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PROFILES OF FUNGI: SOME COMMON EDIBLE FUNGI
Boletus edulis, the Cep or Penny bun. The shape of this fungus is unmistakable. It has a large, swollen white stipe, often showing a reticulate pattern (seen on the right-hand side, just below the cap. The cap itself is typically brown, with a whitish bloom initially but then becoming brown [this specimen was photographed with a flash and so it does not show the characteristic cap colour]. Like all Boletus species, the underside of the cap consists of tubes rather than gills. The fruitbodies of B. edulis are highly valued and are often dried for flavouring of soups. Even a young specimen such as this is usually full of small maggots of the fungus gnat! [© Jim Deacon]
Cantharellus cibarius, the Chanterelle. This fungus is highly prized because it imparts a distinctively "fruity" flavour to stocks and stews. And, in stark contrast to the cep, it is never invaded by the larvae of fungus gnats. It commonly grows beneath birch trees on mossy banks that are exposed to sunlight. This species has a distinctively fruity smell instead of the common mushroom smell. [© Jim Deacon]
Pleurotus ostreatus, the Oyster mushroom [© Jim Deacon]
Pleurotus ostreatus on a fallen beech log [© Jim Deacon] |
