.

Crepidotus mollis 2

Fungus Fact

#179: The Genus Crepidotus

Crepidotus species are small, brown-spored agarics that grow on wood and either lack a stipe or have a diminutive stipe. These features are usually enough to separate Crepidotus species from mushrooms with a similar habitat and morphology; most other morphologically similar mushrooms produce pale spores. Although commonly encountered, Crepidotus is not useful for anything and the mushrooms go ignored by most seasoned foragers.

Gomphidius glutinosus 2

Fungus Fact

#178: The Family Gomphidiaceae

The family Gomphidiaceae is small but easy to identify. Mushrooms in this group produce gray to black spores, have decurrent gills, and are shaped like tent pegs. All the fungi in the Gomphidiaceae are mycorrhizal and have some degree of a slimy cap. This is not surprising since their closest relatives are the slimy-capped boletes in the genus Suillus.

Coprinellus micaceus deliquescing 8

Fungus Fact

#177: Coprinoid Mushrooms

Coprinoid mushrooms are easy to recognize, at least in theory. Many coprinoid mushrooms have gills that liquefy (“deliquesce”) at maturity, which readily distinguishes them from normal agarics. These fungi produce purple-brown to black spores, so liquefied gills often end up looking like an inky mess. As a result, coprinoid mushrooms are often called “Inky Caps.” Coprinoid mushrooms with gills that do not deliquesce can be identified by their central stipes, dark spores, and relatively thin and fragile flesh.

Lactarius corrugis 2

Fungus Fact

#176: The Genus Lactarius

Lactarius species are among the most easily-recognized mushrooms. Often called “Milk Caps” (the ‘lact-’ part of the genus name refers to ‘milk’), these distinctive mushrooms release a watery latex when injured. Lactarius mushrooms look a lot like russulas (FFF#175), which are very close relatives.

Russula mariae 3

Fungus Fact

#175: The Genus Russula

Russula is my favorite mushroom genus. This may be surprising to mushroom hunters because Russula mushrooms are generally ignored when foraging. However, I like them because they are very easy to identify and are genetically distinct from most other gilled mushrooms. Fungi in the genus Russula produce umbrella-like gilled mushrooms with crumbly flesh that do not exude liquid when injured.

Agaricus campestris below 3

Fungus Fact

#174: The Genus Agaricus

Early on in mycology, most gilled mushrooms were placed in the genus Agaricus. Mycologists soon realized that gilled mushrooms were incredibly diverse and split the genus into numerous genera. Today, the mushrooms that remain in Agaricus are umbrella-like gilled mushrooms that have a chocolate-brown spore print, free gills, a partial veil, and a pileus that easily separates from the stipe.

Macrolepiota sp. 3

Fungus Fact

#173: Lepiotoid Mushrooms

The lepiotoid mushrooms are a genetically diverse group but are often lumped together in field guides to simplify identification. Morphologically, lepiotoid mushrooms most closely resemble mushrooms from the genus Amanita (FFF#172). Lepiotoid mushrooms have free gills, a white spore print, and a partial veil, but are saprobic and lack a universal veil. Despite these shared characteristics, lepiotoid mushrooms have multiple origins. “Lepiotoid” means “like Lepiota.” Most lepiotoid mushrooms were at one time placed in the genus Lepiota, so that genus is used as a basis for this morphological group.

Amanita muscaria 5

Fungus Fact

#172: The Genus Amanita

For the next several weeks, I will examine the major groups of gilled mushrooms. I chose to start this foraging for mushrooms should learn to identify this group. In general, amanitas are umbrella-shaped agarics (FFF#027) that usually display all the following features: a universal veil, a partial veil, free gills, and a white spore print. Well-known amanitas include A. muscaria (FFF#069 and #121) as well as the Destroying Angels (FFF#050).

Lenzites betulina gills 4

Fungus Fact

#168: Lenzites betulina

From above, Lenzites betulina looks a lot like the Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor, FFF#065). When you flip the mushroom over, however, it looks completely different. L. betulina has a distinctly gilled spore surface, which easily separates it from nearly every other polypore. A few others do have gills, but L. betulina is the only one with pale gills and pale flesh. This mushroom is usually referred to by its scientific name, but it is sometimes called “the Multicolored Gill Polypore” or “the Birch Mazegill.”