by Bloomsbury
HABITAT
Found on grassy roadsides, by paths in woodland and on roadside verges. Widespread and common.
SEASON
Early summer to late autumn.
Branched Oyster
Pleurotus cornucopiae
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 12cm; stem to 5cm. Medium to large bracket. Cap convex and cream coloured when young, soon becoming flattened and buffish-brown with a split and lobed margin. Gills white, maturing buff, and run down to the stem base. Flesh white and firm with a slight aniseed or meal odour. Stem whitish and usually fused with other stems in a tuft.
HABITAT
Grows in dense tufts on the stumps and other wood of deciduous trees, particularly oaks, beeches and elms. Widespread but uncommon in Europe.
SEASON
Late summer to autumn.
Oyster Mushroom
Pleurotus ostreatus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 20cm. Medium to large bracket with a rubbery texture. Cap very variable in colour, often starting dark grey, then becoming lighter, but may be pale to deep buff-brown from the outset. Flesh white with white or cream gills reaching down the short lateral stem almost to the hairy base. Spores very pale lilac.
HABITAT
Occurs on the stumps, trunks and fallen timber of deciduous trees, particular poplars and beeches, growing in large and tight clusters. Widespread but patchily distributed in Europe.
SEASON
All year.
Soft Slipper Toadstool
Crepidotus mollis
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 7cm. Thin, watery and rubbery bracket. Cap pale cream and shell shaped. Gills whitish, becoming cinnamon-brown. The thin elastic skin (pellicle) on the cap top pulls off in one piece – a good diagnostic feature. Gills greyish-brown with a reddish tint, radiating outwards. Stem rudimentary or absent.
HABITAT
Found on the dead trunks, stumps, branches and twigs of deciduous trees. Widespread and common.
SEASON
Early summer to late autumn.
Aniseed Cockleshell
Lentinellus cochleatus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 6cm; stem to 8cm. Flesh-coloured or reddish-brown ear-shaped cap that is smooth and shiny. Gills pinkish-white and crowded, running on to the stem. Flesh pinkish-brown and tough with a strong odour of aniseed. Stem solid, smooth and rusty-brown.
HABITAT
Grows in large tufts on the stumps and old branches of deciduous trees. Widespread but unevenly distributed in Europe.
SEASON
July to December.
Rosy Spike
Gomphidius roseus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 5cm; stem to 5cm. Cap coral-pink and slimy, fading with age; convex at first, later almost flat, sometimes with a depressed centre. Gills white or pale grey; well spaced, forked and running down the stem. Spores blackish. Stem white, short and sturdy. Also called Pink Gomphidius.
HABITAT
Grows on acid soil with conifers and Shallow-pored Bolete, especially in grass under pines. A scarce European species.
SEASON
Autumn.
Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 12cm; stem to 8cm. Cap pale or bright yellow fading with age; tends to become funnel shaped after starting rounded. Appears to have gills, but these are in fact branching corrugations in the spore-bearing surface, which is slightly paler than the upper surface. Stem paler than the cap, short and sturdy. Odour pleasant, reminiscent of dried apricots. Edible and of excellent flavour. Also called Chevrette and Girole. Can be confused with False Chanterelle, especially the pale variety pallida, but the False Chanterelle has true gills, is less chunky, does not have an aroma of apricots and grows mainly under conifers.
HABITAT
Grows in woodland, most commonly under beeches, birches and pines, in open mossy clearings. Widespread and quite common across Europe.
SEASON
Early summer to early winter.
Trumpet Chanterelle
Cantharellus tubaeformis
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 6cm; stem to 8cm. Cap dingy brown with a wavy irregular margin. Spore-bearing ridges beneath yellowish, becoming grey with age. Stem yellowish and hollow. Flesh tough and thin with a faint sweetish odour. Seen side on, the whole fungus looks like a tiny wind-inverted umbrella.
HABITAT
Grows on acid soil in deciduous and coniferous woodland, particularly on the mossy banks of woodland streams. Widespread across Europe.
SEASON
Late summer to early winter.
Horn of Plenty
Craterellus cornucopioides
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Width to 8cm; height to 10cm. Trumpet-shaped fungus without a clearly defined cap or stem. Horn interior black when moist; exterior, which sheds the spores, ash-grey. Also called Black Trumpet and Trumpet of Death (despite being edible).
HABITAT
Grows among the fallen leaves of deciduous trees, particularly beeches and oaks, usually in groups. Widespread across Europe.
SEASON
Late summer to early winter.
Sinuous Chanterelle
Pseudocraterellus undulatus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 5cm; stem to 6cm. Cap greyish-brown, hollow and irregularly funnel shaped, with a crisp and frilly margin. Lower spore-bearing surface greyish-brown, and irregularly wrinkled and folded. Flesh pale with a fruity odour.
HABITAT
Grows in groups in soil among the leaf litter in deciduous woodland. Widespread but uncommon.
