Help needed to ID fungi

[Iona F]

Originally Posted by pleb

Thanks for all that useful advice.

If I could pick your brains for one last point. What if I only wanted to accurately identify to genus level? Could I get by without high magnification and is there a book you could recommend. At present I only have an old copy of 'Mushrooms' by Roger Phillips.

phil

Genus can usually be achieved macroscopically with practice. Although that Lepista/Clitocybe situation would suggest exceptions!

I'd suggest getting a copy of the Sterry and Hughes Collins book, I've found it indespensible, and looking at fungi with lower magnification lenses is still fantastically interesting and informative

[Iona F]

Originally Posted by fairplay

Confirming everything you said Iona ! And despite a few tips recently on how to distinguish between Lepista flaccida and Clioctbe gibba (formerly C. infunibuliformis and believed now to be called Infundiclitocybe gibba ) I STILL struggle to separate the two in the field.

Neil.

You don't know how much better that makes me feel... Next year, same patches, different (microscopic) methods. We'll see how right or wrong I was this year!

[pleb]

Thanks Iona,

With Christmas coming up, a perfect excuse to treat myself and I have ordered the Collin's guide from Amazon.

phil