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Catalog #: MUOB 244232

Observer: Scott Pavelle

Date: 2016-07-13

Locality: United States, Pennsylvania, Allegheny, North Park

40.6012  -80.0045 +-3158m.

Description: Original observation #244232 (Mushroom Observer)

Notes: This is from the same patch that produced observation 242587_, which people considered to be "bicolor". I'm eager to compare it to the other group I picked today (_observation 244233) because that is the "ur" bicolor I originally learned and it seems very different from these. Found in grass and moss between oaks. It's been quite dry but I found a lot of boletes around the park nevertheless. It seems that they're pushing out now despite the dryness, but about 3 weeks later. This ground was merely dry but not baked hard. North Park by the Round Top shelter. Mycelium was white. The red on the cap and stipe was a pure, dark red with no hint of pink or orange. The cap got more brown/tan with age (there were several specimens), and the oldest ones had a good deal of cracking on the surface but no actual fissuring. Cap flesh was white to pale yellow, but the stem flesh was yellow (with red larval tunnels). These colors were distinctly different, but a little less so than observed with the earlier observation. The mushroom had no distinctive smell or flavor (maybe - maybe - a lingering "metallic" taste). The context was a little stickier than I'm used to. Very thin pore layer was yellow and bruised very slowly. Only the oldest ones bruised blue/black. Younger specimens bruised more brown, and some not at all. This is also a distinct difference from the earlier observation. The largest specimen was fully mature but not yet old. It measured as follows: HEIGHT: 5 cm CAP WIDTH: 7.5 cm CONTEXT: 15 mm (1.5 cm) TUBES: >2 mm (maybe 2-¼?) I also measured a younger one: HEIGHT: 4.5 cm CAP WIDTH: 4.2 cm CONTEXT: 14 mm TUBES: 2 mm even This pattern was consistent across the other 30 or so specimens I found. By way of analogy, they seem to poke the umbrella out of the ground and then spread it when nearing full growth. Older ones are just a little taller, but much wider. The tube layer does not change its depth significantly. White mycelium. Stem red all the way up until right near the pores, where it became very yellow. No reticulation. All stems were pillar shaped with the exception of a vague bulge at the bottom for some of the true babies. This is a very marked contrast to the other bicolor collection today. Those were very clavate, or even bulbous. They were also several times larger than these and had a much, much thinner tube layer (well under 1 mm). AMMONIA The reactions were slightly stronger across the board than seen in observation 242587_, and in some cases slightly different. All in all I conclude that ammonia is an unreliable test chemical for this species. Ammonia on Cap Skin: No reaction, or possibly a little orange. (_observation 242587 was no reaction or maybe a little yellow with red toward the center.) Ammonia on Stipe Skin: Yellow. (observation 242587 was maybe a little yellow with red toward the center.) Ammonia on Pores: Yellow, the strongest reaction. (observation 242587 was no reaction, or possibly a little darker yellow.) Ammonia on Cap Context: Yellow. (observation 242587 was no reaction.) Ammonia on Stipe Context: Slightly darker yellow. (observation 242587 was no reaction.) KOH The reactions were similar across the board to observation 242587_. This species seems to reliably turn orange or orange red when hit with KOH, with the strongest reaction on the pores and the weakest on the cap context. KOH on Cap Skin: Orange. (_observation 242587 was yellow orange. Note that Baorangia bicolor is supposed to have no reaction). KOH on Stipe Skin: Orange. (observation 242587 was yellow orange.) KOH on Pores: Obvious orange. (observation 242587 was obvious red/orange.) KOH on Cap Context: Orange, but faint. (observation 242587 was no reaction.) In both cases the KOH ate away a hole. KOH on Stipe Context: Orange. (observation 242587 was light orange.) IRON SALTS Note that I'm now using FeCl instead of FeSO4. The reactions were basically identical across the board. This species turns olive or olive-green with the application of iron salts. The cap context seems to react a little less than the more yellow stipe context. FeCl3 on Cap Skin: Olive green. (observation 242587 was olive) FeCl3 on Stipe Skin: Olive green. (observation 242587 was olive) FeCl3 on Pores: Olive green. (observation 242587 was olive brown, with a slower reaction). FeCl3 on Cap Context: Olive green. (observation 242587 was also olive green) FeCl3 on Stipe Context: Olive green. (observation 242587 was also olive green). In both observations the reaction was a little stronger in the yellower stipe flesh than it was in the paler cap context.

Disposition: vouchered

Record ID: f1fe608d-696a-44a5-9400-7e676219c452

For additional information about this specimen, please contact: Nathan Wilson (webmaster@mushroomobserver.org)