Wrinkled Peach

Wrinkled Peach is a small to medium-sized, easily recognized but infrequently found gill mushroom. It is found scattered or in small groups on fallen, rotting hardwoods, especially on elm but occasionally also on basswood and maple. It is saprobic, getting its nutrients from well-decayed wood.

The stalk (stipe) is 1¼″to 2¾″ long, ⅜″ to ⅝″ in diameter, solid, tough, dry, and slightly hairy. It is white to pinkish, the color determined by the amount and color of light it receives. It is often curved due to its appearance on the side of a fallen log. It is attached to the bottom of the cap centrally, slightly off-center, or almost laterally. It sometimes exudes red or orange sap. There are no remnants of a universal veil clinging to the stalk.

The cap is ¾″ to 4″ in diameter, thick, and tough. It is pink and convex at first. As it ages it flattens out and becomes salmon, peach-colored, pink, or red. Like the stipe, the color is determined by the amount and color of light it receives. The margin is curved under. The skin in the upper surface (pellicle) is gelatinous and sometimes slimy to the touch. It is usually, but not always, conspicuously wrinkled with a network of whitish, cross-linked ridges. The presence of wrinkles is indicative of alternating wet and dry conditions. In an always wet environment, the surface will be smooth, puffy, and gelatinous. The pellicle peels off easily and completely.

The flesh is pinkish, firm, and rubbery. It is considered inedible due to its bitter taste, but at least one source (Roger’s Mushrooms) lists the taste as mild.

The gills are thick, closely spaced, and broadly attached to the stipe. They are similar in color to, but slightly paler than, the cap.

The spore print is pinkish.

No similar species. The lightly-colored netted surface, when present, is distinctive.

Dead deciduous wood, especially maple and elm

June through September