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thegardenangel

Orange Mushroom? Fungus?

thegardenangel
18 years ago

Hello,

I thought I would post a picture of an orange and yellow edged "fungus thing" I found in the woods. I know absolutely nothing about mushrooms but would love to know more about this! Thanks for any information! :)

~Maria~

{{gwi:610830}}

Anyone know what it's called?

Comments (7)

  • tony469
    18 years ago

    toad stool dont know the name

  • plummy
    18 years ago

    its called chiken of the woods, sulfer shelf, and a couple others its edible but i woulnt go pick and eat it i would reasearch

  • cac0
    18 years ago

    Yep, that's Laetiporus sulphureus.

  • billhoo
    18 years ago

    Clean it and cook it like chicken breast.

    The only other orange mushroom in North America to be worried about is the Jack-o-lantern which has a mushroom shape and is bright orange. I forgot the spore pattern, but another giveaway for the deadly Jack-O-Lantern is that it glows greenish in the dark.

    There are some good books you can get in the library for identifying edible mushrooms of north America.

    Though the Chicken of the woods is one of the most sought edible shelf mushrooms, I would try eating a small mouthful before making a meal. Some people have allergic reactions to wild mushrooms.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    18 years ago

    If found on a living tree, this fruiting body is a red flag warning signal of heart rot, butt or root rot. It can also be found on dead wood.

  • walshja
    18 years ago

    reply to billhoo

    Is this a Jack-o-Lantern mushroom?

    I recently added this post trying to identify a large cluser of orange mushrooms which appear in my yard the same time and place every year.

    http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/crypto/gal0911540413730.html?2

  • bella_trix
    18 years ago

    Hi Maria

    That's a beautiful Laetiporus sulphureus! Absolutely gorgeous. Also beware of eating it if it is growing on eucalyptus - seems to be linked to more stomach upsets.

    Walsja - I'm going to go out on a limb with your mushroom, but it sure looks like one I just identified for my mother. Her's was Lyophyllum decastes, the fried chicken mushroom (despite its tasting nothing like chicken). I'd never seen one so orange before, so maybe it's a variation local to Pennsylvania/the East Coast. Her's were growing from the roots of a dead tree. Do you have one nearby? For yours, I'd need a better picture of the gills and a spore print to be more sure. Take a print by laying the mushroom gill side down on both white and black paper, covering with a bowl and allowing to sit for 4-8 hours. For Lyophyllum decastes the spore should be white. Also, the interior flesh of the mushroom should be white. "All the rain promises and more" by David Aurora is a great book for identifying mushrooms, but it's aimed at California Mushrooms. Most of the pictures of Lyophyllum descastes looked nothing like hers, but here are a few that were closer: http://www.fungaljungal.org/guide/pages/Lyophyllum_decastes_jpg.htm
    and
    http://www.sporeworks.com/gal7/lyophyllum.jpg
    My mom's was very orange, like yours.

    Bellatrix

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