what are these mushrooms?

[antwann]

hello,this is my first post here. i have been trying to figure out what kind of mushrooms these are. there was one of them in the backyard. the single white one. the other is an amanita i think. it was out in the woods.thank you. these were found in western massachusetts.

[Izzy_Bee]

I bilieve the first one is a (Daedalea quercina)

Oak Maze Gill it is white, cap shapped, and well know in Massachusetts.

 

The other one I found hard to identify as it looks like a lot of mushrooms.

 

I think it could be.. (Laxitextum bicolor)

Two-tone Parchment

I am not sure it would be better if I knew the shape and.. spore producing surface (:

I hope this was helpful ..

[Blahah]

I'm sorry but both of those identifications are definitely wrong.

 

@Truth: Both the fungal species you suggested are brackets:

Daedalea quercina looks like this:

It is only found growing directly on the surfaces of wood, especially Oaks (hence the quercina in the name).

 

while Laxitextum bicolor looks like this:

It is also only found growing on the surfaces of rotting wood.

 

@antwann: I can't identify the first species from that picture but if it's still growing you can pick it, turn it upside down and take a picture which shows the gills. If you could also take a picture with a ruler next to the mushroom I can probably identify it from that.

 

The second one is not an Amanita, their ring develops by falling down from the cap as it opens. Since that one has a closed cap but the ring is clearly visible, I don't think it's an Amanita I would guess that it's a very young Lepiota of some sort, or from the star-shaped ring it might be an earthstar. I don't know of any earthstar species with a scaly bulb like that though. If you can go back the spot and find it again it should have opened out more, then you can take pictures of the gills. Also please incude the size.

Edited February 12, 2011 by Blahah

[Moontanman]

I have no idea what the first mushroom is but the second is very similar to this one.

 

http://americanmushrooms.com/coolest.htm

 

Other species of Amanita contain completely diferent toxins. Several species—most notably the Fly Agaric (A. muscaria) and the Panther (A. pantherina)—contain muscimol and ibotenic acid, which cause, per Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America, "…delirium, apparent innebriation, manic behavior, and a tendency to perceive small objects as very large. Some victims exhibit a desire for intense physical activity; most experience a deep sleep, usually with visions. Nausea and vomiting may also occur. …" The North American Mycological Association (NAMA)'s Website states that "…the principle effects are on the central nervous system: confusion, visual distortion, a feeling of greater strength, delusions and convulsions. Drowsiness is a common symptoms, and many who ingest these mushrooms fall asleep and can not be roused."

Yellow-orange Fly Agaric (A. muscaria var. formosa)

 

I think I would avoid it... I used to pic wild mushrooms when I was a teenager, I cooked them and sold some of them occasionally to the local farmers market, looking back it's probably a miracle i didn't kill my self or someone else but I was very conservative in what mushrooms I picked, oyster and coral mushrooms were my favs.

[Blahah]

Moontanman they look similar in shape and colour, but I would be surprised if they are the same. If you look at the raised parts of the cap in the OP's second picture, you can see they are quite a regular shape with straightish edges. Compare it to Amanita muscaria var. formosa where the white raised areas of the cap look like they have torn edges.

 

Regular shaped raised bumps like in the OP's second picture are characteristic of the genus Lepiota and are called scales. Powdery/torn bumps like A. muscaria are called 'volval remnants' and are left over from when Amanita species cap bursts out of the volva (a cup like structure) as they first emerge.

 

It is conceivable that they are the same, and this could just be an unusual specimen - it's the star shaped ring which is confusing.

 

In either case, Moontanman is definitely correct that you shouldn't eat them. If you want to eat wild mushrooms, stick to the extremely obvious ones which can't be confused with poisonous species.

 

Roger's Mushrooms is an excellent site for both identifying wild mushrooms and learning how to recognise common poisonous ones. I have his book, Mushrooms, and it is very clear and useful.

Edited February 12, 2011 by Blahah