Agaricus Bohusii?

[FungiJus]

Hi folks,

Despite the dry, looks like Agaricus bohusii has cropped up again here in MK. This was id'd by Andy Overall from the photo I uploaded last year (where are you Andy?). However reading Andreas' comments here Link he suggests that the image on that post is too stout for bohusii and mine are no less stout, in fact, if anything, more so.







So I thought I would try to get some proper details and seek further confirmation. I even tried to do some microscopy and have managed to get these rudimentary spore shots. I don't have an eyepiece with graticules so I don't know the size of these and the quality isn't great - got these by balancing the camera on top of the 'scope which kind of works.....



Anyway, I'm not sure what the spores are meant to look like - I can't find any details on t'web of the spores specifically so I wonder if someone could help with this and offer an opinion?

Again, referencing Andreas' comments, the fruitbodies smelled and tasted mushroomy, so I guess this rules out Agaricus cappellianus (A.vaporarius)?

Cheers in advance for any help.
J.

[FungiJus]

Well, I eventually got round to sending these off to Kew, together with another collection from 2010, from a different woodland in Milton Keynes (Linford Wood in fact for those that know the area), and both have come back as confirmed A.bohusii, so we can all stop puzzling over this one...

Quite pleased with that - they seem to be only the second and third record for Bucks (the first being found by Derek Schafer back in 2005).

Out of interest, the most recent record on the database was by our very own Andy O', who if I remember right took a short break from WAB for a while back in '09, hence my comment on the OP. Good to have you back Andy!!

Cheers,
J.

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by FungiJus

Well, I eventually got round to sending these off to Kew, together with another collection from 2010, from a different woodland in Milton Keynes (Linford Wood in fact for those that know the area), and both have come back as confirmed A.bohusii, so we can all stop puzzling over this one...

Quite pleased with that - they seem to be only the second and third record for Bucks (the first being found by Derek Schafer back in 2005).

Out of interest, the most recent record on the database was by our very own Andy O', who if I remember right took a short break from WAB for a while back in '09, hence my comment on the OP. Good to have you back Andy!!

Cheers,
J.

Thankyou J, Yes I'm still visiting the site and giving my penneth worth, its fun. RE: A. bohusii and dimensions. One of those records of mine on the FRDBI contained one of the largest Agaricus specimens I have ever come across, it was huge (don't have the dim's to hand). Size is not a reliable characteristic for various reasons. Water uptake is one and often when species such as A. bohusii don't form a big cluster, a large individual or two may form as result, which is what happened with the collection I mention above. Just remembered, a picture of that very specimen appeared in

Field Mycology
Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2007, Pages 3-4

Happy foraying

Andy

[fairplay]

Andy's bragging again, trying to make out it was so big the photo had to be printed on 2 pages.

Nice one Andy !

Neil.

[FungiJus]

Looks like you have made that edition of FM pretty much your own Andy - photos on page 3, a nice article on pages 24 through 27, and more photos on page 35!

You're right though, that photo of yours from Golders Green with the hugely thick stipe does look a lot like the one I took with my Swiss army knife in. The knife, by the way, is your 'standard' size (+/- 100mm long) and I seem to remember the stipe was 75mm dia in this case.

I shall pop back up there in September, as I'm pretty sure they'll be there again.

Cheers,
J.