SEASON
Midsummer to late autumn.
False Chanterelle
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 7cm; stem to 4cm. Very similar in shape to Clitocybe species. Cap yellow to dark orange; convex then shallow funnel shaped with an inrolled wavy margin. Gills orange; crowded and very decurrent. Flesh and stem also orange. Not generally poisonous, but may cause hallucinations and sickness if eaten.
HABITAT
Grows under conifers, especially pines. Widespread and very common.
SEASON
Late summer to late autumn.
Hen of the Woods
Grifola frondosa
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 10cm; clump diameter 20–50 cm. Bracket cauliflower-like with a short central stem branching to form numerous fan-shaped brownish-olive caps, each with a crinkly dark margin and radial stripes. Spore-bearing surface underneath white. Flesh thick, white and fibrous with a sweet odour.
HABITAT
Occurs on the extreme bases of deciduous trees, on buried stumps and roots, favouring beeches, oaks, ash, hornbeams and Sweet Chestnuts. Widespread in Europe, but not common.
SEASON
Late summer to autumn.
Chicken of the Woods
Laetiporus sulphureus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 10–40cm. Bracket semicircular to fan shaped, flattened and crinkly with a thick margin, usually growing in tiered clusters. Upper surface egg-yolk yellow, darkening with age, although the margin remains bright yellow. Spore-bearing surface underneath sulphur-yellow. Flesh yellowish-orange, thick, soft and juicy, drying to white, tough and chalky.
HABITAT
Grows on deciduous trees, particularly oaks, Yews, Sweet Chestnuts, apples and willows. Widespread and quite common.
SEASON
Early spring to late autumn.
Giant Polypore
Meripilus giganteus
Fruit body 10–30cm. One of the largest polypores. Forms a rosette of fan-shaped caps, each one to 2cm thick. Felty-brown and zoned on the upper surface. Pores yellowish-grey bruising darker. Whole fruit body may measure a metre across in large specimens. Grows on the dead roots of trees, particularly beeches, appea
ring on the ground often at some distance from the trunk or stump. Occurs summer to early autumn.
Birch Polypore
Pitoporus betulinus
Fruit body 10–20cm. Bracket with rounded semicircular outline, commonly 5cm thick at the centre. Smooth, pale ochre-brown upper surface. The fine pores are creamy-white at first. Grows on the trunks and branches of living or dead birches. Once used as tinder, and also as a razor strop. Occurs all year round.
Lumpy Bracket
Trametes gibbosa
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 5–20cm. Thick annual cork-textured bracket fungus. Semicircular and slightly convex, and up to 15cm deep and 8cm thick. Upper surface greyish-white, irregular and lumpy, with a soft and velvety texture. Underside white or cream, then ochre, with radially elongated and creamy pores. Can be recognized with a fair degree of certainty by the fact that algae rapidly colonize the upper surface, turning it green.
HABITAT
Grows on the dead wood of deciduous trees, mainly beeches. Widespread and very common.
SEASON
All year round.
Blushing Bracket
Daedaleopsis confragosa
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 5–20cm. Sharp-edged bracket fungus measuring to 10cm deep and thickening to only 2cm. Upper surface concentrically zoned, initially buff to cinnamon-brown, then darkening and finally becoming rusty-red. Underside with rounded or very elongated pores that are creamy-buff and bruise pink.
HABITAT
May occur singly or in tiers on most dead deciduous trees, but most common on willows. Widespread and common.
SEASON
All year round.
Hoof Fungus
Fomes fomentarius
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 10–25cm. Large and distinctive hoof-shaped bracket fungus. Surface colour variable, but usually shades of grey or pale brown, ridged and zoned with paler brown. Underside has rounded pores, initially cream, then light ochre or brown. A perennial fungus that is very hard and in the past was used as tinder. Fruit body can live for many years. Also called Tinder Bracket.
HABITAT
Common on birches in the north, particularly in the Scottish Highlands; occurs more rarely in southern England and Continental Europe.
SEASON
All year round.
Many-zoned Polypore
Trametes versicolor
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 3–8cm. The most common bracket fungus. Semicircular or shell shaped with a thin undulating margin; may form a rosette when growing horizontally. Upper surface zoned in many colours, and overall may range from buff to black. It is silky when young, but this disappears with age. Underside pale buff, consisting of fine pores. Also called Turkeytail.
HABITAT
Grows in large overlapping groups on the wood of deciduous trees and shrubs. Widespread and very common.
SEASON
All year round.
Beefsteak Fungus
Fistulina hepatica
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 10–25cm. Bracket large and usually single, although several may grow above one another. Shaped like a liver or tongue, with the colour and texture of raw meat. Pinkish-red above, becoming orange-red and eventually dark brown. Spore-bearing surface underneath whitish, turning brown with age. Flesh whitish turning red and oozing blood-red juice, thick, soft and succulent. Also called Oak Tongue and Ox-tongue Fungus.
