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from any mushroomers who find this fungus in
the future to gain more distributional data and
a better idea of any variations in appearance.
At the Essex Field Club foray in Epping Forest
last year another mystery fungus was produced,
collected from a tree in the woods behind
the Wake Arms public house. It resembled a large,
soft white coral fungus and had a strong pungent
odour, rather like rancid cheese! Your fungus
recorder was completely stumped on this occasion
and it was hastely sent to Dr. Derek Reid at
Kew who pronounced it a species of Sparassis ,
(S. crispa is the cauliflower fungus, found on
pine). The habitat, however, would seem to preclude
it being S. crispa as no pines were present and
it was thought to be growing at the base of an
old oak. It might possibly be the species
S. laminata which does grow on deciduous trees,
but there were slight differences from that
species. Further material is needed to confirm
its identity and a careful lookout will be kept
for it at this year's foray.
References
Dermek, A. 1979. Fungorum Rariorum Icones Color-
atae, part 9, J. Cramer, Germany.
Phillips, Roger 1981. Mushrooms and other Fungi
of Great Britain and Europe. Pan Books.
Geoffrey Kibby