Stropharia Ambigua

Day 7: I can offer two hypotheses as to why Stropharia ambigua is commonly called the "Questionable Stropharia," the first being that it has been moved from one taxon to another several times. The second theory is more likely: that there are differing opinions on its edibility, with some authorities claiming that it is, while others say that it is poisonous like many other Stropharias. In any event, this mushroom is endemic to the Pacific Northwest, and is fairly common in our forests. It is a beautiful thing with its scale-covered stipe, vestiges of the veil which often ornaments the edge of the cap like lace on a petticoat. These two growing in my yard beneath Big Doug were such textbook examples that I simply had to photograph them. A shorter, stockier cousin (S. hornemannii) has a slightly darker cap and is more often found growing on rotting wood than in forest detritus.