October Mushroom of the Month: Hairy Hexagonia, Hexagonia hydnoides
The October Mushroom of the Month is the Hairy Hexagonia, Hexagonia hydnoides
🍄⭐The October mushroom of the month is the Hairy Hexagonia, Hexagonia hydnoides
👏 Congrats to Juan for guessing it right and winning a membership to the society! 🎉
You can also be a supporting member to stay dialed-in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
A HAIRY SITUATION
It doesn’t take much imagination to see how the hairy hexagonia, aka Hexagonia hydnoides, got its name. Prolific and widely distributed, this non-descript bracket fungi boasts an iconic 5 o’clock shadow that gradually fades with age. A saprophytic white rot fungi, it can be found on dead and dying hardwoods throughout the America's, Africa and India. In East and Central Texas, it typically fruits in the spring and fall.
TAXONOMY
Cap 5–10 cm across; 4–7 cm deep; thin; irregularly semicircular; convex or nearly flat; densely hairy with dark brown to black hairs (but reportedly sometimes losing the hairs and becoming more or less bald with old age); faintly zoned, especially toward the margin; surface underneath hairs brown to dark brown.
Pore Surface Brown to dark brown; not bruising; with 3–4 slightly angular pores per mm; tubes 2–6 mm deep.
Flesh Rusty brown; not changing when sliced.
A SECRET SUPERPOWER
If you’ve been following us for a while, or watched our talk with Dr. Arturo Casadevall, you are probably aware of the connection between dark fungi and melanin. Dark mushrooms produce melanin, a natural pigment that provides structural integrity to cell walls and offers protection from radiation This protective ability of fungal melanin is linked to its capacity to absorb and dissipate electromagnetic energy, absorb free radicals, and provide a dark color.
Become a Supporting Member and stay dialed in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
How to Build Your Own Laminar Flow Hood
Of course! Since the blog page likely contains multiple posts, a general summary should highlight the blog's overall purpose and common themes. Here is a versatile summary that can be used for newsletters, social media, or the blog's main page.
⚠️ Important Safety Warning ⚠️
Building this device involves working with mains electricity (120V). If you are not 100% confident in your ability to wire components safely, hire a licensed electrician to perform the electrical connections. Faulty wiring can lead to electrical shock, fire, or damage to the components.
Overview of the Project
This project involves building a Laminar Flow Hood (also called a Horizontal Flow Bench). It uses a high-powered blower (a "can fan") to push air through a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. The filter removes contaminants (mold spores, bacteria, dust) from the air, creating a sterile, laminar (smooth, non-turbulent) flow of clean air in which you can perform sterile mycology work.
Final Result: You will have a self-contained unit with a pre-filter, a powerful fan, a HEPA filter, and a sealed work box.
Parts & Materials List
(Based on the Shroomery post)
Fan/Blower: Dayton 1TDT2 Blower, 549 CFM, 115V, 2.05 Amp, 1640 RPM. This is the heart of the unit.
Filter: 12" x 24" x 12" HEPA Filter (99.99% efficient @ 0.3 µm). This is the most critical component for sterility.
Pre-Filter: A basic furnace filter (e.g., 12x24x1") to extend the life of the expensive HEPA filter by catching large dust particles.
Box Construction:
3/4" Plywood or MDF - A single 4' x 8' sheet will be more than enough.
1x2" or 1x3" Pine Boards - for bracing and framing.
Silicone Sealant (100% Silicone) - for creating an airtight seal.
Wood Glue, Screws (1.5" and 2.5"), Nails.
Electrical:
Standard Power Cord (lamp cord or computer power cable).
Wire Nuts or Wago Connectors.
Electrical Tape.
Other:
Aluminum Filter Tape (foil tape) - for sealing joints.
Paint or Polyurethane - to seal the wood inside and out, making it easy to clean and preventing mold growth on the wood itself.
Tools Required
Tape Measure & Pencil
Circular Saw or Table Saw (a circular saw and a straight-edge guide works perfectly)
Jigsaw (for cutting the fan hole)
Drill/Driver with assorted drill bits and screwdriver bits
Staple Gun (optional, for pre-filter)
Caulking Gun (for silicone)
Scissors (for filter tape)
Sandpaper (medium and fine grit)
Safety Gear: Glasses, gloves, hearing protection, dust mask.
Step-by-Step Build Instructions
Phase 1: Design & Planning
Understand the Airflow Path: Air enters through the pre-filter on the back/bottom, is sucked in by the fan, pressurized in the plenum (the sealed box behind the filter), and then forced evenly through the HEPA filter.
Finalize Dimensions: Your box's front face (where the HEPA filter mounts) is determined by the filter size: 12" tall x 24" wide. The depth is up to you, but 16-18 inches is a common and effective depth for the plenum.
Phase 2: Building the Box
Cut the Wood:
Sides (2 pieces): 12" tall x (your chosen depth, e.g., 18") long.
Top (1 piece): 24" wide x (your chosen depth, e.g., 18") long.
Bottom (1 piece): 24" wide x (your chosen depth, e.g., 18") long.
Back (1 piece): 12" tall x 24" wide. This piece will have a large hole cut in it for the fan.
Front Frame (2 pieces): Cut two rails from 1x2" or 1x3" wood to act as a ledge for the HEPA filter to sit on. They should be about 22-23" long to fit inside the box.
