colindomnauer's Favorites

I’ve been watching this fruit here for about 5 years now, every fall except the year the laneway was redone. This year’s 3 specimens look very healthy despite the drought. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this is the only wild Grifola frondosa documented west of the Rockies since one was found in Victoria in the 1970’s. Paul Kroeger assisted me in submitting a specimen to the UBC herbarium from a few years back, and checking the databases of recorded occurrences.

These ones grow from the base of a large, old red oak tree, which was probably planted around the time the first settlers’ houses were built in the neighbourhood. Likely the mycelium was already present in the young transplant. The tree looks healthy despite the presumably long term infection of its butt by this mushroom.

If you find this mushroom please respect it and do not take it (at least not all of it). I have taken a culture from it, as has my friend Farhad Zahir of Livespore/Fungisle, who has successfully fruited it indoors and outdoors. I have yet to fruit the culture myself.

Note that I have changed the location (obviously not growing in the middle of Trout Lake, nor anywhere in that park), but it is in East Vancouver, BC on Coast Salish Territories, just a few blocks from my home.

I made a mushroom observer observation of a decomposing specimen the first year I saw it.