This post is under construction. I am trying to design a simple practical key to idenfity mushrooms in the field, not the least to help me identifying mushrooms when I go on a ID-walk for them, here in Scotland.
Step 1 (Base)
First start by checking the base.
- If the mushroom base is swollen, suspect an Amanita (lighter scales and ring), Lepiota (darker scales and ring), Volvariella (no ring), Cortinarius (brown rusty spores) and Fibrecap (fibrous cap).
- If stems go very deep into the ground, then suspect a Collybia (especially if cap has an incurved cap edge and absense of ring) or Xerula.
Step 2 (Cap behavior)
Second, check what happens when you break the cap.
- If it milks and is brittle, it is a Lactarius. If it is just brittle, it is a Russula. If it is small and milks, it is a Mycena.
- If it liquefies easily, then it is an Inkcap/Parasola.
- If the color change, just take note of that trait.
- If it is sticky or slimy, you could suspect a few genus. Bright colorful waxy ones are Waxcaps. If stem is fleshy, it could be a Woodcap.
Step 3 (Cap color)
Third, take notice of the color. Bright yellow, pink, reds, purple, could point to specific genus, such as Deceiver/Laccaria, Waxcaps, Sulfur Tuft and others. If the cap is scaly, it could be a Pholiota-Scalycap (also with a ring).
Step 4 (Ring, Gill type, Spore print)
Fourth take notice of gills and do a spore print; this might help you identify other genus that are not identified yet. The presence of a ring may point you to Agaricus, Lepista/Blewit, Stopharia, Agrocybe and Gymnopilus/Toughshank. Absence of ring to Entoloma and Pluteus, Woodtuft and Clitocybe.
Step 5 (Small mushrooms)
Very small indistinct mushrooms are the hardest ones to identify, often their correct ID is only possible by experts (e.g. examining details under a microscope). In small mushrooms you also need to take notice of where they grow (forest litter or decaying wood): Galerina and Bolbitius (dark browns, growing in wood and transparent when wet), Conocybe, Psylocybe, Marasmius and Lepiota.
DETAILS FOR EACH STEP
Step 1) BASE
- Swollen base: Amanita or Lepiota (see difference of scales, Amanita has a volva), Chlorophyllum (reddens when cut), Volvariella-Rosegill (has a volva, pink spores and gills when mature, lack a ring!), Cortinarius and Fibrecap (cobweb when young or fibre aspect with central umbo, both have slightly swollen base but not volva), Ampulloclitocybe (decurrent gills. club-shaped)
- Deep stem below: Xerula thin tall stem, no ring, dead stumps) and Collybia (incurved cap edge, strong convex cap then flattens, lack rings)
- White rhizomes: Megacollybia (incurved cap edge, strong convex cap then flattens, lack rings)
- Non central stem: Lentinellus, Wrinkled peach. Oysterling and Pleutorus (Oyster)
More detail to be added soon
Step 2) CAP:
2.1) CAP BEHAVIOR WHEN TOUCHED or BROKEN
Liquefying: Inkcap (Parasola or Coprinellus)
Brittle: Russula, Lactarius
Milks: Lactarius (big), Mycena (small)
Color change when cut: Chlorophyllium (reddens), Lyophyllum (blue), Agaricus... ...
Sticky cap:
Yellow/Brown spores: Bolbitius (tiny), Woodtuft (greasy feel, XXX)
Pink spores: Gomphidus (whitish/pink, decurrent)
Very dark spores: Leratiomyce-Roundhead (red and orange, ring), Inkcap, Gomphidius, Stopharia
White spores: Velvet Shank (tufted often), Xerula (thin tall stem, no ring, root extended, dead stumps), Waxcaps (slimy, bright colors, decurrent, fragile stem, no ring), Wood cap (fleshy stem), Oudemansiella, Many others might be sticky or slimy when wet
Slimy cap: Waxcap (when wet, bright colors, decurrent, fragile stem, no ring), Wood cap (fleshy stem, greasy or slimy, decurrent gills)
2.2) CAP VISUAL TRAITS
SCALES: Amanitas (lighter, ring), Lepiota (darker, ring), Pholiota-Scalycap (ring, what's the difference?), Many others sometimes: agrocybe ??????????
Striate: Fibrecap (fibrous cap, central umbo), Galerina, Mycena, Parasola, NOT DONE YET
Central umbo: Melanoleuca, Fibrecap, Macrolepiota, ... Entoloma, Clitocybe (decurrent), Mycena, Cortinarius, Psilocybe, Waxcaps?, many others, ... ....
Step 3) CAP COLOR
Yellow color: Honey fungus (white to cream gills, tufted, bigger, decurrent, large ring, parasite of living trees, white spores), Sulfur Tuft (tufted, gills maturing yellow to brown, black spore, cobweb when young, dead wood), Gymnopilus-Toughshank (gold yellow gills and cap, ring sometimes, tufted sometimes, dead wood, orange brown spores prolific), Plums and Custard (Lilac and yellow!, yellow gills, white spore), Hygrocybe-Waxcap (bright yellow, slimy when wet, decurrent, fragile stem, no ring, white spore), Xeromphalina (small Mycena-like), Omphalottus (yellow orange-ish, larger), Yellow bolbitius, Lemon Disco (cup), Jellybaby (head)
Pink-Orange-Red-Lavender gills:
- Pinks: Volvariella-Rosegill (volva but lack a ring, pink spore), Plums and Custard (lilac and yellow, yellow gills, white spore), Agaricus (ring, maturing from pale pink to deep pink or chocolate brown, free gills, cap not colorful), Pluteus (free gills, no ring, grow on decaying wood), Entoloma-Pinkgills (gills attached to stem, grow on leaf litter, no cobweb), Gomphidus (whitish/pink, sticky, decurrent), many others like Collybia (incurved cap edge, strong convex cap then flattens, lack rings)
- Lavender: Lepista-Blewit (Pale lavender or cream hues, short stem, base not surrounded by sac, ring not brown!)
