KILLER MUSHROOMS???

Some alarming looking fungi have popped up on an old tree stump in the garden. We have two young kids, so need check if they are poisonous or not.

Can anyone help? Some photos here: (EDIT – HOPE THESE PHOTO LINKS WORK NOW)

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IMG_3847[/url] by elajel[/url], on Flickr[/img]

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IMG_3845[/url] by elajel[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Invisible mushrooms?

Any help? :

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningpicturegalleries/10053769/10-poisonous-mushrooms-to-watch-out-for-in-Britain.html

Picks dont work but I’m guessing Jews Ears, do they look like the ears of a Jew?

EDIT: No they dont

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillaria

pics work if you copy the URL

I’m pretty sure I bought a bag of those fresh in 2004…..

I can’t really vouch for them, but I had a fairly traumatic afternoon.

Honey fungus

so need check if they are poisonous or not.

from my (very limited) understanding of mushroom identification, you will be quite lucky to get a definate answer from a photo.

there are many ‘false friends’ which can look very similar to edible/ non harmful fungi.

Seems like there are hundreds of different types – who knew? anybody got any tips for getting shot of them if they do turn out to be nasty?

good luck with getting rid of them, fungi are among the most widespread organisms on the planet, growing on just about every surface. what you are looking at there isn’t the actual plant, just the fruiting body. i can tell you that they aren’t deadly, because there are very few fungi that are in the british isles, and they don’t look like that. it is impossible, however, to give a correct identification from just a photo, you really need to do spore prints and other tests to get close, they could be honey fungus or perhaps sulfur tuft. plenty of fungi are poisonous however, so wouldn’t it be better to educate your kids not to eat them anyway? haven’t you got any other snacks? fungi are fascinating plants and some of the edible ones are considered a delicacy. if you do want to ‘get rid of them’ just pick them and put them in the bin.

They look like honey fungus to me. If it is I hope you don’t like the rest of your garden………they are nasty fungi when it comes to killing woody plants. Nuke from orbit nasty.

I think the RHS suggest excavation to 3ft or 1ft below affected root ball and a 2ft impermeable barrier to prevent reinvasion.

Those on a stump, honey fungus.

They spread from spores getting onto recently cut surfaces, ie if you prune a tree low down nearby. They also spread from root to root where they touch underground. Tend to infect conifers and will cause butt rot. Mmmm.

I’ve eaten them. They tasted OK and I didn’t die.

The best line I heard on internet mushroom identification was to always keep some for the Doctor/Coroner.

Yep, look like honey fungus. Get cooking. (At your own risk, natch).

EDIT: if you do try, cook these for at least 30 mins

If you do eat them be careful. One of the UK species interacts with alcohol so the advice is not to drink for 24 hours either side of eating them or you will get very ill (not lethal as far as I am aware but ill enough that you might wish they were).

Moses – Member
I’ve eaten them. They tasted OK and I didn’t die.

Maybe not yet butt….

burko73 – Member
…. will cause butt rot. Mmmm.

Snigger

OP, if you get any of these pesky mushrooms I’ll come and remove them FOC.

fungi are fascinating plants

wouldn’t it be better to educate your kids not to eat them anyway?

+1

Jambourgie – I remember picking those in a field populated by a young bull that would charge you just as you found a nice clump. Protecting his stash no doubt.

OP, if you get any of these pesky mushrooms I’ll come and remove them FOC

I’ve got dozens of those* in my horse shit heap.

*or something very similar

Those ones grow in grass not horse shit. So I’m told!!!