ASHLAND — A few weeks ago I got an email from one of my readers about a mushroom in his yard.
They were beautiful little gold mushrooms growing right out of the ground. I am not a mushroom expert, but do seek expertise when available.
A reader and a member of the Ohio Mushroom Society recently advised me on some of the pictures I have.
As I looked at the pictures, I saw this semi-flat cap with a shallow trumpet-shape that was orange in color. The cap is mostly round and smooth when young.
The center of the cap funnels gently down in the middle where the stalk attaches. They almost looked like little donuts on the ground. Caps for the Jack-O-Lantern or Omphalotus olearius are more convex that flatten as they get older.
Gills on this mushroom attach to the stem and are forked or veined giving them a unique appearance. These mushrooms are some of the few bio luminescent organisms that you will find.
One of the key identifying characteristics is its faint greenish glow in the dark when young.
Keep in mind that any part of this mushroom if eaten, will cause severe gastrointestinal issues.
Another key to identify our Jack-O-Lantern is the orange to yellow cap. Mycologists call these gills “decurrent gills” as they are attached to the stems.
There is clear, distinct spacing between the gills.
The spore print for Jack-O-Lantern mushrooms typically have a bright yellow to orange.
This distinguishes them from similar species. As with most spore prints place one of the caps down on paper or glass overnight. To prevent contamination with other spores handle the caps carefully as you are looking at a spore print while they set overnight.
Stalks are slender and tall and range from two inches to six inches in height. Stems on these mushrooms are normally a pale orange with a fibrous texture and lack any distinct rings or veil.
This lack of a ring will differentiate the Jack-O-Lantern from the Fly Agaric with its white speckles on the top and the critical veil or ring around the stem. When you cut open the stem of this Jack-O-Lantern it will be orange in color verses a Chanterelle mushroom.
Jack-O-Lantern mushrooms do well in wooded areas with rich organic matter. The favorite wood for this Jack-O-Lantern saprophyte, plants that grow on dead and dying material, are oak, beech, and maple.
If you are in a wooded area with decaying wood as fallen logs, or stumps in high humidity, and consistent moisture, they will be the happiest.
Soil pH range will be from neutral to slightly acidic, that actually provides a suitable environment for their growth and proliferation. For Jack-O-Lanterns to do well you need a high humidity from 85% to 75%.
The challenge will be water logging. Our mushroom needs good drainage.
When you are in the woods you may have a faint musty odor around the Jack-O-Lanterns.
According to the Northern New England Poison Center, Jack-O-Lantern can cause severe stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
This mushroom is particularly toxic to the elderly and small children if they would consume a great deal of them, but this is generally caused by dehydration secondary to the actual effects of the mushroom toxins.
Dehydration from this mushroom may cause further complications such as organ failure and even death.
Jack-O-Lanterns contains two toxins: muscarine and illdin. These toxins are not lethal by themselves but, as noted above, can cause many unpleasant symptoms.
If you have accidentally eaten some of these mushrooms see a doctor and tell the doctor what happened. You need to consider that quantity of mushrooms will affect the symptoms you have.
If consumed Jack-O-Lantern mushroom accidentally expect vomiting and diarrhea which may last for days. This will cause dehydration and add to other complications.
Jack-O-Lanterns are your typical mushroom in that it needs filtered light with high humidity for them to do well. That is why you will find them in forests with large and heavy canopies ideal for their development.
Since it was late August when I got these pictures, they fit the time frame of when they normally appear from late summer to early fall. These mushrooms thrive in warm and humid conditions.
In conclusion the pictures revealed that we were looking at a Jack-O-Lantern mushroom and I would not recommend eating it because of the toxins in it. The bio-luminescence sounds fascinating.
I hope you have a great stroll through your garden this week and keep your eyes open. If you see a problem let me know at ericlarson546@yahoo.com.