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Lobster Mushroom

Hypomyces lactifluorum

Photo by SukanyaDatta
Published on Project Noah
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56.4907, -4.2026

Field Notes

Description:

Like a large mis-shapen lump....reddish in colour. Massive but particularized by

Habitat:

Woodland. Under trees.

Notes:

Lobster mushroom is not a mushroom. It is a parasitic ascomycete fungus. This fungus grows on other species of mushrooms, turning them a reddish orange colour somewhat like the outer shell of a cooked lobster.

Reference Links:

Hypomyces lactifluorum - Wikipedia

Species ID Suggestions

Lobster

Hypomyces lactifluorum

Reference Link
KarenSaxton
1

Comments (5)
SukanyaDatta
Thank you, KarenSaxton...going ahead with the ID. Just one thing...I suppose there is no way of knowing what the host mushroom was...it is so large!
KarenSaxton
I'm an avid mushroom hunter at home and my yard is just full of lobs right now. They love the warmer weather at the end of summer
SukanyaDatta
Thank you KarenSaxton. I am a visitor to Scotland (actually UK) so have no idea...let me explore a bit. Thank you so much.
KarenSaxton
Not sure if you have Lobsters there, although you seem to have everything else we do, in terms of edibles and our climates are the same. I'd guess Lobster - it's a fungus on a fungus :)

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Mushroom Mapping
Photographed
PublishedSeptember 4, 2017

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