#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream
Charleston at the Misty River Charles
Yesterday, day 3 after the first sighting, I could not stop thinking about my tented mushroom. Driving in to Cambridge in the late afternoon, its essential quality suddenly grabbed me - the word to describe my tented mushroom - chalice! It looks like a chalice, I yelled out loud to myself in the car.
At home last night I began searching online for a chalice or goblet shaped mushroom and no luck. But this morning, after visiting my mushroom and taking this photo, I think I've identified it. Clitocybe Gibba (common funnel cap), typically is found growing under hardwoods - "and is sometimes reported under conifers," which is where I found mine. There is no mention of "chalice" in this description, but that's how I will continue to imagine it, because chalice evokes the deep spiritual feelings this mysterious beauty is tapping in me.
My Tented Mushroom, Day 4
“Common Funnel Cap (Clitocybe gibba)
Clitocybe gibba is a hardwood-loving clitocyboid mushroom that features a pinkish tan cap that becomes fairly deeply vase-shaped by maturity. Its pale, crowded gills run down the stem, which is pale in comparison to the cap. Other distinctive features include the white mycelium on the stem base and, usually, a faintly sweet odor. Clitocybe gibba is edible. Growing alone, scattered or gregariously; primarily found under hardwoods (especially oaks) but sometimes reported under conifers; . . .
Description:
Cap: 3-9 cm; at first flat or with a central depression, becoming deeply vase-shaped; smooth; dry or slightly tacky; tan, pinkish tan, or flesh-colored; fading with age; sometimes with a wavy margin in maturity.
Gills: Running down the stem; close or crowded; white or pale cream.
Stem: 2.5-8 cm long; up to 1 cm thick; equal; dry; fairly smooth; whitish, off-white, or a very pale version of the cap color; base often covered with white mycelium.
Flesh: Thin; whitish. Odor and Taste: Taste mild; odor not distinctive or sweet. Spore Print: White.”
All photos and words copyright Kelly DuMar, 2016, unless otherwise attributed
