Unidentified various fungi growing in a silver birch/oak wood

[vole-woman]

Found these plus a lot of fly agaric in a wood near where I live, n Shropshire. I've tried to ID them, but the sites I've looked at kind of require you to know a fair bit about fungi first. If there's a simple identification site that works like a decision tree ("Is your fungus bracket? Y/N" sort of thing) then I'd be grateful for a pointer.

[watsthat]

Hi

Were it that simple; there are numerous types of fungi (uncountable?) and every one goes through a development from freshly emerged to mature, during which it changes its colour and shape. Add to this the intrinsically variable nature of fungi and you have the conundrum we know and love! However; if you want help identifying any fungus it might be worth having a luck at the sticky on the home page of the fungus forum. As for your pictures; someone on here will offer their two pennyworth of advice but I`ll need more time. BTW a popular fungus book by Michael Jordan has a key near the beginning which I find useful sometimes.


Cheers

Pete

[Chris Yeates]

here's my two penn'orth

top Boletus badius, middle left Stereum hirsutum, bottom Mycena pura

cheers

Chris

[alindsay]

Chris

Do you subscribe to idea that the pink Mycena is a separate species, Mycena rosea?

[vole-woman]

Thanks, all.

I'm so ignorant on the topic I don't know the breadth of my own ignorance!

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by alindsay

Chris

Do you subscribe to idea that the pink Mycena is a separate species, Mycena rosea?

opinions differ as to whether it deserves distinction at the varietal or species level - I think it is generally accepted as a good species; I don't know enough on the subject - I was using "pura" in the broad sense, which would include rosea; microscopically there are virtually no distinctive features

let's see what others think

Chris

[fairplay]

When the BMS held their annual foray in Suffolk in 2009, I thought I would be able to 'clear up' all my misgivings re: pura v rosea, but listening to and watching all these very experienced people identifying these species in the field only led me to the conclusion there is considerable overlap/confusion between these two species still.
Regretfully, I was unable to get two experienced mycologists side by side saying this is or is not M.pura or M.rosea.

I think the theory is that M.pura is more of a deeper (mauve) colour, whilst M.rosea is an obvious 'pink', but several members were even calling 'pink' specimens M.pura which left me just as confused.

Neil.

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by fairplay

. . . . . I was unable to get two experienced mycologists side by side saying this is or is not M.pura or M.rosea.

I think the theory is that M.pura is more of a deeper (mauve) colour, whilst M.rosea is an obvious 'pink', but several members were even calling 'pink' specimens M.pura which left me just as confused.

Neil.

careful Neil - you'll get me going on why I like micro's next

Chris

[diggleken]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

Thanks, all.

I'm so ignorant on the topic I don't know the breadth of my own ignorance!

Hi Kate,
It takes many years (not that I have , er , yet) - not a simple subject at all, but extremely interesting, be careful, you'll get addicted!
This sticky doesnt give a key as you asked, but it might help in guidance of what to look for etc to aid ID.
Help us to help you identify fungi
Collins is a good book, no key as such, but read all the intro pages, you will learn a lot.
Good luck!
Cheers
Ken

[flaxton]

If you spend c£100 you can get Mycena D'Europe and it explains it all
If the cap is pink dirty pink lilac-pink pale-pink you have M rosea
If you have a cap with a grey-pink brown-purple-grey white or yellow you have M pura
BUT!!!!!
If the stipe is white or pink with pale lilac tints and the cap is yellow or whitish with yellow centre you have M pura forma lutea
If the cap is yellow surrounded by a pink halo you have var leutorosea
if pink-grey violaceous-grey or isabeline-grey(which is not even in the Methuen Handbook of Colour ) forma pura
a white cap gives forma alba

If the stipe is violet-red or violaceous-grey-red and cap is blue-violetor violaceous grey-blue forma ianthina
but if the stipe is violaceous-pink or violaceous-grey-pink and the cap is pink with violaceous-grey tint it is forma roseobiolacea
and finally if the stipe is violet or bluish violet and the cap is violet or with a yellow centre you have forma violacea

And people wonder why Chris turned to micro fungi.

Some of the books talk about an umbo or a depression round the umbo being distinctive but others reverse the names of fungi with these features.

After reading all the books I have I would now say if it is a pale and delicate pink go for rosea if it is darker go for pura and until we have portable DNA machines no one can argue.
Therefore I would say Mycena pura for this find.
Quick John freeze this thread before someone disagrees.

Mal