Dozens of varieties of edible mushrooms appear in the spring, but there's no doubt that the wild morel mushroom is the star of the season. Despite their spongy, almost alien appearance, morel mushrooms have a delicate texture and a rich, earthy flavor that some describe as not unlike a fine steak. Morels are so prized that fresh specimens often command upwards of $50 a pound. Luckily, these gourmet fungi can be found in most wooded areas of the United States; they're also remarkably easy to identify, which makes morels a perfect choice for the beginning mushroom hunter.

http://www.lifeunplugged.net/lifeunplugged/gardenpantry/morel-mushroom-hunting.aspx
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/phallus_impudicus.html
http://www.agrihelper.com/topics/Stinkhorn

Kingdom:	Fungi
Phylum:	Basidiomycota
Subphylum:	Agaricomycotina
Class:	Dacrymycetes
Family:	Dacrymycetaceae
Genus:	Dacryopinax
Species:	D. spathularia
Binomial name
Dacryopinax spathularia (Schwein.) G.W. Martin (1948)

Dacryopinax spathularia is an edible, orange fungus. In Chinese, It is known as guihua er, literally means 'sweet osmanthus ear'. It is sometimes added in a vegetarian dish called Buddha's delight or Lo han jai. This dish, consists of various vegetables, is traditionally enjoyed by Buddhist monks.

Bird's nest fungi are a small group of saprophytic fungi that have a unique way of reproducing. They belong to the family Nidulariaceae with the most common genera in New Zealand are Nidula, Cyathus, and Crucibulum.

http://hiddenforest.co.nz/fungi/fun/birdnest.htm

Lactarius indigo, commonly known as the indigo milk cap, the indigo Lactarius or the blue Lactarius, is a species of fungus in the Russulaceae family of mushrooms. A widely distributed species, it grows naturally in eastern North America, East Asia, and Central America. L. indigo grows on the ground in both deciduous and coniferous forests, where it forms mycorrhizal associations with a broad range of trees. The fruiting body color ranges from dark blue in fresh specimens to pale blue-gray in older ones. The milk, or latex, that oozes when the mushroom tissue is cut or broken—a feature common to all members of the Lactarius genus—is also indigo blue, but slowly turns green upon exposure to air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactarius_indigo

location: North America

edibility: Poisonous/Suspect

fungus colour: White to cream, Grey to beige

normal size: Less than 5cm

cap type: Convex to shield shaped

stem type: Simple stem

flesh: Flesh fibrous usually pliable (like grass)

spore colour: White, cream or yellowish

habitat: Grows in woods, Grows on wood

Clitocybula familia (Pk.) Singer Cap 1-4cm across, bell-shaped then convex becoming flatter, with an incurved margin that spreads and finally becomes torn in age; grayish buff to brownish buff or dirty cream; smooth, moist. Gills adnate to nearly free, crowded, narrow; ash gray to whitish. Stem 40-80 x 1.5-3mm, fragile, gray or whitish, with flat white hairs on the base; smooth with a fine bloom. Flesh thin, fragile. Taste slightly disagreeable. Spores globose, smooth, amyloid, 3.5-4.5 x 3.5-4.5µ. Deposit white. Habitat in large clusters on conifer logs. Often abundant. Found widely distributed in North America. Season August-October. Said to be edible.

One of the most common fungi to be found in the woods is Trametes versicolor, the turkey tail fungus. The common name come from the banding pattern on the fruiting bodies that resembles (in miniature, of course) the tail of a strutting turkey. The colors of the bands can be quite variable, depending on the genetics of the organism and its environment. Most of the bands are dark to light brown in color, alternating with light colored bands of white to tan, with still more bands of blue, orange, maroon, and other. The can be strikingly beautiful, and are among the most easily found fungi. The species has a widespread distribution, having been found in nearly every state in the United states and in most other countries. You probably have this fungus where you live! Trametes versicolor can be a very prolific fruiter, as seen in this 0.5 m tall stump covered with hundreds of fruiting bodies.

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/turkey_tail.htm
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/aug97.html

Bracket fungus, also known as shelf fungus, is easily recognized by the semicircle-shaped shelves growing around the base of a tree. A key identifying characteristic of bracket fungus is the growth that emerges right out of the tree bark. Bracket fungus does not have stems similar to mushrooms.
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/bracfung.htm
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-bracketfungus.html

Corals are a colorful group of mushrooms, formally classified as the family Clavariaceae.

They come in a variety of sizes and colors, and they grow in a variety of environments, along side other mushrooms on trees and the ground.

Many species, like the picture of the salmon color coral at the top of the page, share a physical resemblence to salt water corals.

Other coral are small, perhaps an inch tall, and grow in groups consisting of a couple of singular strands. The bottom picture shows a small club like coral in the clavariadelphus genus.

