Mick Mushroom Posted July 14, 2018 Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 Hello all, I hope someone can help me here... I am looking for information about Pleurocybella porrigens (angel wings) Are they found in Indiana? I looked on the archived species lists for summer months and found no listings for these. I am finding a lot of oyster type mushrooms and don't want to misidentify but lacking good information for a positive ID. There seems to be a lot of overlap in characteristics with Pleurotus pulmonarius (summer oysters) which are what I believe I am finding. Are there any other look-a-likes I should be aware of? I have pics if anyone wants to see. Avid morel forager wanting to expand to some summer edibles. Thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted July 14, 2018 Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 I have not found much by way of angel wings locally, but oysters are pretty common after a good rain. Best to post a photo; as they say, a picture is worth 1000 words. Be sure to get a good shot of the underside. Oysters in Indiana will commonly have little black beetles among the gills and smell faintly of anise. Try to either cook them up or dehydrate them within 2-3 days as they don't have a very long shelf life. Hope this helps, Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Mushroom Posted July 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 Hello Bruce, thanks for the response. Here are some pics, I am pretty sure these are oysters I just want to be sure. I have read a lot of info looking for differences in angel wings and oysters and seem to find a lot of warnings but not much by way of describing differences. I did find a pic of the top AND bottom on the West Pennsylvania Mushroom Club website of angel wings yesterday and that really helped. It seems angels grow ONLY on conifers (true?) and are whiter. Not much to go on. BOTH have: decurrent veins and similar spore print color, physical appearance, and growth pattern. Please deny or confirm any of that if you can, thanks. These pics were all taken from growth on hardwood (cherry, oak and one other not sure of) none were conifer. There were some lightly buff colored growth among these too. Also descriptions of smell (mildly anise) are not helpful. When I smell chanterelles I don't get apricot either so I must be different than everyone else, although I can smell a morel patch from a 100 feet lol! Thanks again for helping! Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Mushroom Posted July 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 Here are the photos from the WPMC that were posted on their website. To me they do appear whiter, veins are more shallow with wider spacing and not as deep or sharp. Also don't seem to run down the stem as far. But they may be young specimens IDK. I will probably start walking some pine forest in the area to see if I can find some out of curiosity and get some physical comparisons and photos. If I find some I will post them. My first year for summer foraging and WOW didn't know there were so many available. I'm going slow and trying to be safe and educated. Got chanterelles nailed! Had a lot of chant finds (over 5 lbs.) here in Huntington Co. but they kind of dried up now, need rain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhuntington Posted July 15, 2018 Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 The pictures you posed do apear to be P. Pulmonaris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted July 15, 2018 Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 10 hours ago, Mick Mushroom said: Hello Bruce, thanks for the response. Here are some pics, I am pretty sure these are oysters I just want to be sure. I agree with Dhuntington, they sure look like oysters to me. They are very common in Indiana, and although not as tasty as morels or chanterelles, are definitely a worthwhile edible. They start out pure white but become more buff-colored as they age (or get rained on). I find their aroma to be very distinctive, but your mileage may vary. Regards, Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Mushroom Posted July 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 (edited) Thank you Dhuntington and Bruce for the feedback. Honestly nothing better than a morel! First memory of hunting morels at about 5 or 6 with my mom and I found all the tiny ones, helps when you're short I guess. But I found more than she did and was sooo proud. : ) Edited July 15, 2018 by Mick Mushroom Typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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