Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Agaricus Mushroom in Bukit Timah

Why oh why are mushrooms so hard to ID!
Coming down from my trekking, near to the beginning of the Summit Trial, one can find 2 logs, and on a good damp day, it will be covered with mushrooms.

Today is no exception, I find it intriguing that one log was covered with these white fungus, and somehow the other log was pretty much spared.

Taking some close up, I believe these are the Lepiota (sp), or commonly called the Parasol Mushroom.
(somehow I can hear some giggling over this name, isn't it obvious that mushrooms usually look like parasol. Good Question which I have no answer)

So these are some of the close-ups of this species.
From the pictures, one can see the various stages of development.
With the young mushrooms with undeveloped caps just emerging from the log, to the fully bloom mature adults.



The cap of this species is rather thin, that the gills from the underside can be seen.
The stipe itself is relatively thin, with the annulus forming at midpoint.
I thought this could be a Marasmius, but then the stipe is quite long!
Or a Hygrophorus, but then the stipe is too thin!
So my conclusion that this is probably a Leipiota.


Taken from underneath, the annulus on the right specimen is pretty obvious, and the evidence of the thin cap to produce this highlighted shot.


A side view of this same specimen.

Alas, from experience, these mushrooms will disappear in about a week time, leaving behind brownish patches, and nutrients for the next generation to sprout!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Another Giant Agaricus in Bukit Timah

Where there is dead log and plenty of moisture, one is guaranteed to see fungi.
Today, having finished my climb in Bt Timah, and returning to the Dairy Farm Car Park, I chanced upon this Giant Agaricus in the male toilet.

From initial observation,

  • it has a rather deep depression in the centre where the stipe (stem) is located 
  • the cap is very unusual, in that it flows down like a skirt
  • the stipe is very short for such a big pileus (cap)

Again, I tried to ID this specimen, and the only conclusion I have is that it is a gilled mushroom of the Agaricales Order.
Initial ID seems to place this in the family of the Brittle Cap, but those have long stipes, whereas this does not!

Does this specimen belongs to the Brittle Cap family?  To me, it is more like a bottle cap!

Placing a ruler, the cap spread across almost 13 cm!

Taking the underside, shows that the gills reach to the end of the cap.


Naturally, how does one justify a 13 cm size specimen to be a giant, well I looked around and saw couple of the same species growing around, and the spread of the cap was about 5 cam.

Two specimens here, with one already badly damaged.  Otherwise, the cap spread is about 5 cm.

 Once again, if anybody can ID this species, please do let me know.