Oudemansiella radicata - Mary Larner
My best find of 2006 was the Oudemansiella radicata found at Adel Dam on the foray of 7 October. One of the forayers found it and it was in such squelchy soil that my cries of 'Don't pull it out, it'll break' were quite unnecessary; he just went on drawing it out and out until his arm was nearly not long enough! It's a common enough fungus, but I personally have never found one with a rooting part longer than 8" [20cm] and this one from just under the cap to the root tip was 69cm.
I could have chosen the Harlow Carr Russula torulosa [a very rare Russula, found in Wales and Scotland but with no certified find from England till Ken Burgess identified it that day]. I may have found it, but didn't identify it.
I could have chosen all the little lilac fungi that happen in Harlow Carr - Inocybe geophylla var lilacina, Mycena pura, Laccaria amethystina, and Lepista nuda - since I have a thing about things lilac, but the Oudemansiella was the most astonishing and amusing fungus of my year.
Mary
This page last updated 16/02/2008.
