A sprawling old Big Laughing Gym with eye catching coloration.

underside

Young Big Laughing Gym

Younger Big Laughing Gym

My first King of the year., or maybe not.  John thinks it could be X. separans.  I cut it up and dried it so it is too late to do the ammonia test.

Maybe not.  Yesterday I bought some ammonia and dipped  a couple of pieces on 10/23/05.  One was from the stalk the other from the cap.  No color change.  The guide does not say if the test has to be done on a fresh mushroom.  I would think that it should also work on dried specimens.  Another indicator for edulis.

  If I find another in that spot I will test it with ammonia.  I lean toward it not being a separans since it did not have a wine colored stain on the stalk and the flesh in the stalk was solid.  In separans it tends to be pulpy except in the very young.  Also the separans found wet from rain started to liquefy within hours after picking.  This one did not liquefy and instead started drying out overnight on my kitchen counter.

Found growing under a Spruce.

Cap

In the upper part rain water got under the cuticle.

The bulbous base.

Section

This was taken at home under a halogen lamp.