Top 20 Most Common Mushrooms in Orangeville
Most Common Mushrooms
1. Dryad's saddle
A familiar sight to spring morel hunters, dryad's saddle is noteworthy for its large size, striking scales, and watermelon-like smell. Similar to other mushrooms in the bracket fungi family, dryad's saddle can be used to make paper. Younger mushrooms are better suited for this purpose due to their smaller and more consistent fibers.
2. Turkey tail
The distinctively-striped turkey tail fungus grows on stumps and logs all over the forests of the northern hemisphere. It is, in fact, probably the most common species you will find. That doesn't mean this mushroom is plain, however; each cap is uniquely patterned. Look for bands of alternating textures as well as color.
3. Shaggy mane
The shaggy mane mushroom is commonly found in North American and European grasslands. Some peoples foraged for its young egg-shaped caps, but it has more recently been found to be a bioaccumulator of heavy metals, meaning it pulls toxic metals up from the soil where it grows. As a result, shaggy manes should not be eaten. The mushrooms usually appear in clusters or “fairy rings.”
4. Black knot
The appearance of black knot (Apiosporina morbosa) is commonly found on various fruit-bearing trees and looks more like abnormally growing bark than it does a fungus. In youth, this bulbous growth is a lighter green but rapidly turns to dark brown and black. Black knot can kill trees and is not easily controllable using fungicides.
5. Giant puffball
These distinctive round, white fungi appear around the world in fields and at the edges of wooded areas. Living up to its name, a single giant puffball can grow as large as a watermelon. They have no stems, and produce trillions of spores that release into the air through holes in “puffs.” They have been used as slow-burning tinder and produce copious smoke when set aflame. Giant puffballs are technically edible, but should only be consumed when the mushroom is young and firm.
6. Orange mycena
The orange mycena is a bold little mushroom that is often found growing in large clusters on dead hardwoods. The species can be found in moist forests across eastern North America. Some of its orange-red pigment may rub off and stain skin upon handling, so this mushroom is best left alone.
7. Tinder fungus
This large, tough shelf fungus can be found attached to birch, beech, and sycamore trees. It gets its common name, tinder fungus, from the fact that it burns quite slowly and can thus be used effectively for lighting fires. Dried pieces can also be a useful desiccant. A piece of this fungus was found in the possession of Otzi the Iceman, indicating that its usefulness has been known for millenia.
8. Common orange lichen
Common orange lichen was selected in 2006 by the United States Department of Energy as a model for genomic sequencing. Its widespread dispersal and bright yellow-orange color give the lichen its common name. It is primarily found growing on rocks, walls, and tree bark.
9. Birch polypore
The birch polypore has a variety of applications. Its thick skin has been used by barbers as a razor sharpener and as a mount for insect collectors. When dried, this mushroom was also used to carry fire over long distances because it burns slowly. The historical use of birch polypore doesn't stop there; pieces of this mushroom were found being carried by the five-thousand-year-old mummy Ötzi the Iceman.
10. Tar spot
The tar spot is a pathogen fungus that attacks the trees of the Acer genus (Maples). The first symptoms of the fungal infections caused by Rhytisma acerinum are black spots on the leaves and an early leaf drop. The fungus doesn't affect an infected tree's health in the long term, but it makes an unpleasant sight.
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