Posted: Thu Aug 18, 05 12:24 pm Post subject: help id this fungus
Hi
Out of interest, I'd like to know what fungus this is, which I spotted a couple of days ago on the foot of Cader Idris in Snowdonia, in a wooded area.
thanks
Ross
To get right down to species with an oyster type mushroom, especially a white one, you need to have it in your hands.
I want to say that it's Pleurotus pulmonarius or Pleurotus ostreatus, and they're the most likely ID's. But it isn't totally unlike Pleurotellys porrigens.
Are they hard to mistakes for each other and is any of them dodgy?
We have often found an oyster type that is quite a nice chocolate brown on the top as well as white and grey.
The Pleurotellus species is poisonous, and there are some other similar-ish fungi that are rather unpleasant, but the true oysters aren't that hard to spot.
Stick to Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus cornucopiae, which have pale lilac spore prints, and don't worry too much, and you should be fine; Pleurotellys porrigens is really rather rare, found only in highald pine woods according to Phillips.
thanks, don't think I would pick them if I saw them again then, seeing as they can be similar to poisonous ones.
The poisonous ones are really rare, though, and if you do a spore print you can distinguish the two... Once you've seen them both (or once you've picked oyster mushrooms a couple of times and have a feel for what you're doing) you won't need to do the spore print any more.
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