Cut the Fan Hole:
Find the center of the back panel. An 8" fan typically requires an ~7.75" hole, but always use the template provided with your specific fan or measure the fan's collar.
Use a jigsaw to carefully cut out the hole.
Assemble the Box:
Apply wood glue to the edges of your side panels.
Attach the top and bottom panels to the side panels using screws. Pre-drill your holes to prevent splitting.
Attach the back panel with the fan hole to the assembly. Do not fully seal this with silicone yet.
Create the Filter Ledges:
Inside the box, on the front opening, attach the two horizontal rails. One will be near the top and one near the bottom. The HEPA filter will sit on these ledges from the front.
Ensure they are level and secure. The filter should sit flush with or slightly recessed from the front of the box.
Phase 3: Installing the Fan & Sealing
Mount the Fan:
Place the 8" Can Fan over the hole on the outside of the back panel. The fan's intake should be pointing away from the box.
Mark and pre-drill the mounting holes.
Apply a thick bead of silicone sealant around the fan's collar where it will meet the wood.
Screw the fan firmly and securely to the back panel. Wipe away any excess silicone.
Seal the Box:
This is the most important step for performance. Every single seam, corner, and joint inside the box must be airtight.
Run a generous bead of silicone sealant along every interior seam. Smooth it with your finger or a tool.
Reinforce the exterior seams with aluminum foil tape.
Let the silicone cure completely as per the manufacturer's instructions (usually 24 hours).
Phase 4: Electrical Wiring
Wire the Speed Controller:
DISCONNECT EVERYTHING FROM POWER.
The router speed controller has an input (line in) and an output (load out).
Connect your power cord to the input terminals on the speed controller.
Connect the wires from the fan to the output terminals on the speed controller.
Follow the specific wiring diagram that came with your speed controller. Typically: Black (Hot) to Black, White (Neutral) to White, Green/Bare (Ground) to Green.
Secure all connections with wire nuts or Wago connectors and ensure everything is tucked safely into the controller's housing.
Phase 5: Finishing & Final Assembly
Paint/Seal the Wood:
Sand the entire box, inside and out.
Apply 2-3 coats of paint or polyurethane to all surfaces. This creates a smooth, cleanable, and non-porous surface that won't harbor contaminants. Let it dry thoroughly.
Install the Filters:
Pre-Filter: Place the 12x24x1" furnace filter over the fan intake on the back of the unit. You can secure it with a simple wooden frame held on with screws or even strong tape for easy replacement.
HEPA Filter: Place the heavy HEPA filter onto the interior ledges on the front of the box.
Seal the HEPA Filter: Apply foil tape all the way around the seam where the filter meets the wooden box. This creates the final, critical airtight seal. Do not use silicone here, as you will need to replace the filter eventually.
Phase 6: Testing
Power On Test:
Place the unit on a stable surface. Plug the speed controller into the wall.
Turn the dial on the speed controller to its lowest setting, then plug in the fan.
Slowly turn the dial up. You should feel a strong, even flow of air coming from the entire face of the HEPA filter.
Airflow Test (The "Smoke Test"):
Use a stick of incense or a smoke pen. Turn the unit on to its operational speed (usually 70-80% power on the dial).
Hold the smoke source about 6 inches in front of the filter and let the smoke rise naturally. The smoke should be blown away in a smooth, laminar flow without any turbulence or back-drafting. If the smoke is chaotic near the filter face, your plenum may be too small or the fan speed may be too high.
Usage Tips
Let the unit run for 20-30 minutes before use to purge any contaminants from the work area.
Always wipe down the work surface with 70% isopropyl alcohol before and after use.
Work in the "laminar flow" zone, which is typically within 6-10 inches of the filter face. Keep your open petri dishes, grain jars, and agar work in this clean airstream.
Replace the pre-filter regularly (every 3-6 months depending on use) to maintain airflow and protect the HEPA filter.
The HEPA filter itself should last for many years in a clean home environment.
Enjoy your new, professional-grade sterile workbench!
September Mushroom of the Month: Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic, Calostoma cinnabarinum
The September Mushroom of the Month is the Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic, Calostoma cinnabarinum
🍄⭐The September mushroom of the month is the Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic, Calostoma cinnabarinum
👏 Congrats to Hannah for guessing it right and winning a membership to the society! 🎉
You can also be a supporting member to stay dialed-in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
Not quite a puffball
Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic may sound like a puffball, but it isn’t. Long mistaken for a puffball, earthstar, or stinkhorn, Calostoma cinnabarinum is now classified in the order Boletales, despite little resemblance to its relatives. Its name “cinnabarinum” comes from the Greek kinnábari, for its vivid cinnabar-red color, like dragon’s blood. Common names include red slimy-stalked puffball, aspic puffball, gelatinous-stalked puffball, and “hot lips.” In central Mexico, it’s called “orchid fungus” in Spanish (hongo orquídea) and Nahuatl (huang noono).
