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Gymnopilus junonius?
Growing on rotting deciduous tree stump possibly Sycamore. Slightly bitter to taste (I tasted them after they'd been slowly drying for 2 days). The gills might have smelled VERY faintly of marzipan. Gills Adnexed to sinuate. Some may be adnate, some may be free
bv somewhere along this slope near the bottom visible from the road
Spotted on Dec 14, 2012
Submitted on Dec 17, 2012
2 Comments
Wikipedia says it is known as waraitake, or "laughing mushroom", in Japanese. Another mushroom, the petticoat mottlegill, is also called waraitake because the occasional doses of psilocybin induce wild laughter for 30 minutes to 1 hour. According to Wikipedia some subspecies of Gymnopilus junonius also contain the hallucinogenic compound psilocybin!
Funny name :)