Stumped? ID appreciated, mushrooms on a stump

[Steve Wurzel]

I photographed these September last year on a roadside tree stump, I haven't successfully identified them, but I think I've seen the same species growing elsewhere, so any help with the ID appreciated..









Apologies for the quality of the shots, not my best.

[Leif]

Check out Agrocybe cylindracea. There may be other possible matches.

[Steve Wurzel]

Thanks Leif, Agrocybe cylindracea - Poplar Fieldcap, was my first match, but a book I own has that popular in Southern Europe, so I was very concerned that it wasn't a positive ID for that reason, but I'll revisit that idea if you say it's a UK mushroom too.

I also have Tricholoma cingulatum - Girdled Knight to check, but I think that might slightly too small.

Almost certainly that stump is willow, unfortunately both grow on willow!!

So it's a question of checking the specs of each mushroom unless someone can rule one out or add any. But I will be checking my two sites shortly for further comparisons to these.

Thanks again for your input, all welcome

[Leif]

That is certainly not Tricholoma cingulatum. The cap and stem colour is too pale, and your specimen appears to be growing on wood, rather than soil. A. cylindracea does occur in the UK.

[Fungus Ken]

And don't forget there are lots of clues you can use in the field to narrow things down. These specimens clearly have gills that are turning darker greyish-brown as the spores ripen. Scrutiny with a hand lens would undoubtedly confirm that this is a brown spored species. Tricholoma species have white spores.

With the ring on the stem, the clustered growth on wood, brown spores and the pale cap and stem, with the centre of the cap becoming ochraceous and cracked there is no doubt that Leif is correct with his suggestion of Agrocybe cylindracea.

The Basidiomycota Checklist says:

"Habitat: On wood, usually arising from lesions or knot holes on trunks and branches of living deciduous trees, most frequently Populus nigra but also Acer pseudoplatanus, Sambucus nigra and Ulmus spp. Rarer hosts include Acer negundo, Aesculus, Carpinus, Fagus, Fraxinus, Populus italica, Robinia pseudoacacia, Quercus and Salix spp.

Notes: Occasional in southern and south western England, rarely reported elsewhere."

It's a good find and a species I haven't seen for many years because it doesn't crop up very often in the north of England.

Ken

[Steve Wurzel]

Originally Posted by Fungus Ken

With the ring on the stem, the clustered growth on wood, brown spores and the pale cap and stem, with the centre of the cap becoming ochraceous and cracked there is no doubt that Leif is correct with his suggestion of Agrocybe cylindracea.

Salix spp. (willow)

Notes: Occasional in southern and south western England, rarely reported elsewhere."

It's a good find and a species I haven't seen for many years because it doesn't crop up very often in the north of England.

Most likely Willow, Somerset Levels for those in the photo.

I'm fairly certain I have two sites for these, two different species of tree, hopefully the slugs haven't ate them all and I'll perform a detailed autopsy on both of these as they do reoccur annually from fairly early in the year, July onwards from memory, and hopefully post up nicer photos if they are a somewhat rare in the UK.

Thanks again for the info, it's all useful.