Sunday, September 6, 2020

Mushrooms 2020 - Coral-like mushrooms

 


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Cauliflower mushroomSparassis -  is a type of parasitic and saprobic mushrooms characterized by their unique shape and appearance. This appearance can be described as similar to a sea sponge or a head of cauliflower from which it has been given its popular name.

 Two of these, the Easter and Rooting Cauliflower Mushrooms, are among the largest and most easily identified of choice edible mushrooms. 
They are increasingly cultivated and being sold in Korea, Japan, United States and Australia.




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Coral mushrooms also known as mushroom corals, coralomorphs and mushroom anemones. They look like coral from the ocean floor and appear in clusters of small, thin "branches". Some types of Coral mushrooms grow on wood, although most of them are found on the ground.  There are many different types of coral fungi, all of which have some kinds of upright branches.

I don't even try to identify the individual coral mushrooms - there are a lot of them and they are very diverse.
I have found a couple articles about coral mushrooms which may be helpful -
 here and here.

 




















Thursday, September 3, 2020

Mushrooms 2020 - Jelly mushrooms and fungi

Pseudohydnum gelatinosum - Jelly mushrooms and  fungi have many common names: Toothed Jelly Fungus, False Hedgehog Mushroom, Cat's Tongue, White Jelly Mushroom...These widely distributed species are edible mushrooms and are found Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, North America, and South America. The fungi grow in woodlands on dead trunks, logs, and stumps







 
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Tremella fuciformis is a species of fungus with many names:
is commonly known as Snow Fungus, Snow Ear, Silver Ear Fungus, and White Jelly Mushroom. Tremella fuciformis is a tropical and subtropical jelly fungus found on hardwood logs after heavy rains.
It is whitish or almost transparent and quite large (up to about 2.75 inch (7 cm) in diameter) - and has the form of a jelly-like lobe.
  This fungus is commercially cultivated and is one of the most popular fungi in the cuisine and medicine of China.




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Jelly Babies (Leotia lubrica) - these small mushrooms almost always grow in clumps. This is a gelatinous mushroom that often feels slippery and another name for it is Slippery Cap. It is also called Green Slime Fungus and the Gumdrop Fungus.



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Brown clustered Ear Cup




Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Mushrooms 2020 - Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic - a very strange mushroom in North Carolina forests

 

Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic or Gelatinous Stalked-Puffball (Calostoma cinnabarinum; the species name, cinnabarinum refer to the color of this puffball - cinnabar ) 


This is a very strange looking puffball-like mushroom.

The young mushrooms is covered with a thick layer of jelly-like material and looks like the inside of an egg with a strange color (almost like cracked  open and egg, only yolk). 
As the fungus matures, it sheds its gelatinous layer. This layer breaks into small pieces around the mushroom. Most of the pieces have bright red seeds resembling a pomegranate seed.  
When the growing ends up it resembling a little, red/orange balloon glued to the top of a tiny mound.
Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic grows alone or in groups, often in moss beds or in low-lying, wet areas; from spring to autumn. It is seen more often at higher altitudes in eastern North America, Texas, and possibly the Southwest and also Central and South America. It is considered inedible although is eaten or used in folk medicine in some areas.