dpinkerton Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 I'm a new mushroom hunter who got interested by stumbling upon a cauliflower mushroom a few weeks ago and turning it into soup. I took my kids out yesterday for a hunt, had a great time, and came back with a lot of different varieties. I learned quickly that identification is a daunting task. However, I assumed that this 5-6" specimen would be easy to find in the guide. I was wrong. Since I expect that someone probably knows this without much effort I figured I would start with it. I thought it could be anything from a hated amanita to a red-brown trich to a honey mushroom. Amazing how unclear this can be to the untrained. Would appreciate an id here and a little education to get me going. Don't plan on ingesting anything we found regardless. Thanks! This was growing in grass beside some blue spruce I think. Western PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Smalldridge Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Looks like a Armillaria or honey mushroom. The only thing that has me puzzled is that I have not personally found it in association with conifers, although mushroom expert says A. Mellea does occasionally occur with conifers. DaveW should be around shortly to clear this up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 I think this is an Armillaria (Honey). I recommend taking a spore print, which should be white for Armillaria. Tricholomas also have white prints, but none of them have a well-formed ring (annulus) on the stalk. Young specimens of Cortinarius can have very pale gills, but the spore prints are all brown, usually rusty brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpinkerton Posted October 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 Thanks for your help on this. I was finally able to make the spore print and it came out white. Not going to eat it but I learned something in the process for the next time. Appreciate the education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted October 7, 2015 Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 Correction for above... Tricholoma caligatum and T. magnivelare (Matsutake) each have a ring on the stalk. T. aurantium has a ring zone. Momentarily forgot about the Matsutakes. I hardly ever see T. caligatum and I've never found T. magnivelare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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