Subject: unknown "mega"fungi

From: [email-masked] (mwells)
Date: 19 Aug 1996 14:53:06 -0700

Dear sir/madam,
while roaming through an isolated forest island in the Barrow river 
section yesterday I came across a gigantic single specimen that was 
simply irresistible. I know that perhaps it should have been left to rot 
and replicate there, but worst comes to the worst you can insist i 
donate it to the Botany Dept at TCD or send you some. Anyway it reminded 
me of some childhood memory of Ffloyd farting on about chikeny shrooms 
and there was nothing else but dry timber and ivy and a lonely goat to 
be had, luckily Mark caught a Pike so the shroom is still sitting here 
with me.
Oh yeah it`s a creamy color all round but for the stem, spongy underside 
with a firm feel to it`s structure.I pulled it off a rotting tree and 
it still feels soft and smells sweet tonight. It`s roughly 35-40cm in 
diameter but with a kind of semi-circular shape. There a "tongue" or 
protrusion that flips out from the funnel-like well cavity that was 
lushly filled with fresh rain and juicy insects when the grievius greed 
of humanity and wanton "gimme more" came over me. It has a darkish tint 
in the well like draining structure and there is a stem that is dark 
brown/black thick hard and seriously phalic with a micro version of the 
big one sprouting from the stem. The surface has a wavy concentrically 
contoured faint light brown visual effect against the creamy white 
background on the topside. The upper top is ridged with small  creases 
that drain into the well or is it a spring? ps it does disappear into a 
pie like tube down into the stem.
I`m really hungry and would love to fry it now but will wait your 
advice. I am not by nature a shroom picker for munchies and hope you 
won`t hold it against me. I`d appreciate it if you culd respond asap 
with any suggestions for i couldn`t find any similar photos in a Collins 
guide of 1980. I could fax a drawing if required. The best way to 
contact me by day is at [email-masked] or you can reply to here.
Thinking of spores,
yours,
Mark and tim

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From: JeremyBrowne <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 20 Aug 96 15:01:34 GMT

Hi Tim &/or Mark
I offer you three possibles:
1. Meripilus Giganteus (Black-staining Polypore)
2. Tyromeyces Stipticus (Bitter Bracket)
3. Laetiporus Sulphureus (Chicken-of-the-Woods)

Of these three, only 1. has a stem that is significant. 

 [email-masked] writes:
> ... yesterday I came across a gigantic single specimen that was 
> simply irresistible.
> ... it`s a creamy color all round but for the stem, spongy underside 
> diameter but with a kind of semi-circular shape.

So it's a bracket fungus, I would think.

> There a "tongue" or protrusion that flips out from the funnel-like well
> cavity... It has a darkish tint in the well-like draining structure
> and there is a stem that is dark brown/black thick hard and seriously
> phallic with a micro version of the big one sprouting from the stem.
> The surface has a wavy concentrically contoured faint light brown
> visual effect against the creamy white background on the topside.
> The upper top is ridged with small creases...
> advice. 

"The Mushroom Book" by Laessoe & del Conte, new out in UK this year, 
shows a Meripilus with many of the characteristics you describe. The 
words do not ENCOURAGE eating - "Though this massive species is edible 
when young, Meripilus giganteus does not have a very good flavour. The 
whitish pores stain grey when handled, and the whole fruitbody turns 
grey when cooked. It is easy to recognise by its overall size, densely 
layered brackets, and pale golden brown colouring." (UK spelling)

Mind you, I could be WILDLY wrong, and would not advise eating ANY fungus
you haven't had confirmed by an expert :-)

-- 
Jeremy Browne, Hampshire, UK
[email-masked]
Shaking Hands BBS, Fidonet 2:252/160 (+44 1252 621745)