Unknown fungus growing on rotting fallen tree

[lauriek]

I don't know about this one, I've got two or three things in mind which it might be but I'm stuck choosing!





Any help appreciated!

[Leif]

Psathyrella hydrophila. Brittle, silvery white stem, no ring. Dark brown domed cap, dark gills. Usually growing in large numbers on fallen trees.

[lauriek]

Thanks Leif, that was one of my candidates but I really wasn't sure!

[NickCantle]

Many of these common brittlestems about this year. First year I have seen them too

[lauriek]

I found these growing on the same dead treetrunk, initially thought they were younger specimens of the same fungi but on a second look I don't think they are. Any thoughts as to ID?





TIA!

[Leif]

What you have there is a lovely example of the dangers of mycophagy (eating fungi). There are three very similar species which grows in large groups on dead wood, and which have brownish caps.

The first of your pictures show Psathyrella hydrophila as you know.

A very similar species called Kuehneromyces mutabilis is listed as edible, and many books say that. In fact it looks rather like the above photos and some people might mistake the two.

But ... your most recent pictures are of the deadly poisonous Galerina marginata. Like K. mutabilis, it has a cap which is tawny when fresh, and dries paler, with a lined margin. But it has distinctive whitish-silvery stem, with a fine apical ring. It seems to be very common this year. Amazingly Phillips does not include this species despite it being common.

[lauriek]

Aha! Many thanks for that Leif!!

I was pretty sure it was a different fungi but you can see how people do make mistakes... The young specimen in the middle picture of my last batch looks very similar (at a cursory examination level) to the young Psathyrella specimen on the right of the clump in my very first picture... It was the apical ring that suggested to me it was a different species...

Shows we're right to be a bit paranoid!!

Still so far I've only tried wild picked agarics and shaggy ink caps, but I think I will try some meadow wax caps if I find some more nice ones, and amethyst deceivers, as I'm now pretty confident at IDing these, and possibly some of the Blewits if the maggots don't get them first... I think it's definitely a good idea to take your time and get used to a few species, and most importantly, be sure what it is before you eat it...