A fungi defined by its slime
A key trait of this mushroom is its “aspic”, a gelatinous veil that surrounds the young fruit before sloughing off. The goo has been compared to amphibian eggs or “small red tomatoes in jelly.” As it matures, a whitish stalk emerges while the red tip elongates and fades. Mycorrhizal with oaks, it grows alone or in groups, often in moss beds or wet lowlands, from spring through fall. Its range includes eastern North America, Texas, possibly the Southwest, as well as Central and South America, with reports from Asia. It’s especially common at higher elevations; the described collections are from North Carolina.
Can you eat it?
Few would be tempted to eat this mushroom, and most field guides list it as inedible. Yet a study of mestizo descendants of the Otomi people in Tenango de Doria, Mexico, found that immature specimens, called yemitas, were once eaten raw—especially by children—though this is no longer common. The gleba is described as mild in taste, not sweet despite local recollections. A 1986 ethnomycological study in Veracruz recorded its use to treat gastrointestinal distress. Still, other folk beliefs warn it is poisonous, citing its bright color as a sign of danger.
Become a Supporting Member and stay dialed in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
September Foraging Forecast
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Comes with download of a Wild Edible Mushroom Calendar.
Huitlacoche: Mycosarcoma maydis
DESCRIPTION: Called “corn smut” and considered a pathogen by most U.S. farmers. In Latin America it is a delicacy, rooted in indigenous cultures who intentionally grow the fungus as a complete source of nutrition.
Habitat: Heirloom Corn
Spore Color: Black
Size: ½ to 11 inches, kernels to swell up to 10 times their normal size
Edibility: Delicate, earthy flavor that compares to truffles.
Look-alikes: None
Learn about our Huitlacoche Growing Experiment.
Chicken of the Woods: Laetiporus, 4 species in texas
DESCRIPTION: Orange to yellow polypore, with yellow or white pores on underside.
Habitat: Grows in shelfs on heartwood of dead or dying oaks.
Spore Color: White Size: 6-12" width
Edibility: Contains proteins, fat, fiber and tastes just like chicken! Harvest when young, colorful, and moist. Becomes lighter in color, fiborus, mealy and dry, inedible with age.
Look-alikes: Shaggy Bracket, Inonotus hispidus (non-toxic)
REISHI: Ganoderma, 12 species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Polypore with woody, varnished texture, banded red to brown colors with white pores on underside.
HABITAT: Grows at base or on hardwood stumps, logs, especially oaks and pecan. Pines in East Texas.
SPORE COLOR: Brown
SIZE: 4-10" width
EDIBILITY: Medicinal. Very bitter because of medicinal compounds.
LOOK-ALIKES: Red-Belted Conk, Fomitosis Pinicola (also medicinal).
Honeycomb Fungus: Favolus 3 species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Genus of tropical fungi in the family Polyporaceae but with fleshy with radially arranged pores on the underside of the cap that are angular and deeply pitted, somewhat resembling a honeycomb. White to yellow and grows alone or in overlapping clusters similar to oyster mushrooms or other shelf fungi.
HABITAT: On decaying hard-wood, year round when humidity is high after rain.
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 3-6" wide
EDIBILITY: Odor slightly foul, especially in rehydrated material; taste not distinctive. Tough texture and can be cooked like chicharrones.
LOOK A-LIKE: Oysters, Pluerotus or Lentinellus cochleatus (none observed in Texas) but grow on decomposing wood.
Wood Ear: Auricularia 6+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Brown to amber in color. Jelly texture that is irregular, wavy, and ear-shaped. Lacks gills or pores.
HABITAT: Grows in clusters on decaying hardwood after rain
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 4-6" in width and > 1/4" thick
EDIBILITY: Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amber Jelly, Exidia recisa which is also edible.
Puffball: Lycoperdon and Calvatia, 15+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Smooth and spherical, deflate and turn purplish or brown on inside with age making inedible. Some peal and have spines.
HABITAT: Overgrazed Prairie or grasslands.
SPORE COLOR: Purple-brown
SIZE: 2- 60" diameter
EDIBILITY: Doesn’t have a strong flavor of its own and absorb flavors. Try making a Giant Puffball Pizza.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amanita species which can contain toxins and be fatal. If center of puffball is not white, it can cause GI distress.
Blue Milkcap: Lactarius Indigo
DESCRIPTION: Blue cap with concentric rings and a depression in center, sticky or slimy to the touch. Brittle flesh, stem. Gills and body exude blue latex when injured tissue is and stains the wounded tissue greenish blue.
HABITAT: Mycorrhizal and grows in deciduous and coniferous forests.
SPORE COLOR: Cream
SIZE: 2.0–5.9" cap width
EDIBILITY: Choice. Peppery taste and has a coarse, grainy texture.
LOOK-ALIKES: Blewit, Collybia nuda or Lactarius paradoxus (edible)
Chanterelles: Cantharellus, 10+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Red, orange, yellow to white, meaty and funnel-shaped and can be found in clusters or individual mushrooms. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, most species have rounded, forked folds that run almost all the way down the stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap.
HABITAT: Symbiotic and found around 5-30 feet of mature live and red oaks after a lot of rain. Chanterelles need a lot of rain to fruit and they like the torrential Texas-style flash floods. Trees near creeks and where water is flowing downhill is very important. Avoid trees that are in areas that are mowed. Trees with undisturbed leaf matter and not many understory plants are ideal.
SPORE COLOR: White Yellowish
SIZE: 2-6" height
EDIBILITY: Choice. Many species emit a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots, and often have a mildly peppery taste.
