lobster mushroom
Hypomyces lactifluorum (Schwein.) Tul. & C.Tul.
Safety first
Many edible mushrooms have toxic lookalikes, and some of those can be fatal. Have any mushroom identified in person by a local expert before you eat it.
If someone may have eaten a wild mushroom, call US Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or 911 right away. In Canada, call your provincial poison centre or 911.
Edibility
Edible (per source) Source: Wikipedia: Hypomyces lactifluorum
Classification from Wikipedia: Hypomyces lactifluorum. Sources can be wrong or incomplete, and people react differently.
Never eat a wild mushroom based on this site or any app.
Photos
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Photo: Megan “Moe” Morelock. CC-BY. Source (inaturalist) -
Photo: Dion Grimes. CC-BY. Source (inaturalist) -
Photo: Oliver Hassell. CC-BY. Source (inaturalist) -
Photo: decaturjosh. CC0. Source (inaturalist)
Lookalikes
No lookalikes are recorded for this species yet. That does not mean there are none. Many mushrooms look alike, so never rely on appearance alone.
Season
When this species has been recorded, by month, from open-licensed US and Canada observations. It shows when people report it, not a guarantee it is fruiting.
The highlighted bar is the current month.
View season data as a table
| Month | Records |
|---|---|
| January | 21 |
| February | 1 |
| March | 3 |
| April | 3 |
| May | 17 |
| June | 56 |
| July | 498 |
| August | 1,014 |
| September | 674 |
| October | 393 |
| November | 111 |
| December | 19 |
Where it is found
States and provinces with the most records. Check the foraging rules for the place you plan to visit.
- British Columbia 292 records · Foraging rules
- New York 255 records · Foraging rules
- Ontario 235 records · Foraging rules
- Minnesota 177 records · Foraging rules
- Oregon 155 records · Foraging rules
- Washington 148 records · Foraging rules
- California 108 records · Foraging rules
- Vermont 103 records · Foraging rules
- Pennsylvania 96 records · Foraging rules
- Quebec 88 records · Foraging rules
- Wisconsin 80 records · Foraging rules
- Michigan 79 records · Foraging rules
- New Hampshire 64 records · Foraging rules
- North Carolina 63 records · Foraging rules
- Arizona 53 records · Foraging rules
Show 40 more
- Maine51 records
- Nova Scotia49 records
- Virginia46 records
- Massachusetts32 records
- Ohio31 records
- Manitoba30 records
- Connecticut29 records
- Tennessee29 records
- Maryland28 records
- New Brunswick28 records
- Idaho25 records
- Illinois25 records
- West Virginia21 records
- North Dakota20 records
- Alabama19 records
- Iowa19 records
- New Mexico18 records
- Georgia17 records
- New Jersey16 records
- South Carolina16 records
- Missouri14 records
- Florida13 records
- South Dakota12 records
- Colorado11 records
- District of Columbia10 records
- Indiana9 records
- Texas9 records
- Alaska7 records
- Delaware7 records
- Oklahoma5 records
- Louisiana3 records
- Arkansas2 records
- Kentucky2 records
- Mississippi2 records
- Newfoundland and Labrador2 records
- Prince Edward Island2 records
- Alberta1 records
- Kansas1 records
- Utah1 records
- Wyoming1 records
Identification traits
| Underside (gills, pores or teeth) | smooth |
|---|---|
| Ecology | parasitic |
| Stem features | bare |
| Spore print color | white |
Traits vary. Use them to ask better questions of an expert, not to make a final call.
About
Hypomyces lactifluorum, the lobster mushroom, is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that grows on certain species of mushrooms, turning them a reddish orange color that resembles the outer shell of a cooked lobster. The fungus is edible.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the original article.
Never eat a wild mushroom based on this site or any app. See safety basics and the disclaimer.