Cone Cap Identity

[cybershot]

Sprucecone Cap - Strobilurus esculentus v Conifercone Cap - Baeospora myosura

To demonstrate the importance of checking out the obvious when employing the dubious practice of comparing fungi images, without the backup of microscopic verification, for the purposes of identification, I am illustrating a recent mistake (yes another one ) I made in naming Cone Cap specimens.

I originally thought I had images of both species until thankfully Ken alerted me to the probability that the cone in the first image, which I associated with S. esculentus, was not from the spruce. Whereas the the one in the second image is definitely a pine cone; so no problem with B. myosura.





Unfortunately this error led to my WAB image becoming the second entry for a Google search of Strobilurus esculentus; now hopefuly rectified. (Oh how we shoulder the heavy burden of responsibility as hobbyist wild life photographers dabbling on the WWW!) I trust that I can demonstrate slightly more diligence in future.

Away now to swot up on my conifer cone recognition

David

[chazzpott]

Cone recognition? I can't even recognise them by their needles!
Happy foraging.

[lauriek]

Is it possible for a chantarelle to grow on a cone?

Reason is I found a load of small mushrooms which looked like chanterelles last year, under what I think is a large old cedar tree of some sort (could be wrong on the tree type, it's evergreen, huge, well spaced horizontal drooping branches with big cones on) - last year I thought these might have been hygrocybe cantharellas (I didn't have the Phillips book last autumn).

On recent re-examination of my photos, the gills are too densely packed for hygrocybe, so I'm sure it's not what I thought it was - and I just found the first one of this year (under same tree) and it's growing on a cone!!

I'm just processing about 250 pictures I just took in the last couple of hours so when I get to that one I will upload it and link it here!!

ETA when I first found these last year I thought they were chanterelles, I could swear they had an apricotty smell...

[lauriek]

As promised, first of all the one I just found on a cone;



And here's a selection of shots of these from last year;






Any thoughts?

[Fungus Ken]

It's False Chanterelle, Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, which grows on conifer debris.

Ken

[lauriek]

Heh I knew they weren't real ones!!

Many thanks for that Ken!!