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
Oyster: Pleurotus ostreatus
DESCRIPTION: Color can vary white, tan and gray.White to cream gills, run down stem.
HABITAT: Grows in clusters and decomposes hardwood.
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across.
EDIBILITY: Choice. Delicious meat replacement in all types of cuisines
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
Turkey Tail: Trametes versicolor
DESCRIPTION: Variable coloration, distinct striping pattern. No gills, pores are small and round, white to light brown
HABITAT: Grows in overlapping clusters on logs and stumps
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across.
EDIBILITY: Medicinal. Tough, leathery flesh. Can be brewed into a tea, broth, or extracted into a tincture.
LOOK A-LIKE: False turkey tail. or Stereum ostrea and is non-toxic. Mushroom Expert has a useful check list to determine if it is true medicinal turkey tail.
Become a member and learn more about wild mushroom foraging in Texas!
Membership benefits include early access and discounts to walks, workshops, and more. Your membership helps support the larger community! Tag us to get help with ID and add your observations to iNaturalist.org. If you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
August Mushroom of the Month: Blushing Rosette, Abortiporus biennis
The August Mushroom of the Month is the The Blushing Rosette, Abortiporus biennis
🍄⭐The August mushroom of the month is the Blushing Rosette, Abortiporus biennis
👏 Congrats to Sophia for guessing it right and winning a membership to the society! 🎉
You can also be a supporting member to stay dialed-in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
Blushing Rosette
Abortiporus biennis — the blushing rosette - is a rare but charismatic bracket fungus that has a soft spot for our local oak and elm trees. Around East and Central Texas, you might spot it fruiting in spring or fall, usually on dead or dying branches. Its brackets are semicircular to kidney-shaped, with a smooth, velvety top and a pore surface that glows white to cream.
Two distinct forms of Abortiporus biennis can be encountered: a "normal" looking, regular sort of polypore with a brown cap and a whitish pore surface that bruises reddish to reddish brown—and a gnarled, messy-looking, "aborted" form that consists of a mass of irregular white pores that exude a reddish juice and bruise reddish brown; in this form there is hardly a cap or a stem to speak of, and as the mushroom grows it often engulfs sticks and blades of grass.
A Tricky Taxonomy
Taxonomists have had quite the time with Abortiporus. There are at least 55 different names it’s gone by — a mix of species and genus labels — thanks to its wildly different forms. They can look so unlike each other (and unlike other polypores) that early mycologists kept thinking they’d discovered something new. To make matters even more interesting, Abortiporus biennis produces both sexual spores and asexual chlamydospores, which led to its anamorphic forms getting their own separate names.
Why We Love It: This is a fungus with a serious flair for disguise. It’s a living example of why mushroom ID can be equal parts science, art, and wild goose chase — and we’re here for it.
Tips for ID
Cap: 5–15 cm across; roundish-to semicircular, kidney-shaped, or irregular in outline; planoconvex; finely to thickly velvety, or sometimes more or less bald; dry; light brown to reddish brown or tan, with a pale margin; sometimes with concentric zones of brown shades.
Pore Surface: Whitish, bruising and discoloring reddish or pinkish brown; pores appearing "stuffed" when young, later angular to maze-like or irregular, 1–4 per mm; tubes to 5 mm deep.
Stem: When present 3–10 cm long; 1–3 cm thick; lateral; tapering to base; soft and spongy; fuzzy; brownish.
Flesh: White to pinkish or pale tan; exuding a pinkish juice when squeezed; tough.
Odor: Fragrant or, often, somewhat foul.
Chemical Reactions: KOH on flesh negative to pale brown.
Spore Print: White.
Become a Supporting Member and stay dialed in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
August Foraging Forecast
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Comes with download of a Wild Edible Mushroom Calendar.
Chicken of the Woods: Laetiporus, 4 species in texas
Orange to yellow polypore, with yellow or white pores on underside.
Habitat: Grows in shelfs on heartwood of dead or dying oaks.
Spore Color: White Size: 6-12" width
Edibility: Contains proteins, fat, fiber and tastes just like chicken! Harvest when young, colorful, and moist. Becomes lighter in color, fiborus, mealy and dry, inedible with age.
Look-alikes: Shaggy Bracket, Inonotus hispidus (non-toxic)
Huitlacoche: Mycosarcoma maydis
Called “corn smut” and considered a pathogen by most U.S. farmers. In Latin America it is a delicacy, rooted in indigenous cultures who intentionally grow the fungus as a complete source of nutrition.
Habitat: Heirloom Corn
Spore Color: Black
Size: ½ to 11 inches, kernels to swell up to 10 times their normal size
Edibility: Delicate, earthy flavor that compares to truffles.
Look-alikes: None
Learn About Our Huitlacoche Growing Experiment!
Reishi: Ganoderma, 12 species in Texas
Polypore with woody, varnished texture, banded red to brown colors with white pores on underside.
HABITAT: Grows at base or on hardwood stumps, logs, especially oaks and pecan. Pines in East Texas.
SPORE COLOR: Brown
SIZE: 4-10" width
EDIBILITY: Medicinal. Very bitter because of medicinal compounds.
LOOK-ALIKES: Red-Belted Conk, Fomitosis Pinicola (also medicinal).
