Monthly Archives: September 2018

21th September 2018, Hayes Common

Back to Hayes Common for a few hours… One of the reasons for going there was to see if the oyster mushrooms that I found last year are still growing on the same large log. They were and they made a fine breakfast! No photos, as I got them last year.

Not a bad foray. Spectacular Rustgill was a good start, it’s a fine looking thing. Pluteus ephebeus is a rather shakey id – without the spores image I would have thought it a type of Pink Gill, but the spores are too small for that. Most Pluteus grow on dead wood but this one does grow on earth. I’ve found Jelly Rot before, but last time it was white whereas this time it was salmon. Curious. Tawny Grisette is very common on Hayes Common and it was everywhere this day. Blackening Brittlegill is something I quite often see. It’s in the nature of this mushroom to look quite old and decepit but these ones were quite young and had only just recently forced their way through the surface. Suede Bolete was quite nice but Boletus luridiformis was spectacular with its orange pores and pink stem. It was growing on a small patch of ground that I’ve mentioned before, that’s divided by a busy crossroads, but where I find many different species of mushroom. Spotted Toughshank is supposed to taste very bitter, and I’m going to try to remember to taste it next time. The Prince mushroom was large and spectacular. It’s edible and good, but there are some fairly similar poisonous mushrooms.


1. Spectacular Rustgill (Gymnopilus junonius).
Growing from buried parts of rotting stump. Several clusters and individuals. Cap 2-8cm. Slight mushroomy smell. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint Reddish brown. Spores 5.5-7.5µ x 4-5µ.

2. Pluteus ephebeus.
Growing on damp earth in wood clearing. Two. Cap 5.5-7cm. Slight smell, perhaps radishy. Very hard to identify this mushroom. Could be a type of Entoloma (Pink Gill), but these spores are too small. Could be another type of Pluteus but this one is my best guess. Also, Pluteus ephebeus is very variable. ID is possible. Sporeprint Brownish pink. Spores 5.5-7.5µ x 5-6.5µ.

3. Jelly Rot (Phlebia tremellosa).
Growing on rotting log in tiers. Several tiers. Lobes up to 10cm long, 2cm outwards. Pleasant mushroomy smell. Flesh soft and thin. Spores 4.5-5.5µ x 2.5-3µ.

4. Tawny Grisette (Amanita fulva).
Growing through leaf litter in mixed woods. Many scattered singly throughout the wood. Cap 7cm, Stem 9cm. No smell. One of these had the veil remnants left prominently on its cap. Sporeprint White. Spores 9-11.5µ x 8-11µ.

5. Blackening Brittlegill (Russula nigricans).
Growing in mixed woods. Two. Cap 5-9cm. Stem up to 5cm. Slight indistinct smell. Mild. Stem quite tough, gills very brittle. Sporeprint White. Spores 6.5-7.5µ x 5.5-7µ.

6. Suede Bolete (Boletus subtomentosus).
Growing in earth near rowan and birch. One. Cap 7cm, stem 7cm. Slight pleasant mushroomy smell. Could be Bay Bolete or something else, but spore size points towards Suede Bolete. ID is fairly likely. Sporeprint Mid-brown. Spores 8.5-13µ x 4-5.5µ.

7. Boletus luridiformis.
Growing in grass a little way from oak trees. One. Cap 10cm, stem 5cm long. Slight indistinct smell. Wonderful orange pores and pink stem. ID is very likely. Sporeprint Mid-brown. Spores 11.5-14.5µ x 5-6.5µ.

8. Spotted Toughshank (Collybia maculata).
Growing though needles under pine trees. One big cluster and several scattered around. Cap up to 6cm, stem up to 12cm. Slight indistinct smell. Sporeprint Whitish. Spores 5-7µ x 4.5-6µ.

9. The Prince (Agaricus augustus).
Growing in soil in mixed woods beside road. Group of three or four. Cap 15cm, stem 10cm. Immature one smelling strongly of almonds, older one of aniseed and a bit unpleasant. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint Dark brown. Spores 7-8µ x 4.5-5.5µ.

7th September 2018, Beckenham Place Park

This autumn I am obliged to be less adventurous than in previous years, but I intend to make that an asset. So woods and parks within 8 miles of Catford will get more of my attention, and there is surely much to find there.

Beckenham Place Park has had its golf course closed and they’re now digging a lake and constructing a visitors centre. On my visit today there were quite a few mushrooms. I only recorded five, although there were several others including lots of Beefsteak Fungus. I’m cross with myself because there was a group of Giant Funnels, which I haven’t yet recorded, but I was rushing to get the bus home, and mistakenly thought that I already had photos.

The Russula amoenolens is a rather tentative identification, but if correct then it’s new for me. I’m always reluctant to positively identify rare mushrooms without good evidence (due to Bayes theorem !) but perhaps rare mushrooms are more common in ancient landscapes like Beckenham Place Park. Macrolepiota konradii is another uncertain id. I’m familiar with this mushroom but this specimen seems very small. Spindle Toughshank is one I’m sure I’ve seen many times, but I just realised that this is my first recording of it. Rooting Shank and Southern Bracket are both very common. I see Southern Bracket a lot and this was a particularly fine example.


1. Russula amoenolens.
Growing under a non-native oak (possibly Monterrey oak). Several scattered around. Cap 5-8cm, stem 3-4cm. Smell rather earthy or putrid. Becoming slowly hot. Dark in cap centre, striate at the edges. Russulas are hard to identify, and this has some doubt because R. amoenolens is rare. ID is wild guess. Sporeprint Whitish. Spores 6-8µ x 5.5-7µ.

2. Macrolepiota konradii.
Growing in mixed wood near yew tree. Two. Cap 5cm. No smell, perhaps slightly mushroomy. The cap looks like M. konradii but if it is that species then it's a very small specimen. ID is guess. Spores 10-12µ x 5.5-7.5µ.

3. Rooting Shank (Xerula radicata).
Growing in open broad leaved woods. One. Cap 5cm, stem 12cm. No smell. Slimy cap. Deep root. Sporeprint White. Spores 11-12.5µ x 8-10µ.

4. Spindle Toughshank (Collybia fusipes).
Growing from roots of oak tree. Several large dense clusters. Cap 1-4.5cm. Very slight sour smell. Sporeprint White. Spores 4-5µ x 3-4.5µ.

5. Southern Bracket (Inonotus hispidus).
Growing at the base of a fine large oak, mostly healthy but with signs of die-off higher up. Many large bracket clusters. Single tier up to 40cm across. Pleasant smell. ID is almost sure. Spores 10.5-13µ x 7.5-10µ.