Quote:
Originally Posted by DirtShooter
Okay so I am a noob but have seen these out on some property we own, is there a toxic version of mushroom that looks like this or are these pretty safe to tell apart from others?
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From the Edmonton mycological society:
Since these mushrooms can
look different at different times of
the year, it is easy to confuse them
with other mushrooms, even
poisonous ones. One of them is
Lentinellus ursinus. It also has
white spores, but it has serrated
(saw-toothed) gill edges. If you
look at the basidiospores under
the microscope, they are small and
amyloid (blue) in Melzer’s reagent
(the active ingredient of which is
iodine). In addition, the gills
have many amyloid-staining
hyphae in them. Other common
mushrooms that can be confused
with Pleurotus are Crepidotus spp.
They also lack a stem; however,
they can easily be distinguished
based on spore colour. Spores of
Crepidotus spp. are brown, rather
than white as in Pleurotus spp.
Neither of these two look-alikes
is deadly poisonous; however, they
should not be eaten.
So, next time you go for a
walk, keep your eyes open for
oyster mushrooms; however, keep
in mind to be absolutely certain
This tree stump covered in oyster
mushrooms was found near St. Paul on
June 7, 2003. Photo: Bill MacLowick
The young oyster mushrooms clusters are more tender and usually have a
nicer flavour. Thay also tend to have less insects. Photo: Loretta Puckrin
that what you have collected really
are oyster mushrooms.
Remember, if in doubt, throw it
out!
Oyster mushroom season starting
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