Honeycomb Fungus: Favolus 3 species in Texas
Genus of tropical fungi in the family Polyporaceae but with fleshy with radially arranged pores on the underside of the cap that are angular and deeply pitted, somewhat resembling a honeycomb. White to yellow and grows alone or in overlapping clusters similar to oyster mushrooms or other shelf fungi.
HABITAT: On decaying hard-wood, year round when humidity is high after rain.
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 3-6" wide
EDIBILITY: Odor slightly foul, especially in rehydrated material; taste not distinctive. Tough texture and can be cooked like chicharrones.
LOOK A-LIKE: Oysters, Pluerotus or Lentinellus cochleatus (none observed in Texas) but grow on decomposing wood.
WOOD EAR: Auricularia 6+- species in Texas
Brown to amber in color. Jelly texture that is irregular, wavy, and ear-shaped. Lacks gills or pores.
HABITAT: Grows in clusters on decaying hardwood after rain
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 4-6" in width and > 1/4" thick
EDIBILITY: Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amber Jelly, Exidia recisa which is also edible.
Puffball: Lycoperdon and Calvatia, 15+- species in Texas
Smooth and spherical, deflate and turn purplish or brown on inside with age making inedible. Some peal and have spines.
HABITAT: Overgrazed Prairie or grasslands.
SPORE COLOR: Purple-brown
SIZE: 2- 60" diameter
EDIBILITY: Doesn’t have a strong flavor of its own and absorb flavors. Try making a Giant Puffball Pizza.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amanita species which can contain toxins and be fatal. If center of puffball is not white, it can cause GI distress.
Blue Milkcap: Lactarius Indigo
Blue cap with concentric rings and a depression in center, sticky or slimy to the touch. Brittle flesh, stem. Gills and body exude blue latex when injured tissue is and stains the wounded tissue greenish blue.
HABITAT: Mycorrhizal and grows in deciduous and coniferous forests.
SPORE COLOR: Cream
SIZE: 2.0–5.9" cap width
EDIBILITY: Choice. Peppery taste and has a coarse, grainy texture.
LOOK-ALIKES: Blewit, Collybia nuda or Lactarius paradoxus (edible)
Chanterelle: Cantharellus, 10+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Red, orange, yellow to white, meaty and funnel-shaped and can be found in clusters or individual mushrooms. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, most species have rounded, forked folds that run almost all the way down the stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap.
SPORE COLOR: White Yellowish
HABITAT: Symbiotic and found around 5-30 feet of mature live and red oaks after a lot of rain. Chanterelles need a lot of rain to fruit and they like the torrential Texas-style flash floods. Trees near creeks and where water is flowing downhill is very important. Avoid trees that are in areas that are mowed. Trees with undisturbed leaf matter and not many understory plants are ideal.
SIZE: 2-6" height
EDIBILITY: Choice. Many species emit a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots, and often have a mildly peppery taste.
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
Lobster mushroom, Hypomyces lactifluorum
Parasitic fungus that grows on certain species of mushrooms, turning them a reddish orange color that resembles the outer shell of a cooked lobster.
HABITAT: Grows in mixed woods where H. lactifluorum specifically attacks members of the genera Lactarius and Lactifluus (milk-caps), and Russula (brittlegills), such as Russula brevipes and Lactifluus piperatus in North America. At maturity, H. lactifluorum thoroughly covers its host, rendering it unidentifiable.
SPORE PRINT: White spore print
Edible with a subtle shellfish flavor that's easy to identify with no look alikes.
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
NOTE: I spotted this Lobster after we had torrential rain in 2019. Hypomyces may be parasitizing these mushrooms. Several members of the community have already seen them this year!
Become a member and learn more about wild mushroom foraging in Texas!
Membership benefits include early access and discounts to walks, workshops, and more. Your membership helps support the larger community! Tag us to get help with ID and add your observations to iNaturalist.org. If you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
July Mushroom of the Month: Purple-spored Puffball, Calvatia cyathiformis
The July Mushroom of the Month is the Purple-spored puffball, Calvatia cyathiformis
🍄⭐The July mushroom of the month is Purple-spored Puffball, Calvatia cyathiformis
👏 Congrats to May Feng for guessing it right and winning a membership to the society! 🎉
You can also be a supporting member to stay dialed-in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
puffball gigante
Two grapefruit-sized puffballs bloom in the grasslands of North America: the Giant Puffball, Calvatia gigantea, and the Purple-spored Puffball, Calvatia cyathiformis. Both are edible when young—their interiors pure white and marshmallow-soft. What distinguishes the Purple-spored from its cousin is its transformation with age—body and spores evolving from pure white to deep, rich purple. In East and Central Texas, it fruits June to October, often in open woods, fields, and roadsides. The fungus grows in various soils, including clay, loam, and sand, and is associated with oak, pine, and other deciduous trees
taxonomy & ecology
Calvatia cyathiformis, or purple-spored puffball, is a large saprobic Calvatia species. This terrestrial puffball has purplish to purple-brown spores, distinguishing it from other large Agaricales. The fruiting body is 5–20 cm (2–8 in) high or broad. When young it’s smooth, spherical or slightly flattened, and white, purplish, or brownish. It has a chocolate-brown or purple gleba with a smooth exoperidium. As it matures, it becomes pear- or top-shaped, and the exterior darkens or silvers. Later, the skin cracks, releasing spores dispersed by wind and rain. A leathery sterile cup remains after spores disperse.
uses & benefits
Besides being edible when young, puffballs can be used to dye fabrics and paper when used in combination with ammonia (as a mordant). Purple-spored Puffballs create a rusty red color while Giant Puffballs make a more reddish-brown dye. Medical scientists are currently investigating puffballs in the genus Calvatia because they have been shown to prevent some types of tumors. For years, puffballs have been used as a styptic to stop bleeding and to dress wounds − both powdered and slices of the mushroom.
