www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Not a butterfly I'm afraid, but I know we have a few mushroom experts out there...

Really bright red/orange mushroom on dead wood - found in a wood in central Bedfordshire today.
White gills (not pores), no ring, no obvious smell. Not Fly Agaric. Very striking, but I can find nothing similar in my books.
Any ideas?
Trev

I'm not a Fungi expert Trev but I'd be looking hard at the Rassula species and in particular the Scarlet & Bloody Brittlegills. Just a pointer until someone nails it for you.

Regards,

Bill

Thanks Bill, but it wasn't a russula as these particular mushrooms were sprouting directly from dead wood (russulas grow on the ground).
Having done a bit more homework, I think they are most likely to be some sort of Hypholoma sp. ie in the same family as the common "Sulphur Tufts" found on dead wood...
Best guess at the moment is (Hypholoma sublateritium), aka the "Brick Cap". They can apparently vary quite a lot in colour but these were particularly bright. Any confirmation/other ideas welcome though

Trev

I'd suggest Pluteus aurantiorugosus, which grows on rotting stumps of broadleaved trees. It is generally described as uncommon/rare but widespread in the south of England and was said to be found quite frequently after Dutch elm disease.

Guy

That's brilliant Guy - after searching through some on-line images I'm sure that's the one.
You really are amazing - more of a geyser of knowledge than a mere fountain in my book

Many thanks as usual,

Trev

You exaggerate, but I can live with that ...

Most books don't have this species but it is illustrated and very well described in the Collins Fungi Guide:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Fungi-G ... lins+fungi

(there's a paperback of that in preparation)

I've never seen aurantiorugosus but your pictures and description seem to match it perfectly, except that you haven't taken a spore print so we can't compare that.

One thing though - if I or anyone else identifies an edible mushroom for you online, you should as a matter of prudence treat them as an unreliable source, not as a geyser of information! Every year, people die from misidentifying mushrooms and a great many of them regard themselves as experienced mushroomers! Just a reminder ...

Guy

Yes, a timely reminder Guy as we come into the main mushroom season. I now only photograph them and know how easy it is to make a mistake - it only takes one... Nicholas Evans, the author of "The Horse Whisperer" made a mistake a few years ago and was very lucky to get away with his life.

Trev

My modest collection of Fungi fieldguides have no reference to Pluteus aurantiorugosus - so is that a good enough excuse not to ID it

Now I'm probably going to have to add the Collins Fungi Guide (I promised myself I'd keep away from Fungi...bah!!!) don't think you can ever have too many books, and this is a good example why...but I still manage to get them wrong

Nice one Guy! You should be well satisfied Trev, incidentally what is the UK status of Pluteus aurantiorugosus is that info available?

Regards,

Bill

padfield wrote:You exaggerate, but I can live with that ...

LOL! For once, I agree.

'Guy the Geyser' doesn't really have the same gravitas as 'Lawrence of Erebia'.

Trev

Guy,
I find your identification amazing.I have the Collins Guide written by Paul Sterry and Barry Hughes-the latter being a neighbour of mine-and also
Roger Phillips guide,but no mention of this one amongst the other Pluteus.I know that many of the names have recently changed,so I wonder if there was a previous name.The nearest I can find is P.coccineus as a name but was it in a previous genus in these older books.I will ask Barry Hughes when I see him.
P.J.U.

This species does have a few synonyms. See here:
http://data.nbn.org.uk/speciesInfo/taxo ... 0000038576

Click on the 'Synonyms' box near the bottom of the page to expand the list.

Paul

Only five different names and still not in the guides I mentioned.
P.J.U.

The NBN provides some useful information, I never gave the NBN Gateway a thought (thanks Paul) regarding the status of this Fungi, it appears rather localized but not exactly rare, perhaps 'infrequent' is a better status.

I've taken a look at the buyers comments on Amazon UK re; Collins Fungi Guide, it doesn't appear to have the best customer based ratings for what is a rather prestigious title, just 3.5 out of a possible 5 and it appears the customers with the lowest feedback are not just casual fieldguide buyers - but serious 'Fungi Fans'. I'm going to give this title a good look see at the Birdfair at Rutland Water on Friday. Stefan Buczacki the main author is a Botanist and not a Mycologist (if that really matters!). There appears to be some disappointment about the quality of the artwork too...then again 'one mans meat etc'.

Bill