Pleurotus sp.

[thebeard]

on the way back from the shop today i noticed a load of mushrooms growing from the ground - i presume there must have been some buried wood under the grass - as i believe its some sort of pleurotus. There were quite a few of these clumps, and this one had been kicked up, so i decided i'd take it home to have a proper look. Does anyone have an idea on the species, as i've had a look in Phillips and i couldnt find anything about any species so deep chestnuty brown like these ones - also i'd expect this genus to be growing on stumps or logs etc, rather than down on the ground. smell was very strong but not really very 'pleasant', the whole clump is 18cm across at its longest

here's the photos (not in situ!!!)

[diggleken]

Hi beard, yes looks like pleurotus ostreatus, slightly dried - there'll be some buried wood there.
Cheers
Ken

[thebeard]

thanks, strangely its a species i dont see very often, and when i do its usually completely dessicated.