Mock Oyster Mushroom

Mock Oyster Mushroom is a common, colorful, stinky, gilled mushroom. It occurs across the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, North America, and Central America. It is found in groups or in overlapping clusters in the cool spring and fall but not in the hot summer. It grows on rotting logs and stumps of both deciduous and coniferous trees. It gets its nutrients from decaying wood (saprobic).

When it first appears, the cap is convex and bright orange. The surface is densely covered with coarse to soft, whitish hairs, sometimes obscuring the colored surface. The margin is rolled under. As it ages, it spreads out, becoming semicircular, and the color fades. The mature cap is ¾″ to 3⅛″ (2 to 8 cm) wide, fan shaped, orangish yellow or yellowish orange, and convex above but flat below (planoconvex). It is attached to the substrate at one side, and there is usually no stalk. The surface is dry and densely hairy. It bruises easily, sometimes turning brownish when handled. It usually has a strong, very disagreeable odor, but the odor is sometimes mild.

The gills are colored like the cap, bright orange, orangish yellow, or yellowish orange, sometimes paler. They are narrow and closely spaced to almost crowded. Between the main gills, there are frequent short gills that do not extend to the base.

The stalk, if there is one, is rudimentary.

The flesh is thin, soft or tough, and colored like the cap or paler. It does not change color when sliced. The edibility is unknown, and is likely to remain so, due to the unpleasant odor and tough texture.

The spore print is pale pink, orangish pink, or pinkish brown.

Phyllotopsis subnidulans is a deeper orange and it has thinner gills that are spaced wider apart. It occurs in the eastern United States, but it has not been recorded in Minnesota. Based on the few records of this species, it is rare.

Rotting logs and stumps of both deciduous and coniferous trees

Spring and fall

Sources

4, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

Common and widespread

This species was first described in 1798 Christian Hendrik Persoon as Agaricus nidulans. Since then, it has been described by many others under many names.

Found February 21st on the trails of Cleary Lake.

Phyllotopsis nidulans / The Mock Oyster Mushroom (4K)
The wonderful world of mycology

Phyllotopsis nidulans (Mock Oyster Mushroom )
ArkWildman survival

Orange mock oyster mushroom, Phyllotopsis nidulans: Cabbage-smelling, furry orange fungi FTW?
Anna McHugh

Mock Oyster vs Oyster mushroom (Phyllotopsis nidulans vs Pleurotus ostreatus)
mimodega

Blyke
2/21/2024

Location: Scott County

Found February 21st on the trails of Cleary Lake.