Unidentified Fungus Growing in Allotment

Willo · #1 (**permalink**) 13-10-2010, 08:56 PM

The above photos are of a fungus (I assume it is a fungus as it doesn't look like anything I else I know) I found growing amongst my raspberry canes in my allotment. The ground is fairly un-disturbed and I put manure on every other year. There is a small stand of woodland and hedgrow within ten metres which is mainly oak, blackthorn and hawthorn.

The fungus itself stood about 4 inches tall and was the same in diameter. The stem was a little under an inch in diameter. The top surface of the cup was dark brown and had a similar texture to baize while the outsides had a lot of pores (which I assume are gills) and was olive green.

I hope that this enough information for an identification and that somebody will be able to help me.

Will

Ditiola · #2 (**permalink**) 13-10-2010, 10:16 PM

Hi Will
Fungi shaped like a 'Toadstool' release their spores from either:
a) Gills these are thin plates of tissue that hang down from the underside of a cap, like in flat capped mushrooms in the supermarket.
b) Small horizontal tubes packed tightly together ending in pores on the underside of the cap.
C) Spines (or teeth) hanging from the underside of the cap, although there are not many like this and most are quite rare.

Your specimen is clearly in category 'B' with pores (not gills) most of the ones in this group with a central stem come under the family Boletales and the biggest genus in this family is Boletus. I suggest this is where you start looking for your fungus in your guide books (I take it you do have some books!)

Peter

Willo · #3 (**permalink**) 24-10-2010, 06:19 PM

Peter,

thank you for pointing me in the direction of the Boletes. I have done a bit of research and have boiled it down to either a red cracking bolete or a bay bolete. Unfortunately I didn't see it when it was younger which may have helped. Am I in the right ball park?

I don't have any books on fungi. Obviously it is a bit of a hole in my library. would anybody be able to recommend one which I can put on my Christmas list?

Will