BECOME A SUPPORTING MEMBER & stay Dialed in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom
July Foraging Forecast
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Comes with download of a Wild Edible Mushroom Calendar.
REISHI: Ganoderma, 12 species in Texas
Polypore with woody, varnished texture, banded red to brown colors with white pores on underside.
HABITAT: Grows at base or on hardwood stumps, logs, especially oaks and pecan. Pines in East Texas.
SPORE COLOR: Brown
SIZE: 4-10" width
EDIBILITY: Medicinal. Very bitter because of medicinal compounds.
LOOK-ALIKES: Red-Belted Conk, Fomitosis Pinicola (also medicinal).
honeycomb fungus: FavoluS 3 species in Texas
Genus of tropical fungi in the family Polyporaceae but with fleshy with radially arranged pores on the underside of the cap that are angular and deeply pitted, somewhat resembling a honeycomb. White to yellow and grows alone or in overlapping clusters similar to oyster mushrooms or other shelf fungi.
HABITAT: On decaying hard-wood, year round when humidity is high after rain.
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 3-6" wide
EDIBILITY: Odor slightly foul, especially in rehydrated material; taste not distinctive. Tough texture and can be cooked like chicharrones.
LOOK A-LIKE: Oysters, Pluerotus or Lentinellus cochleatus (none observed in Texas) but grow on decomposing wood.
WOOD EAR: Auricularia 6+- species in Texas
Brown to amber in color. Jelly texture that is irregular, wavy, and ear-shaped. Lacks gills or pores.
HABITAT: Grows in clusters on decaying hardwood after rain
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 4-6" in width and > 1/4" thick
EDIBILITY: Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amber Jelly, Exidia recisa which is also edible.
Puffball: Lycoperdon and Calvatia, 15+- species in Texas
Smooth and spherical, deflate and turn purplish or brown on inside with age making inedible. Some peal and have spines.
HABITAT: Overgrazed Prairie or grasslands.
SPORE COLOR: Purple-brown
SIZE: 2- 60" diameter
EDIBILITY: Doesn’t have a strong flavor of its own and absorb flavors. Try making a Giant Puffball Pizza.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amanita species which can contain toxins and be fatal. If center of puffball is not white, it can cause GI distress.
Blue Milkcap: Lactarius Indigo
Blue cap with concentric rings and a depression in center, sticky or slimy to the touch. Brittle flesh, stem. Gills and body exude blue latex when injured tissue is and stains the wounded tissue greenish blue.
HABITAT: Mycorrhizal and grows in deciduous and coniferous forests.
SPORE COLOR: Cream
SIZE: 2.0–5.9" cap width
EDIBILITY: Choice. Peppery taste and has a coarse, grainy texture.
LOOK-ALIKES: Blewit, Collybia nuda or Lactarius paradoxus (edible)
CHANTERELLE: Cantharellus, 10+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Red, orange, yellow to white, meaty and funnel-shaped and can be found in clusters or individual mushrooms. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, most species have rounded, forked folds that run almost all the way down the stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap.
SPORE COLOR: White Yellowish
HABITAT: Symbiotic and found around 5-30 feet of mature live and red oaks after a lot of rain. Chanterelles need a lot of rain to fruit and they like the torrential Texas-style flash floods. Trees near creeks and where water is flowing downhill is very important. Avoid trees that are in areas that are mowed. Trees with undisturbed leaf matter and not many understory plants are ideal.
SIZE: 2-6" height
EDIBILITY: Choice. Many species emit a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots, and often have a mildly peppery taste.
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
Lobster mushroom, Hypomyces lactifluorum
Parasitic fungus that grows on certain species of mushrooms, turning them a reddish orange color that resembles the outer shell of a cooked lobster.
HABITAT: Grows in mixed woods where H. lactifluorum specifically attacks members of the genera Lactarius and Lactifluus (milk-caps), and Russula (brittlegills), such as Russula brevipes and Lactifluus piperatus in North America. At maturity, H. lactifluorum thoroughly covers its host, rendering it unidentifiable.
SPORE PRINT: White spore print
Edible with a subtle shellfish flavor that's easy to identify with no look alikes.
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
NOTE: I spotted this Lobster after we had torrential rain in 2019. Hypomyces may be parasitizing these mushrooms. Several members of the community have already seen them this year!
Become a member and learn more about wild mushroom foraging in Texas!
