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dirtgirl_wt

red, basket-like fungi from the gulf stares?

dirtgirl
17 years ago

Hello everyone...hope it's a good holiday for you all.

Recently spent some time along the Gulf Coast, specifically Gulf Shores, Alabama. Travelling is so fascinating because you always come across things you have never seen before. Usually there is always a stack of reference books in the back seat when we travel, but I completely forgot them this time, and besides-I don't have a guide for fungi. Yet. So when I came across a wonderful little jewel in the pine needles I knew I had some homework to do when I got home.

I haven't had a chance to get to the bookstore, so you guys can tell me what you think first.

It has a bright reddish-pink color, almost a fuschia of sorts, I did not see any specimens taller than maybe 6 inches (from memory) and had 3 or 4 "arms" that joined together at the top, reminding one of a fancy Tiffany basket or something. My husband and I were visiting relatives at the time and I unfortunately didn't have an opportunity to get much else in the way of gill patterns or other diagnostics, but it was quite a distictive little beauty in both form and color and also seemed rather common. I spotted them several times during walks in the woods, usually on the pine needles but sometimes out in the open. One was in the middle of a well-used, sandy trail.

And I only first noticed the first one because it was growing next to a large and pungent Ravenel's stinkhorn I had been "admiring". (I detected strong overtones of dead putrid mouse, there...)

My "find" is probably a common thing down south...hopefully one of you can tell me something about it.

And hopefully Santa will bring me my next field guide!!

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