Mushroom/fungus ID

schmiggle

Arachnoking
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
2,220
You won't be able to get a positive ID from pictures for a non-descript, brown mushroom. Did you check if it had gills or pores, whether or not it had a partial veil, how crowded the gills were? Is there any chance you have a sporeprint and a high-power (>1000x) microscope? Even then an ID would be challenging, but it might at least be feasible. I'm not being facetious, fyi.
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
Old Timer
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Aug 8, 2005
Messages
11,048
You won't be able to get a positive ID from pictures for a non-descript, brown mushroom. Did you check if it had gills or pores, whether or not it had a partial veil, how crowded the gills were? Is there any chance you have a sporeprint and a high-power (>1000x) microscope? Even then an ID would be challenging, but it might at least be feasible. I'm not being facetious, fyi.
How about a quick step by step guide to taking spore prints?
 

schmiggle

Arachnoking
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
2,220
How about a quick step by step guide to taking spore prints?
Sure.
1. Take the spore producing part of the fungus off of whatever non-spore-producing parts it may have (in this case, take the cap off the stem).
2. Put it on a sheet of paper colored to contrast with the spores.
3. Put a cup or something over the top to prevent the spores from going everywhere.
4. Wait.
Some species are harder to get prints of--small ones I've never been successful with, and coprinoids are a group that turn into what is essentially ink after a few hours, so there you need to go fast (although the ink stuff is full of intact spores).
With puffballs, you'll have to open it yourself, but there are so many spores that there won't be any need to wait (if you haven't seen them before you'll see as soon as you open one. They're great toys).
Hope this is helpful. Once you have the spore print, it's useful to record the color and make a microscopy slide.
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
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11,048
Recalling a student at college. She took spore prints on various colored materials then took high res photos of them, blowing them up to poster sized. She then made them into a montage that covered a 20 foot long wall of the science building. Mind bending.
 

Ratmosphere

Arachnoking
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
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2,294
Checked today and the fungus was totally gone! Wonder what happened to it.
 
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