Membership benefits include early access and discounts to walks, workshops, and more. Your membership helps support the larger community! Tag us to get help with ID and add your observations to iNaturalist.org. If you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
June Mushroom of the Month: White Juniper Fungus, Robergea albicedrae
The June Mushroom of the Month is White Juniper Fungus, Robergea albicedrae
🍄⭐The June mushroom of the month is White Juniper Fungus, Robergea albicedrae
👏 Congrats to Reid Hardin @ireidaceae for guessing it right and winning a membership to the society! 🎉
You can also be a supporting member to stay dialed-in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
it’s not chalk, it’s not mold, it’s a lichen!
It’s a common sight in the Texas hill country, one you might have even overlooked or never thought to take much notice of - the branches of ashe juniper trees striped with a non descript, chalky white material. At first glance it looks like it could be part of the tree itself, just some variation of the bark. It’s prolific. Upon closer inspection, you may notice some small nodules, or fruiting bodies, from which spores are expelled. What you are looking at is, in fact, a lichenized fungus!
Taxonomy & Ecology
Lichens are symbionts, a symbiotic relationship between an algae and a fungus. They are classified by their fungal partner. In 1910, Heald and Wolf described this fungus species and assigned it the name Cyanospora albicedrae. The generic name Cyanospora was based on the (apparently incorrect) observation that the spores were green. The following year Saccardo and Traverso corrected this and assigned the species to the genus Robergea.
When you see this fungus in the field, look for small gray nodules on the whitened patches. These contain the fruiting bodies from which the filamentous spores
are expelled.
Juniper Friend or foe?
Since its description in 1910, many researchers have assumed that the relationship between Robergea albicedrae and its host to be parastic. However, studies of others in Stictidaceae have shown a dynamic relationship in terms of nutrient assimilation, for example, the colonization of existing dead twigs as saprotrophs, “optional lichenization,” and parasitic endophytism. More research is needed to determine the exact nature of their relationship.
BECOME A SUPPORTING MEMBER & stay Dialed in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom
June Foraging Forecast
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Comes with download of a Wild Edible Mushroom Calendar.
Blue Milkcap Lactarius Indigo
Blue cap with concentric rings and a central depression, 2.0–5.9", sticky or slimy to the touch.
In the Russulaceae family, with brittle flesh, stem.
Gills and body exude blue latex when injured tissue is and stains the wounded tissue greenish
Mycorrhizal and grows in mixed woods. Yellowish spores
Choice edible, peppery taste and has a coarse, grainy texture
Look-alikes: Blewit, Collybia nuda or Lactarius paradoxus (edible)
CHANTERELLE Cantharellus
DESCRIPTION: Red, orange, yellow to white, meaty and funnel-shaped and can be found in clusters or individual mushrooms. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, most species have rounded, forked folds that run almost all the way down the stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap.
SPORE COLOR: White Yellowish
HABITAT: Symbiotic and found around 5-30 feet of mature live and red oaks after a lot of rain. Chanterelles need a lot of rain to fruit and they like the torrential Texas-style flash floods. Trees near creeks and where water is flowing downhill is very important. Avoid trees that are in areas that are mowed. Trees with undisturbed leaf matter and not many understory plants are ideal.
SIZE: 2-6" height
EDIBILITY: Choice. Many species emit a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots, and often have a mildly peppery taste.
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
Lobster mushroom, Hypomyces lactifluorum
Parasitic fungus that grows on certain species of mushrooms, turning them a reddish orange color that resembles the outer shell of a cooked lobster.
Grows in mixed woods where H. lactifluorum specifically attacks members of the genera Lactarius and Lactifluus (milk-caps), and Russula (brittlegills), such as Russula brevipes and Lactifluus piperatus in North America. At maturity, H. lactifluorum thoroughly covers its host, rendering it unidentifiable.
White spore print
Edible with a subtle shellfish flavor that's easy to identify with no look alikes.
I spotted the Lobster shown in the photo on July 4, 2019 after we had consistent rain. Hypomyces may be parasitizing these mushrooms. Several members of the community have already seen them this year!
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
OLD-MAN-OF-THE-WOODS Strobilomyces strobilaceus
Cap is soft dark grey to black with overlapping scales of dark fuzz with an ascending annulus. The narrow stem also fuzzy and can with one or two ring zones.
In Boletaceae family with dirty white, hexagonal pores that turn reddish to black when bruised.
Usually growing single, on the ground in mixed hardwood forests and mycorrhizal with oaks.
Not a choice edible but young mushroom has a mellow, earthy flavor. Must be cooked.
Look-alikes: Strobilomyces confusus (non-toxic) or Amanita onusta (Toxicity unknown)
HONEY MUSHROOMS
Desarmillaria, Armillaria species
Honey-colored, dry, scaly to sticky cap, Mellea species has a ring on the stem. Grows in clusters and has gills. Part of a genus that is the largest living organism ever found on this planet.
SPORE COLOR: White
HABITAT: Decaying hard-wood stumps and roots of living trees in the spring and fall after rain.
SIZE: 6"
EDIBILITY: Choice. Many species emit a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots, and often have a mildly peppery taste.
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
Jackson's Slender Caesar
CAP: Emerges from egg or volva and is oval at first, becoming convex, typically with a central bump; sticky; brilliant red or orange, fading to yellow on the margin; typically without warts or patches; the margin lined for about 40–50% of the cap's radius. The red pigment fades from margin toward the center with age.