- All: Deceiver-Laccaria (Bright Purple, Red, Pink, spaced gills and non-decurrent, bit waxy but not slimy!), Hygrocybe-Waxcap (bright colors, pink, orange, red, no ring, slimy when wet, fragile stem, decurrent), Lactarius and Mycena (milks! gills, pink to orange sometimes),
- Orange and Red: Omphalottus (strong orange gills), Leratiomyces-Roundhead (red and orange, slimy and ring), Saffron lactarius (small to medium. nice round cap, bright orange gills, bruises green color), Chroogomphus (orange, strong decurrent), Chanterelles and look-alikes (shape), Eyelash and Orange peel (cup, red and orange)
Other color: jump to the following step
Step 4) RING IN STEM
You may have to do a spore print to distinguish between these.
White spore - Amanita or Lepiota (scales, swollen base), Oudemansiella (sticky), Cystoderma (powdery cap), Honey Fungus (yellow color, tufted)
Very dark spore - Agaricus (free gills, gills maturing from pale pink to chocolate brown, cap not colored!), Lacrymaria-Weeping Widow, Stropharia-Roundhead (slimy)
Pink: Lepista-Blewit (base not surrounded by sac, ring not brown!, Pale lavender or cream hues, short stem)
Brown or yellow spore -Leratiomyces-Roundhead (slimy and red/orange), Pholiota-Scalycap (very scaly), Woodtuft (greasy feel), Gymnopilus-Toughshank (cap yellow, individual, orange brown spores prolific), Galerina (small slender, striate, never white), Agrocybe (never darker brown)
Rusty brown ring visible: Cortinarius
4.2) GILLS
If ring is not present, observe gills and do a spore print.
DECURRENT gills:
Pink spores: Lepista/blewit, Clitopilus
Dark spores: strong decurrent: Gomphidus (whitish/pink, sticky), Chroogomphus (orange)
Yellow/brown spores: strong decurrent: Paxillus
White spores: Waxcaps (slimy when wet, bright colors, fragile stem), Moss oysterling, Wood cap (greasy or slimy), Clitocybe, Ampulloclitocybe club-shaped, base swollen), Honey Fungus (yellow color, large ring, tufted)
NOTCHED gills: Mycena, Plums and custard, Megacollybia (incurved cap edge, strong convex cap then flattens, lack rings), Melanoleuca, many others? More species to be added
FREE GILLS: Rhodocollybia (incurved cap edge, strong convex then flattens with umbo, slimy cap often thick, thick stem, gills white to pink cream, lack ring), Agaricus (pink gills, ring, cap not colorful), Pluteus (free gills, no ring, grow on decaying wood), Velvet shank (tufted often), Waxaps (bright colors, no ring, slimy when wet, decurrent), Xerula (thin tall stem, no ring, root extended, dead stumps), Lepiota and Amanitas (swollen base and scales)
COWEB in young specimens: this is the hallmark of a Cortinarius species.
Step 5) SMALL MUSHROOMS
5.1) Yellow/Brown spores (usually no ring)
1) grows on wood:
Very small, transparency to water, dark brown: Galerina (striate), Bolbitius (sticky), Tubaria (also very small), Naucoria (Alders),
Larger than 5cm: Agrocybe, Gymnopilus, Paxillus, Pholiota
2) grows in leaf litter : Conocybe-Conecap (fragile stem), Fibrecap (fibrous cap, central umbo), Cortinarius (small to medium but enlarged base)
5.2) Very Dark spores - GILLS ARE GREY or dark
Parasola (striate, liquefying), Psylocybe, Agaricus (medium sized, pink gills)
Other larger mushrooms: Coprinus (cilindrical), Psathyrella (fragile), Stopharia (often larger and more colorful mushrooms), Panaelus
5.3) White spores: Marasmius (spaced gills, very tall), Mycena (milks, striate), Collybia (incurved cap edge, strong convex cap then flattens, lack rings), Lepiota (ring, swollen base, small to medium sized)
5.4) Pink spores: Mottlegill (all colors), Entoloma-pinkgill (usually medium-sized but also small, no cobweb, no ring, gills attached to stem) vs Pluteus (free gills)
I have not yet allocated the following species, in terms of cap color, in this key: Collybia-like, Gymnopus, Melanoleuca, Flammulina, Xerula (don't have a notch like Tricholoma) or colar (Marasmius), Volvariella and Pluteus
Disclaimer: this is only intended for educational purposes. Do not eat mushrooms based on the information found here. In general, do not eat mushrooms unless you are 100% sure about its ID.
No comments:
Post a Comment