"Inky Caps" are plants only by the most inclusive of concepts, but interesting nonetheless. I don't know what species this is and no longer have access to the hardware to determine species. Anyone interested can check out this website: http://www.homepages.hetnet.nl/~idakees/index.html
That is some interesting fungus Clathrus, I wish I knew how to identify wild edible mushrooms, I love mushrooms, but can't really trust myself on this, since they can be so poisonous.
Josephine.
I have some like those that grow from the side of one of my railroad ties. It's like there's a new batch every morning. They are very interesting.
There is a new batch every morning. As the day progresses the gills liquify (deliquesce), exposing the spores to the elements and can then be spread via wind, rain splash, dripping onto the ground, or insects. These mushrooms are strict saprobes, and will be found growing from dead organic material such as mulch. I am hoping that another mushroom, one that I take my login name from, Clathrus, will appear. The fungus "Clathrus" is a member of the order Phallales, so-called from the type species, Phallus, which name is very, very obvious when you see it. The name is also descriptive of the odor, also. "Clathrus" is an attractive fungus, but not pleasant to smell. Check this site out for images:
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/images/332/Basidiomycota/Gasteromycetes/Phallales/
Very cool, Clathrus!
What are the mushrooms with the purple stems called?
What mushrooms with purple stems? Psilocybe has a stem which turns purple or blue when you bruise it, but I'm sure that none of the folks on this forum would be fooling around with those, being hallucinagenic and all. http://www.magic-mushrooms.net/ and http://www.clusterbusters.com/ident.html
There are a number of other mushrooms with purple stems, or purple color in other tissues, including a poisonous one which turns blue to purple when its stem is even lightly touched. (I don't recall the name; mushrooms aren't really my forte.) This reaction is very fast, whereas on Psilocybe the reaction is rather slow and requires an actual bruise.
Well, you are a wealth of fungal facts, Clathrus! Thank you for the links and info! I'll be delving into the world of mushrooms alot more, now.
Just remembered the mushroom I had in mind that turns blue when the stem is touched (or broken in two). It belongs to the genus Boletus, but I believe there are a number of other genera in the family Boletaceae) which do so. This family is recognized by having a stem and cap, but instead of gills, they have pores underneath. Some are edible, but one is called Boletus emetica because it really, really, works on the intestinal tract with disturbing results. Like most fungi, it won't kill you, you will simply wish it would.
http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Boletus+amygdalinus&guide=Fungi&flags=not_no:
My area of expertise is actually the micro-fungi, the ones visible only with a microscope. I am also, secondarily, a retired plant pathologist who specialized in tree, particularly pine, diseases.
This message was edited Sep 20, 2007 3:07 PM
The compost I use is of hardwood from this area. There is a different kind of mushroom everyday. Will take some pictures. Another of great interest. Thank you for joining in.
Clathrus, what are these two fungi? One is a yellow mushroom, and the other is a big blob that is growing amongst the chutes of my crepe myrtle. Should I apply cinnamon or just let them be.
Here is another kind that grows from the side of an old railroad tie. What kind is it?
I don't really know the names of either of these fungi, but could most likely chase them down and will do so later. Were I you, I would simply let them grow and dnjoy them; they will do no harm. Cinnamon probably wouldn't kill them anyway; fungi are like icebergs because what you see represents only a small part of the actual organism. The mushroom is simply the apparatus for producing and disseminating the spores and isn't involved in nutrient uptake and processing. The major biomass of the fungus will be in the soil. You may be interested to know that many of these mushrooms actually form symbiotic, mutualistic relationships with the higher plants. These relationships are called "mycorrhizae" which is a name which encompasses both the root and the fungal symbiote. Pine trees for example, have an absolute requirement for its fungal symbionts. They can attain a height of, possibly, about 2 inches without the mycorrhizal relationship. Other plants are less acutely dependent on such relationships, but the only plant family I know of that doesn't have mycorrhizal root systems would be the mustard family. I don't know much about cactus roots; I don't think they have been much studied yet.
