Help with ID for five fungi, please

[Monkey Orchid]

Hi, I just started looking for and photographing fungi last year so my identification skills are still pretty rudimentary. I'm a bit daunted as an amateur, although I love admiring all the wonderful forms and colours that fungi can manifest... I've had a go at identifying some of my fungi photos already on my own (largely relying on Roger Phillips' Mushrooms book), but I would really appreciate any help with identifying the following five specimens:

Growing in mixed broadleafed woodland near Newbury, Berkshire.


Growing in open grassy/mossy area amongst coniferous/mixed woodland near Bracknell, Berkshire.


Growing on pine stump in coniferousplantation near Bracknell, Berkshire.


Growing in open area amongst silver birch/mixed broadleafed woodland near Newbury, Berkshire.


Growing in open grassy area amongst coniferous/mixed woodland near Bracknell, Berkshire.


Also if people had advice for making future identification easier, I'd appreciate any tips. I understand that the following things may be helpful: images of fungus cap, gills/pores, stem (with base of stem if possible) and immediate environment; description of what fungus is growing on; description of habitat; any smell or discolouration on bruising/cutting. I don't own a microscope so I can't do the minutiae of spore ID, but are spore prints helpful?

[thelawnet]

My thoughts would be you need to show the gills as well, as it's pretty essential for ID.

I think the purpose of a spore print is to find the colour of the spores.

[Chris Yeates]

hi

yes often the more images of different parts, spore print colour etc the better - and even then names are not always possible without microscopical examination and even then . . . .

that said the top one is one of the honey fungus group - I would say Armillaria ostoyae

2 and 4 could well be Laccaria species (quite a tricky group)

and the last one looks like a milk-cap Lactarius sp. - possibly L. tabidus but that's not a definite by any means!

with Lactarius characters such as whether the milk is 'hot' or mild, whether it changes colour - tabidus milk on a white handkerchief would turn yellow after a short while for example, habitat preferences etc. can all provide clues towards an ID

cheers

Chris

[flaxton]

3 is Phaeolus schweinitzii.

Mal

[Monkey Orchid]

Many thanks to all of you for your help.

I've been looking at photos of various Laccaria in the Gallery - it is a tricky group, isn't it! I'm fascinated by how variable specimens of a single species can be. Is this a rule of thumb for many fungi, that their fruiting body appearance can be very variable? And what is this affected by? I'm assuming that factors like what the mycelium is growing in, seasonal variation, microclimate etc are all important.

I will bear the ID tips you've given me in mind, for future finds. Thanks again, folks.

[mollisia]

Hello,

the minutely scaly caps of the Laccaria in foto 2 suggest that it is Laccaria bicolor. Next time you find such a scaly Laccaria have a look at the colour of the mycelium at the base of the stem: It is violet in L. bicolor, but white in all other species of reddish Laccarias.

best regards,
Andreas

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by Monkey Orchid

. . .
Also if people had advice for making future identification easier, I'd appreciate any tips. . . .

clearly, in light of Andreas' comment, don't hide the stem base behind a bit of wood!

a bit of careful 'gardening' can help reveal useful characters; also handle the specimen as little as possible - details, especially of stem features in groups like Inocybe and Conocybe are easily lost (this can be a problem on organised forays, when a fungus is passed from person to person)

and take lots of images - I still have to remind myself to do this (harking back to the "these slides are not cheap" days!)

best wishes

Chris

[Monkey Orchid]

Thanks again for the ID help. And for the tips for making identification easier - I too forget that with digital images, it's good to take as many photos as possible!