HABITAT
Grows on the lower trunks of deciduous trees, particularly oaks and Sweet Chestnuts, generating brown rot. Widespread and common across Europe.
SEASON
Midsummer to autumn.
Dryad’s Saddle
Polyporus squamosus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 10–60cm. Spectacular: one of the largest polypores. Bracket semicircular or fan shaped, anchored to wood by a short brown stem. Upper surface creamy-yellow to brown with concentric bands of triangular brown scales. Spore-bearing surface underneath cream or ochre. Flesh whitish, thick and leathery with a strong mealy odour.
HABITAT
Grows in clumps or clusters on deciduous trees, particularly beeches, elms and Sycamores, and dead or dying trees, logs and stumps, generating white rot. Common and widespread in Europe.
SEASON
Midsummer to late autumn.
Wrinkled Crust
Phlebia radiata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 8–10cm. Grows in flat sheets. Growing edge bright orange-red fading to greyish in the centre. Surface develops wrinkles at right angles to the edge. If it encounters moss in its growth it will form around it, so destroying the radiating pattern. Dull-coloured specimens also occur.
HABITAT
Found on the surface of dead wood of deciduous trees. Widespread and common.
SEASON
All year, but mainly autumn.
Jelly Rot
Phlebia tremellosa
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 1–5cm. Resupinate form is gelatinous and whitish; bracket form is thin and flexible with the lower surface ranging from orange and pinkish to buff. Upper surface of bracket form covered in white hairs. Grows flat at first, then bends outwards to form a shelf.
HABITAT
Grows on the surface of rotten deciduous wood. Widespread and common.
SEASON
Mainly summer to autumn.
Hairy Curtain Crust
Stereum hirsutum
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 3–10cm. Tough and flexible bracket. Upper surface often zoned in shades of ochre and grey and covered in fine hairs. Underside varying shades of yellow. Below the bracket itself there may be a variable layer applied flat to the surface of the wood on which it lives. If the undersurface is bruised by rubbing hard it remains unchanged.
HABITAT
Grows in tiers on the dead wood of deciduous trees and shrubs. Widespread and very common.
SEASON
All year round.
Southern Bracket
Ganoderma australe
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Fruit body 10–60cm. Very large and impressive semicircular bracket fungus. Surface reddish-brown in colour, wrinkled and grooved in concentric zones; softer creamy margin during growth. Pores fine and pale, turning brown when scratched. A perennial, growing in layer upon layer below the original bracket. Because it is of a woody consistency its weight is considerable. In winter, cocoa-coloured spores form a brown dust around and on the fungus.
HABITAT
Grows singly, or in groups that are often tiered, on the living or dead wood of deciduous trees, particularly beeches. Widespread and common.
SEASON
All year round.
Brown Goblet
Coltricia perennis
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Cap to 8cm; stem to 3.5cm. A centrally stalked annual fungus. Upper surface first velvety, then smooth; concentrically zoned in many shades of brown. Underside has rounded or angular cinnamon-brown pores. Flesh brown, thin and corky, and harder when dry. Stem usually short. Adjacent fruit bodies may be fused so that it appears to have multiple stems. Sometimes used in floral decorations. Also called Tiger’s Eye.
HABITAT
Grows on the ground, usually on sandy acid soils, often under pines. Widespread and common.
SEASON
All year round.
Antler Fungus
Clavulinopsis corniculata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Height 2–8cm; variable diameter. Fruit body bright egg-yolk yellow with white colouration near the base; regularly branched with incurved crescentic tips giving an antler-like appearance. Flesh bright yellow and fragile with a mealy odour.
HABITAT
Grows on soil in short grass and open grassy woodland. Widespread but rare in Europe.
SEASON
Midsummer to late
autumn.
White Spindles
Clavaria fragilis
Height 3–12cm; diameter 0.3–0.7cm. Fruit body white tending to yellowish at the tip and base; smooth and laterally compressed with a longitudinal groove. Flesh white, brittle and watery with an earthy odour. Grows on soil singly or in clusters in or near woodland. Widely distributed and quite common across Europe. Occurs midsummer to autumn.
Yellow Club
Clavulinopsis helvola
Height 3–7cm; diameter 0.2–0.4cm. Consists of a group of pale yellow or orange-yellow ‘stalks’ with blunt tips. Grows in small groups in short grass, and among herbs in deciduous woodland. Widespread and common. Occurs midsummer to autumn.
Field Club
Clavaria argillacea
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Height 3–8cm; diameter 0.2–0.8cm. Fruit body smooth, club shaped and pale greenish- or creamy-yellow, with the tapering stem tending to deeper yellow. Flesh pale yellow and brittle. Also called Moor Club.
HABITAT
Grows on soil in small clusters among moss on sandy heaths. Widespread across Europe.
SEASON
Late summer.
Giant Club
Clavariadelphus pistillaris