GILLS: Moderately crowded to crowded, orange-yellow to yellow-orange to yellow. They are free from the stem or slightly attached to it; yellow to orange-yellow; crowded; not bruising. The short gills are subtruncate to truncate.
STEM: 9-15 cm long; 1-1.5 cm thick; slightly tapering to apex; yellow; with orange to reddish fibers, often in zones; not bruising; with a yellow to orange, skirtlike ring; with a large (4-7 cm high and 4 mm thick), white, sacklike volva.
SPORE COLOR: White
HABITAT: Mycorrhizal with in hardwoods and pines. They are more common in East Texas but they can be found in Central Texas in places like Bastrop
SIZE: 3-4" in height. Caps sometimes open to 6-10”.
EDIBILITY: Choice but not recommended because of toxic look a-likes. The flavor is of hazelnuts and chestnuts.
LOOK A-LIKE: A. muscaria (contains a neurotoxin that can be parboiled out and A. phalloides (fatal).
honeycomb fungus
Genus of tropical fungi in the family Polyporaceae but with fleshy with radially arranged pores on the underside of the cap that are angular and deeply pitted, somewhat resembling a honeycomb. White to yellow and grows alone or in overlapping clusters similar to oyster mushrooms or other shelf fungi.
SPORE COLOR: White
HABITAT: On decaying hard-wood, year round when humidity is high after rain.
EDIBILITY: Odor slightly foul, especially in rehydrated material; taste not distinctive. Tough texture and can be cooked like chicharrones.
LOOK A-LIKE: Oysters, Pluerotus or Lentinellus cochleatus (none observed in Texas) but grow on decomposing wood.
Shoehorn Oyster Mushrooms
Hohenbuehelia petaloides
Pale to brown funnel-shaped caps with decurrent gills
SPORES: White
HABITAT: Fruits after rain in mulch or woody debris. Considered carnivorous because it traps nematodes with “sticky knobs” in the mycelium to obtain nitrogen and grow.
EDIBILITY: Edible when cooked but can be tough and mealy
Shoehorn Oyster Mushrooms, Hohenbuehelia petaloides is distinctively shaped; its "petaloid" habit often makes it look like a shoehorn with gills, or a rolled-up funnel. Other identifying features include its fairly crowded whitish gills, a white spore print, mealy odor and taste—and, under the microscope, gorgeous "metuloids" (thick-walled pleurocystidia). It often appears in clusters in urban, semi-urban, or even household settings, and is frequently associated with woody debris (though it does not usually grow directly from dead wood) or cultivated soil. However, it can be found in woodland settings, too, where it tends to grow alone or in small groups.
Because this mushroom grows in wood chips which are a good source of carbon but a terrible source of nitrogen, the fungi needs to make proteins. Both Hohenbuehelia and Pleurotus can supplement their protein needs by trapping and consuming nematodes, which are small flat worms that are very abundant in wood and soil. The fungi have "sticky knobs" on the hyphae that grow through the wood. These sticky knobs attach to curious nematodes as the nematodes attempt to eat the mycelium. The nematode thrashes around and additional parts of its body become stuck. The hyphae then grow into the body of the nematode and digest it, providing the fungus with the nitrogen it needs. That makes these fungi carnivorous!
LOOK A-LIKES: Oysters, Pluerotus or Lentinellus cochleatus (none observed in Texas) but grow on decomposing wood.
WOOD BLEWIT Collybia species, formerly Lepista, Clitocybe
Distinct lilac to purple-pink color
Grows in and decomposes leaf duff
Light pink to white spores
Great in breakfast tacos
As the weather stays cool, look out for the edible Wood Blewit, Collybia nuda or tarda species (formerly Lepista and Clitocybe.) This distinct lavender-colored mushroom is found from fall through spring and fruiting in hardwood leaf duff which is decomposes. Fresh wood blewits are great with eggs in breakfast tacos. As they get older they become more tan and iridescent colored on the cap and taste bitter. I throw the older wood blewits my compost leaf pile because they are such great decomposers and will colonize and grow in hardwood leaf litter.
Look-alikes: Be warned because there are deadly, poisonous look-alikes in the Cortinarius or webcap family that grow in similar conditions. It's important to do a spore print AND also confirm the ID with an expert. The spores of the wood blewit are light pink to white and the spores of Cortinarius mushrooms are rust colored. See our blog post with lots of photos and details to help you identify this mushroom.
OYSTER Pleurotus ostreatus
Color can vary white, tan and gray
White to cream gills, run down stem
Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across, white spores
Grows in clusters and decomposes hardwood
Delicious meat replacement in all types of cuisines
Look-alikes: Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens which is toxic and orange to brown in color.
WOOD EAR: Auricularia species
Grows in clusters on decaying hardwood after rain
Cap is wavy, ear-shaped to irregular, 1-4" and > 1/4" thick
Jelly texture and lacks gills or pores
Produces white spores
Absorbs flavors, great in soups, contains protein, iron, calcium and phosphorus
Edibility: Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
Look-alikes: Amber Jelly, Exidia recisa which is also edible.
Become a member and learn more about wild mushroom foraging in Texas!
Membership benefits include early access and discounts to walks, workshops, and more. Your membership helps support the larger community! Tag us to get help with ID and add your observations to iNaturalist.org. If you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.