(IJCH) Oh Honey! (The Tasty Mushroom and World's Largest Organism)
IJCH - Inside JaiChai's Head (Meaning: My Warped, Personal Opinions and Musings)
From the Author:
Salutations.
I am JaiChai.
And if I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before, I'm delighted to make your acquaintance now.
I invite you to interact with everyone, learn, and have as much fun as possible!
For my returning online friends, "It's always great to see you again!"
The Honey Mushroom
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Physalacriaceae
Genus: Armillaria
(Fr.) Staude
Type species
Armillaria mellea
(Vahl) P. Kumm.
Diversity
c. 45 species
Armillaria's Mycological characteristics
gills on hymenium
cap is convex
hymenium is adnate
stipe has a ring
spore print is white
ecology is parasitic
edibility: edible
Armillaria, is a genus of parasitic fungi that includes the A. mellea species known as honey fungi that live on trees and woody shrubs.
It includes about 10 species formerly categorized summarily as A. mellea. Armillarias are long-lived and form some of the largest living organisms in the world.
"Strange But True: The Largest Organism On Earth Is A Fungus"
The largest known organism (of the species Armillaria solidipes) covers more than 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) in Oregon's Malheur National Forest and is more than 2,400 years old.
Meet My Honey
This is my Honey Mushroom.
It is from the genus "Armillaria tabescens".
It is just like Armillaria mellea except without the ring; hence, the common name of "Ringless Honey Mushroom".
The ringless honey mushroom is the most easily identified North American species of Armillaria.
It grows in clusters on hardwoods in eastern North America, from about the Great Lakes southward, and west to Texas and Oklahoma.
It has no ring or ring zone on its stem, and it is usually a dull, tawny brown, though yellowish collections are not uncommon.
The cap surface bears small brownish scales (at least when young), and the stem bases are fused together and somewhat pointed.
Since I just harvested today, my girlfriend and I are having sauteed Honey Mushrooms tonight.
Yum-yum!
Warning
Mushroom Safety: My Recommendations
- Do your homework. There are many poisonous look alikes of wild edible mushrooms. In fact, a few are so toxic that they can be fatal!
- Make a thorough Identification of any mushroom with a spore print before ingesting.
- Never eat wild mushrooms raw. Always cook them.
- Even if the mushroom is classified as "Edible", only eat a small portion of any new mushroom you are eating for the first time.
(Just like all foods, chemicals and medications, a few individuals may have adverse reactions. So, please start small.)
- When cooking, be safe. Many mushrooms (including the Honey Mushroom) will pop higher than popcorn kernels when cooked.
(This video is hilarious and a great example of what NOT to do!)
The Deadly Honey Mushroom Look Alike
Honey Mushroom & Deadly Galerina - Identification and Differences with Adam Haritan
Be safe, have fun and...
FUN(gi) On!
By JaiChai
Really Appreciate You Stopping By.
Truly hope to see you again!
And if you liked my post, kindly Upvote, Comment, Follow, and Resteem.
About the Author
Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an AA, BS and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life – while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic.
In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he performed high altitude, free-fall parachute jumps and hazardous diving ops in deep, open ocean water.
After 24 years of active duty, he retired in Asia.
Since then, he's been a full-time, single papa and actively pursuing his varied passions (Writing, Disruptive Technology, Computer Science and Cryptocurrency - plus more hobbies too boring or bizarre for most folk).
He lives on an island paradise with his teenage daughter, longtime girlfriend and three dogs.
(More articles by JaiChai can be found on the Busy.org website. Use this link to visit Busy.org. Better yet, come join the Busy.org community!)
"My mind was a terrible thing to waste..." - JaiChai