Question on Mushroom Species

Wei-Shin's picture

Hi!

I'm not a mushroom expert. We generally don't give advice on edibility of mushrooms without seeing it in person and in the context of where it was found and how it was growing. But those are some nice pictures, and I'll post it on the website for people to comment. Please check the website for opinions from people more knowledgeable than me. Thanks!

As a club, we disavow any opinions on mushroom identification for legal reasons. Please keep that in mind before you take anyone's advice.

Wei-Shin, Membership Chair Central PA Mushroom Club [email protected]

On May 27, 2011, at 2:49 PM, Debbie Dneaster wrote:

Hi, My name is Debbie Dneaster. I meet your organizations on a mushroom hike.. My brother and I are interested in knowing if the pictures of the mushrooms are Portabellas or not...????? Please let me know as soon as you can, cuz, I would like to fry them up if they are eatable...

Thanks a million.... Debbie and Len

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Comments

Dave R.'s picture

Do NOT Eat

There are wild mushrooms growing in this area that can make you sick and some that can kill you.  To safely eat any wild mushroom you must either personally get to know that mushroom very thoroughly or have it identified by someone you trust who knows it thoroughly.  Only a few mushroom species are so distinctive that they can be identified by a photograph alone.  And even for those species, you can be more comfortable eating them if you learn about them and any other mushrooms that may look like them.  This takes time and a little effort, but that is the price of safety.  If you don't have the time or desire to learn about wild mushrooms, eat only mushrooms from the store.  If you want to eat wild mushrooms, continue to attend club meetings and take the time to learn to know the edible and poisonous mushrooms in our area before eating any wild mushroom.  Please be safe and learn before eating. 

Dave

Do not eat!

 These are definitely not portabellos!

 It's very difficult to ID any mushroom from a photo. What were they growing on or in? What color is the spore print? Is that the remants of a ring on the stem? What did the base look like?   My first guess is they are in the stropharia genus- some are good some are not. My second guess is that they are an agrocybe- not edible.  The one that is cracked on the cap is old but leads me in the direction of an agrocybe.  

 With the abundant rains this spring you will see a lot of fungi fruiting. The only sure way to know is to learn the mushroom and when in doubt- THROW IT OUT!

Karen