OT: Unknown fungus?

Note that the common 'Boletus chrysenteron' and others are very often rendered white by coating with an infection of other fungi. There were quite a few like this about in Herts last weekend.

S
Reply to
spamlet
Loading thread data ...

No, this was white from the moment it popped out the ground. There are two extensive patches..all white everywhere.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

There's at least one exception, though: "Alice Eastwood's Bolete" (B. pulcherrimus), which appears to have been palatable but deadly, at least to one known individual. Sounds like a rather painful death too.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Green

I guess you were restricting your comments to the fens - and not the other side of the world. :-) If not:

"Boletus manicus Heim [Boletaceae] is a species of fungus found in Papua New Guinea. It is reported to have psychoactive properties. ..."

Boletus Manicus Heim Boletus Reayi Kuma Mushroom

Boletaceae

"....Several species of Boletus are involved in the curious "mushroom madness" of the Kuma,of New Guinea...."

"...B. manicus is a well known species that, as its name implies, has somewhat toxic properties, (mania = insanity). Hallucinogenic properties have not yet been proven..."

"Plants of the Gods: Revised 1999"

And another post further down the same page:

And those speceis are only found in New Guinea and so The mushroom madness of the Kuma involve species of Russula, Heimella and Boletus. They say some have Stearic Acids.

NEW GUINEA

In New Guinea, the Kuma aborigines are known to employ various mushrooms belonging to three separate genera: Boletus, Heimiella, and Russula (Singer, 1958b; Reay, 1959, 1960; Singer, 1960; Heim & Wasson, 1965; Nelson, 1970; Heim, 1972; Rios, 1976, 1984).

These fungi are used by several tribes belonging to the Nangamp aborigines. Effects attributed to these fungi appear to resemble chronic states of hysteria and madness. It is reported that this madness may last for up to two days. The term therogen [becoming a beast] has been adopted to describe New Guinea context of such use.

The Kuma people who reside in the Southern Wahgi valley in the Western Highlands District know these mushrooms as Nonda. The Danga, another tribe belonging to the Nangamp call them Nong'n.

Species used by these natives include: Boletus flammeus Heim, B. reayi Heim, B. kumeus Heim, B. manicus Heim, and B. nigroviolaceus Heim; Heimella anguiformis Heim and H. retispora Heim; Russula agglutinata Heim, R. maenadum Heim, R. kirinea Heim, R. pseudomaenadum Heim, R. nondorbingi Singer and R. wahgiensis Singer.

Stearic acids have been found in two species of Russula. Causative agents in the other species of mushrooms used by Nangamp natives are as yet unidentified.

And today,more than 45 years after their research, active ingredients in these above noted shrooms have yet to be identified.

Another species of fungus found in New Guinea is Psilocybe kumaenorum Heim, and it has been suggested by Guzmán (1983) that its psychoactive properties may be known of and used by these aborigines.

Mj

excerpted from Psilocybian Mushroom Cultivation

And by the way, There are Bluing Boletes which are toxic, very toxic so do not eat any7, and do not eat any of the Stropharias which blue and have been replaced into the genus Psilocybe in Paul Stamet's POMOTW.; P. cyanea, P. caerulea, etc. They too are not psychoactive.

Reply to
Rod

Where are you? Most local Natural History Societies, have keen fungi Recorders - ours for Herts and Beds is Alan Outen. They will be pleased to receive any samples that you have (you can even dry them in a slow oven - say 60C with the door open - if they are not too full of maggots (all the good to eat ones usually are!) and then post them. Give location details and a description, and one or two of your pics if you want an exact ID. Though some species are pretty obvious from a photo, most require microscopic inspection and chemical tests to be sure, so Recorders aren't very keen on receiving unsolicited pictures, as they tend to get swamped with things they can't really help with.

If your finds do turn out to be unusual they will be much appreciated, and this is one of a few fields in which chalking up a satisfying 'UK first' is not that uncommon.

Hmm, perhaps I'll mail this thread to our local group...

S
Reply to
Spamlet

Done. S

Reply to
Spamlet

west suffolk.

well I'll see if they are still there today and take a camera.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Ok, here are th3 pikkies..not brilliant as most of the better ones had decayed..

formatting link
a bit more info.

The caps go greyish on aging and the tubes go a dirty grey then turn yellow.

The fungi were 100% associated with mature OAK trees, and I think one N American species was listed as being associated with that. You can see dead oak leaves in many of the photos.

Shame I was cutting the grass yesterday as there was a mostly already eaten wood mushroom there for te taking..sigh. They are tasty, those are.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

The Natural Philosopher wrote: .

I reckon it has to be unknown or a Leccinum albellum.

Shame I didn't get any worth picking and preserving: mots of these oddities show up one year, and then nothing for the next 50..

used to get st georges mushrooms: they have just stoppped.

Last year couldn't MOVE for shaggy parasols..never seen em before!

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

bolete ... with a fungal infection. (OK, or possibly bacterial.)

I'm not totally convinced that the whiteness is part of the 'shroom itself.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Green

Got St Georges this year - on April 23 - but haven't seen them close by before. (South Bucks) Must be migrating from Suffolk. :-)

A few years ago we were swamped by clouded agaric - don't think we've seen one since.

Usually get a good smell of summer truffles (I assume - have never actually found one), but this year and last, not even the slighest whiff.

