Hi, I saw your picture and I recently found the same type of species of mushroom. I was just wondering if you can give me any information on it I live in Brooklyn, New York, and I find it odd to see it in my area because it’s not a forest it’s a community of buildings and certain trees have mushrooms, but this one particular I’m interested in
Schizophyllum commune, common name “Split Gill” is a very common mushroom found all around the world. It lives on dead wood and that wood can be literary anywhere from a stick at the side of a road or communal green space area to the middle of a forest.
A couple of interesting factoids about Schizophyllum commune:
It has over has over 28,000 mating types
It is one of the few “macro” fungi, fungi with fruiting bodies you can see with the naked eye, that you can catch as a disease, a lung infection. You need to be in the unfortunate situation of being immune compromised or undergoing cancer treatment etc for this to happen and I believe it is pretty rare even then.
It is edible when cooked but you are unlikely to find enough at one time in the US to make dish out of it . Also they will be quite tough so not a choice or desirable mushroom.
Hi, I saw your picture and I recently found the same type of species of mushroom. I was just wondering if you can give me any information on it I live in Brooklyn, New York, and I find it odd to see it in my area because it’s not a forest it’s a community of buildings and certain trees have mushrooms, but this one particular I’m interested in
Hi Rosario,
Schizophyllum commune, common name “Split Gill” is a very common mushroom found all around the world. It lives on dead wood and that wood can be literary anywhere from a stick at the side of a road or communal green space area to the middle of a forest.
A couple of interesting factoids about Schizophyllum commune:
It has over has over 28,000 mating types
It is one of the few “macro” fungi, fungi with fruiting bodies you can see with the naked eye, that you can catch as a disease, a lung infection. You need to be in the unfortunate situation of being immune compromised or undergoing cancer treatment etc for this to happen and I believe it is pretty rare even then.
It is edible when cooked but you are unlikely to find enough at one time in the US to make dish out of it . Also they will be quite tough so not a choice or desirable mushroom.
There is a bit more about the species here:
https://www.mushroomexpert.com/schizophyllum_commune.html
https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/feb2000.html
You also have a great resource near to you in the case you want to learn m ore, The New York Mycological Society:
https://www.newyorkmyc.org/
Best regards,
Richard Jacob