Posts tagged Perth edible fungi

Pluteus atromarginatus – just another Pluteus

June 17, 2025 · Filed under Edible Fungi · Tagged , , , , ,

Two dark purple mushrooms growing on decaying wood in a forest, showing gills and fibrous caps.
Pluteus atromarginatus on Eucalyptus wood waste

This mushroom was growing on wood waste in a Eucalypt forest in Pemberton. That contrasts to it’s reported preference for Pinus in North America.

It is a pretty mushroom, with dark edges outlining the gills.

Close-up view of the gills of a mushroom, showcasing their texture and layered appearance against a wooden background.
Gills of Pluteus atromarginatus

The gills are free, though some other examples online show more separation from the stem than in this case. According to Michael Kuo, this is unusual for a Pluteus species. The cap is dark purple and the gills are white with a very slight pink tinge

Three mushroom sections displayed on a wooden surface: a top view of the cap with gills, a side view showing the stem, and a cross-section revealing the internal structure.

The surface of the cap is covered with fibrous scales.

Close-up view of the textured surface of a mushroom, featuring dark fibrous scales on wood waste.
Cap texture of Pluteus atromarginatus.

The overall texture of the mushroom can be described as ‘watery’. It is reported to be edible, but to be honest the texture doesn’t make it very appealing. Tasted raw, it was reminiscent of other Pluteus species but it left an aftertaste that was slightly hot, and I can see how it is reported as being like radish. I fried a couple up in a pan and they became very sloppy, as expected. The taste became more mushroom-like, not unpleasant, and the after taste seemed to have been removed, although I think some still lingered from tasting it raw.

The spores of one specimen as shown below. They are almost spherical, smooth, with an average size of 6.6 x 6 microns.

Microscopic image showing spores of a fungus, with various measurements indicated in red on a dark background.
Spores of Pluteus atromarginatus.

The spore print is supposed to be pink but I would describe this as rusty brown.

Close-up image of mushroom gills and cap, showcasing a rusty brown spore print.
Spore print of Pluteus atromarginatus.

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Calvatia fragilis – another edible puffball

October 7, 2016 · Filed under Edible Fungi, Fungi · Tagged , , , ,

While driving around in April, I noticed for the first time this year some rather large puffballs growing around the place in the Donnybrook area. Here is what they looked like.

puffball
Calvatia fragilis

When cut open, these revealed a firm white flesh with a pleasant mushroom smell.  They lacked a ‘sterile base’ which is the bit at the bottom close to the attachment point to the ground.  The lizard skin pattern was also distinctive.  If left undisturbed they develop a purple spore mass and break open.

Calvatia fragilis spore mass

All of these factors together led me to identify them as Calvatia fragilis, which was subsequently confirmed by DNA analysis (97% AJ684871).

The picture below shows the specimen torn open.  There is a slight yellowing when it is bruised. It has a distinct skin.

Calvatia fragilis torn open
Calvatia fragilis torn open

The next picture shows another view of the surface of the puffball.

Surface of Calvatia fragilis
Surface of Calvatia fragilis

I found something similar in March 2021 after some unseasonal rain and humidity. These were a little more aged than the first ones and the skin (peridium) had become a bit more faceted but I believe it is the same fungus. This specimen turned soft overnight.

Calvatia fragilis immediately prior to spore formation

Some people say that all white puffballs in Australia are edible.   This is not true as many years ago I found a massive white puffball growing next to a mulga tree in Hopetoun that had an extremely unpleasant smell.  When I heated some up it caused us to evacuate the kitchen!

Calvatia fragilis is edible though and I sliced this one and fried it in butter.  The taste reminded me a little of eggs.

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Rhizopogon – a taxonomic challenge

October 7, 2016 · Filed under Fungi, Potential edibles · Tagged , , , ,

A walk in a pine plantation in WA during winter will often reveal a truffle-like fungus lying on the top of the ground or sometimes almost buried.

rhizopogon-pseudoroseolus

Rhizopogon pseudoroseolus

This is Rhizopogon, introduced with the pine trees and a very effective fungus for assisting the pines to grow.  The mycelium from fungi such as these acts as an extension of the roots of the trees, drawing in nutrients that would otherwise be unavailable to the trees.

Many sources report that the species occurring here are Rhizopogon luteolus but DNA results on the specimen pictured above match R. pseudoroseolus (GQ267483).  This species, an introduction from the USA is also very common in New Zealand, though the appearance does not appear to match either the image nor the key published by Jerry Cooper of the Fungal Network of New Zealand. There are many different species, lots of variability and many published revisions of this genus so it does make identification difficult.

In Japan, a member of this genus, Rhizopogon roseolus is much prized as a food where is it known as Shoro.  The Kiwis, always much more proactive on these matters than we are, have done some comparisons on the species growing in New Zealand with those in Japan and have gone so far as introducing the Japanese species into NZ as a potential agricultural product.

This is not an easy fungus to identify visually and there is sparse information about edibility.  My friend Jsun has eaten a species that grows in Queensland and while visiting here he pickled some that I had collected.  These are shown in the picture below.  He has selected specimens that were firm and had a white interior when cut in half. When pickled, the outside became quite distinctly reddish.

rhizopogon-jar

Pickled Rhizopogon pseudoroseolus

I have eaten small quantities of these and must say that they are rather bland. Jsun reports that he likes to add them to stews and so forth and that they soak up the flavor of the dish.

See also: https://mushroaming.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/rhizopogon-rubescens/

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