Looks to be a good year for various waxcaps in lawns round here.

Reply to
Rod

I can assure you they were popping up dead white. They look scabby now for sure..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@proxy02.news.clara.net...

Pics are typical of the (Poisonous) boletus mould. Here is a US informationsheet:

formatting link
here is an almost identical thread to your own:
formatting link
't immediately put my finger on a link for fungi Recorder for Suffolk, but I am sure there will be one. Suffolk Naturalists Soc lists Recorders for most of the other groups and has a general email address for other records:
formatting link
Sanford at Ipswich Museum manages the Suffolk Biological Records Centre and I'm sure he would also be able to point you in the right direction for fungi forays and records in your area. You will probably find there is already a programme of organised forays you can attend to learn more of the ropes (He is also one of a few recording people I know who are up on current technology for sending records around - and even replied to mail about flora records I made while on holiday in the area last year.):
formatting link
Agaricus sp photo is probably A augustus ('The Prince') though there are other red staining Agaricus to be found in the woods. (A. augustus tastes very good, but beware of the scope for confusion with the poisonous Amanitas - few of the mushroom people I know would even risk eating the 'edible' Blusher -, and some dodgy Lepiotas.)

Take no chances with fungi - or any other edible plant for that matter - 99% certain is not enough.

Cheers for the interesting thread.

S
Reply to
Spamlet

formatting link

The trouble is, that it didn't come up white and powdery, the whole mushroom popped up pure white..and sticky wet.

Oh come on, Amanitas are quite different from an agaricus..stem base has a cup, gills are white, not pink, nd you dont get that stscaling on em in that way.

I never would tuoch and edible amanita either.

The paraosols are also very distinctive: you cant really mistake a parasol or shaggy parasol for anything ese.

We have eaten that wood agaricus before and its bloody delicuious BTW. I eat most agaricus we find if they fail te tests for the yellow staining bit..

Well, thats a matter of opinion: The real issue is to absolutely know the 10-15 species that are deadly or cause really serious health problems, and avoid anything that looks remotely like them. Thats mainly the inocybes, and amanitas.

MOST of the rest may give you hard time, but wont kill you or put you in hospital.

If in doubt, a quick nibble and wait a few days..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

formatting link

It was very odd - the pictures did look possibly 'infected' but you had categorically stated they were like that from the off.

Be careful of several Coprinus if you drink alcohol.

Reply to
Rod

Only touch 'lawyers wigs'..;-)

Frankly I amnot intested in eating every edible mushroom I come across. I did a fungi foray once, and thee wasn't much to find except a few pluteus: edible it may be, tasty it was not..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Nor am I. I think the only thing we have ever tried was a puffball - which was a case of 'why would anyone bother?' - I don't like *any* mushrooms to eat. :-)

Reply to
Rod

Puff ball, when fresh and tender, and fried in bacon fat butter and garlic, is really quite good.

The shrooms we like most are

1/. Ceps (penny buns or boletus edulis). The best and meatiest shroom ever, Sadly almost impossible to pick before the worms get it, and rare round here.

2/. Morels. Impossible to confuse with anything else, and of a wonderful flavour, Sadly I only ever found two..

3/. Shaggy inkcaps - 'lawyers wigs' - again completely unmistakeable, and very common here, and wonderfully delicate in flavour: Best fried in butter only.

4/. Various agarics. We have several species of wood and field type mushrooms here. They are very easy to categorise, as they are all pretty much recognisable as mushrooms, with pinky brown gills and white to brown tops. Horse mushrooms and wood mushrooms are fairly common, and delicious.

6/. Giant puffballs. Unmistakable, but not hugely interesting to eat.

Thats the best stuff.

Other edibles that we have seen picked and tried include:

Shaggy parasols. Unmistakeable, and there must have been a ton of them in the woods last year, but I didn't actually like them that much.

St Georges mushroom: Used to get a lot of these but this year none. Not very interesting to eat, and I dont like the smell that much.

Mirasmus oreades - fairy ring mushroom. I dont think its worth the trouble though, as its all flavour and no meat, and there is at least one species that is pretty poisonous that looks rather like it.

Did manage to clearly ID an edible milkcap last year, and tried it. Nothing special.

Ive eaten chanterelles picked by someone who knew their stuff..again the false chanterelle is dangerously similar species. Causes many admissions every year that one. Possibly thats what the BBC story yesterday was all about.

I will simply NOT eat edible amanitas, as there are too many amanitas that are only slightly different. And extremely dangerous, though the really dangerous pair - Virosa and Phalloides - are pretty easy to spot. Muscaria and Pantherina will make you sick and give you a bad trip, but generally are not fatal.

Still its always fun to pick things or photograph them and try and identify them, even if they don't get eaten.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

I haven't seen a giant puffball since sometime around 1970!

Reply to
Rod

I quite like the giant puffball...I call it the breakfast ball. I cut large slabs off it, dunk them in seasoned and beaten egg yolk then fry them quickly in butter - instant mushroom omelette!

Best fungus I've ever eaten was the Cauliflower fungus - found it growing at the base of a dying Pine, and never seen since. Absolutely gorgeous flavour.

That said, for all its modesty, the humble Wood Mushroom takes some beating.

Regards,

Reply to
Stephen Howard

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.