Typically they are not the dominant mushroom family found in any area.

Coral mushrooms can be either easy or difficult to find. Species with brighter colors stand out against the typical green and brown forest background.

When the colorful species are not readily visible, try looking around the base of downed trees or stumps. Smaller corals often sprout in the area.

A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. The rings may grow over ten meters in diameter and become stable over time as the fungus grows and seeks food underground. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. Fairy rings are not only detectable by sporocarps in rings or arcs, but also by a necrotic zone (dead grass) or a ring of dark green grass. If these manifestations are visible a fairy fungus mycelium is likely present in the ring or arc underneath.

How to deal with mushroom rings on the lawn

In autumn, especially if it's damp, mushrooms pop up in the lawn. Brush them off if young children play in the garden.

A flush of mushrooms after laying a new lawn is quite normal.

If the mushrooms form a ring shape, or part of one, however, you have a problem with fairy rings and these are a nuisance.

Also watch for a noticeable ring of lush, dark-green grass or a circle of dead grass. These are all part of the disease that lives on the grass and forms dense mats of fungal strands below the soil.

Rid the lawn of all traces of the fungus by removing the ring. Dig down at least 12in and out the same distance on either side of the ring. Replace with fresh topsoil and reseed or returf.

Hopefully, the fairy rings will not return. For a less strenuous option, mask darker grass by feeding the rest of the lawn with autumn lawn fertiliser.

• RHS gardening advice is one of the benefits of being an RHS member. We can help you grow plants, solve gardening problems, identify plants and much more. RHS members have the advantage of being able to use the personal service by phone, letter and email. For a taste, browse the extensive profiles online or ask a question in the RHS online forums
• By RHS Advisory Team
  Published: 4:13PM BST 15 Sep 2009

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_ring

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric (pronounced /ˈæɡərɪk/) or fly Amanita (pronounced /ˌæməˈnaɪtə/), is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually deep red mushroom, one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture.

Kingdom:	Fungi
Subkingdom:	Dikarya
Phylum:	Basidiomycota
Subphylum:	Agaricomycotina
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Subclass:	Agaricomycetidae
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Amanitaceae
Genus:	Amanita
Species:	A. muscaria
Binomial name
Amanita muscaria (L.:Fr.) Lam.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria

The button mushroom, better known as a white mushroom or sometimes Agaricus bisporus is the most widely cultivated, harvested, and distributed mushroom in the world. This edible fungus is eaten so commonly by such a wide variety of people that the term “mushroom” conjures up the image of a button mushroom in most people's minds. In the United States alone, an average person consumes over two pounds (one kilogram) of button mushrooms a year. The mildly flavored, hardy fungus can be found fresh, dried, and canned in grocery stores all over the world.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-button-mushroom.htm

King Oyster Mushroom

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(Scientific Name: Pleurotus eryngii) A variety of mushroom that grows in clusters developing a trumpet-like shape and appearance as a wild or cultivated mushroom. With a blunt cap above and a stout stem beneath, the King Oyster mushroom develops a thick, white flesh that is firm-textured and meaty from the base to the cap. Also referred to as the King Eryngii, Eringii or Royal Trumpet and a trademarked variety known as Trumpet Royale, this mushroom receives some of its names from its shape. The King Oyster is typically harvested when the stems reach a length of several inches, but can grow to a size of 6 to 8 inches in length. As the mushrooms age for several days and depending on the storage provided, the flesh may darken or turn slightly tan to brown in color, but the quality of the mushrooms should be unaffected.
http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--38088/king-oyster-mushroom.asp

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sp.) belonging to Class Basidiomycetes and Family Agaricaceae is popularly known as ‘dhingri’ in India and grows naturally in the temperate and tropical forests on dead and decaying wooden logs or sometimes on dying trunks of deciduous or coniferous woods. It may also grow on decaying organic matter. The fruit bodies of this mushroom are distinctly shell or spatula shaped with different shades of white, cream, grey, yellow, pink or light brown depending upon the species.

It is one of the most suitable fungal organisms for producing protein rich food from various agro-wastes or forest wastes without composting.

http://nhb.gov.in/Horticulture%20Crops%5COyster%20Mushroom%5COyster%20Mushroom1.htm

The Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai. In the East, the shiitake mushroom has long been considered a delicacy as well as a medicinal mushroom. ^[1]

Contents:
1. Taxonomy and naming
2. Cultivation history
3. Culinary use
4. Shiitake research
5. Vitamin D
6. Other
7. Shiitake gallery
8. See also
9. References
10. Further reading
11. External links

Shiitake
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Phylum:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Tricholomataceae or Marasmiaceae or Omphalotaceae
Genus:	Lentinula
Species:	L. edodes

http://wapedia.mobi/en/Shiitake