Shaggy white agaricus? growing out of dead wood

[AAK]

Found in heathland in Hampshire, growing out of a dead tree stump. A white, conical mushroom with a cap base diameter of 3-4 cm. The cap was very scaly on the outer edges, all white apart from a slightly yellow top/crown. The free gills were pinky brown and forked. The spore print was a reddish brown. Agaricus I thought, although no ring was evident, and I had also read that a characteristic of agaricus is that the stipe comes away easily from the cap…..not in this case, the rest of the cap tore off when I tried to remove the stipe and remained resolutely attached to the cap. There was no discolouration from bruise or cut. First Nature mentions that there are “a few (generally smaller species) of agaricus are to be found on rotting wood”.

I’m not sure if it is agaricus, and if it is, I know from previous posts that it’s a difficult family to identify visually but hoping there is enough here to narrow down an identification given its appearance and that it was growing out of a stump. Thanks as always

[Lancashire Lad]

Hi,

This is one of the few occasions with fungi that it’s easy to identify from a couple of photos.

It is indeed from Order: Agaricales, and it is undoubtedly Volvariella bombycina – Silky Rosegill.

The “volva” from which it gets its name, can clearly be seen in the second photo.

Unfortunate in this instance that you picked it whilst so small, as this one is quite rare.

It can get to a substantial size, (20cm or so), and can look quite impressive when fully grown.

Regards,

Mike.

[AAK]

Thanks Mike, and a shame indeed. Distinctive enough where it probably didn’t need to be picked. I might need to buy a little dentist’s mirror.

[Lancashire Lad]

AAK wrote:

. . . . . I might need to buy a little dentist’s mirror.

and a large library of fungi books, and a microscope, along with downloads of countless fungi articles & scientific papers . . . . . . .

And then – if you are anything like me – you still won’t be able to confidently identify half of what you find! 🙄

This one was straightforward, – only because I’ve seen it, specifically read about it, and identified it in the past.

Keep looking, keep reading, and if at all possible get a microscope – it will help immensely, but then it’s the start of a whole new ballgame. 😮

Regards,

Mike.

[AAK]

I have been procrastinating for ages on going to the next level…..does anyone know what the minimum spend is for a microscope capable of doing what needs to be done, or have good reviews of any recent such purchase

[adampembs]

I’m really happy wth the Apex Researcher

https://www.apexmicroscopessecure.co.uk/store/Apex-Researcher.html.

[Author]

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