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Gilled Mushrooms are part of a larger group, Agaricales, which includes the boletes and others like the chanterelles which have gills, but here we'll concentrate on what most people think of when given the word 'mushroom.' Generally, it has a cap, a stem (or, because they like to be different, mycologists say 'stipe'), and underneath the cap are generally radiating hanging flanges that are the gills. The gills are the business end of the mushroom; it is where the spores are produced. Gills may be attached at different points. There are those that are only attached to the cap, and those are considered 'Free gills.' Gills that attach to the stipe are called 'adnate.' Anyway, here are some local gilled mushrooms that i have photographed and observed, along with names, when i was fairly sure of an identification.
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This fellow was on my lawn and is not particularly slimy... the photograph was taken while the rains still were ongoing. |
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Mushrooms go thru stages of development that can change the color, objects on the stem/stipe, smell, angle of the cap, sliminess, and obviously stages of decay. These stages also hinder identification, at least for me. |
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I don't know what kind these mushrooms are, but they remind me of sea anemonies or jellyfish. They were plentiful in a stand of pines that had been around for a long time, and seemed at home among the needles. They looked ghostly and gave the area a distinct eerie feel. I kept waiting for them to squeeze shut and float off. |
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Aha! One i was able to identify. This is Orange Pinwheel Marasmius (Marasmias siccus). On the right is the underside showing the distant slits and the dark stipe. These delicate rust-orange mushrooms were no bigger than 1/2 - 3/4" across the cap. They appear in moist deciduous woods areas and frequently are the first to appear after a rain. | |
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Here in this small cluster, you can see the basal cup which protected the cap as it grew. It helps identify these as probably Amanitas of some kind. |
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As you can see, there really is no 'plain white mushroom' The one on the right has a deeply dented cap and a veil, while the one on the left below has none, is more rounded, and the one on the right below is like white chocolate. |
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This may, or may not be a gemmed amanita, but at least i'm pretty positive it's poisonous. |
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OFFSITE INFORMATION:
A great general mushroom site is Tom Volk's Mushroom Page, and is in association with the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse. He has over 1000 jpegs of mushrooms and a lot of science. Check out the 'Fungus of the month!'
If you're interested in joining a mycological club, there's one here in Asheville - The Asheville Mushroom Club.
