╔══ Identifications · 22 September 202636 sightings
speciesAmanita muscaria
locationWamberg approach
habitatBirch and coniferous forest
edibilityPsychoactive
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Bright red (occ. orange/yellow) cap with white spots
- │ ▸ White gills and stem
- │ ▸ Ring on stem
- │ ▸ Bulbous base
speciesGuepinia helvelloides
locationPflegersee
habitatOn soil in damp places: paths, ditches, stream banks, shady slopes
edibilityEdible, very little flavour
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Salmon- to flesh-pink, funnel- or trumpet-shaped gelatinous fruit body
- │ ▸ Lobed, wavy, often rolled-back margin
- │ ▸ Inner surface with fine veins or grooves
- │ ▸ With age, a whitish spore powder coats the outside
└─ Also known as salmon salad; the glistening salmon-pink funnels are unmistakable in damp woodland.
speciesGuepinia helvelloides
locationWamberg approach
habitatOn soil in damp places: paths, ditches, stream banks, shady slopes
edibilityEdible, very little flavour
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Salmon- to flesh-pink, funnel- or trumpet-shaped gelatinous fruit body
- │ ▸ Lobed, wavy, often rolled-back margin
- │ ▸ Inner surface with fine veins or grooves
- │ ▸ With age, a whitish spore powder coats the outside
└─ Also known as salmon salad; the glistening salmon-pink funnels are unmistakable in damp woodland.
speciesHydnellum peckii
locationWamberg approach
habitatConiferous forest
edibilityInedible
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ White to pinkish-brown velvety cap exuding red droplets when young
- │ ▸ Teeth/spines underneath instead of pores or gills
- │ ▸ Irregular, tough, fan-shaped fruit body
- │ ▸ Found growing on ground among moss in coniferous forest
└─ Exudes bright red droplets when young, giving it a "bleeding" appearance; turns brown and tough with age
speciesSarcodon imbricatus
locationWamberg approach
habitatConiferous forest, mycorrhizal with spruce and pine
edibilityEdible when young, but often bitter
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Large brown cap covered with coarse, dark brown, roof-shingle-like scales
- │ ▸ Grey-brown, brittle teeth instead of gills under the cap
- │ ▸ Becomes broadly funnel-shaped with age, sometimes with greenish zones
- │ ▸ Stout, grey-brown stem
└─ Often deeply bitter; cooking does not remove the bitter taste, making most finds unusable.
speciesCantharellus cibarius
locationWamberg approach
habitatMycorrhizal with beech, birch, spruce and pine
edibilityExcellent edible mushroom
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Golden-yellow, funnel-shaped cap with a wavy, irregular margin
- │ ▸ Blunt, forked ridges (no true gills) running down the stem
- │ ▸ Pale yellow to whitish, firm flesh
- │ ▸ Pleasant fruity smell of apricots
└─ One of the most sought-after wild mushrooms in Europe; a great choice for drying.
speciesLactarius deterrimus
locationWamberg approach
habitatUnder spruce (Picea), more rarely in mixed forest, from lowland to subalpine
edibilityEdible
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Orange to carrot-red cap with faint concentric zones, greening with age
- │ ▸ Orange, later greenish milk that stains weakly orange on exposure
- │ ▸ Gills bruise green where damaged
- │ ▸ Stem without distinct pits; latex mild to slightly bitter, never hot
└─ The markings on the stem are not prominent enough to be "pits" and thus indicative of the "real" saffron milkcap.
speciesRussula delica
locationWamberg approach
habitatConiferous and mixed forest, often under pines; in moss and needle litter
edibilityEdible after thorough cooking
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Pure white to ivory convex cap that becomes funnel-shaped with age
- │ ▸ Firm white flesh that stains ochre-brown, especially towards the base
- │ ▸ Decurrent, crowded cream-white gills
- │ ▸ Short, stout, often buried base
- │ ▸ Faint, oily or fishy odour
└─ One of the largest and most robust brittlegills, often growing partly buried in moss and pine litter, making it easy to overlook until the cap breaks the surface.
speciesSarcodon imbricatus
locationWamberg approach
habitatConiferous forest, mycorrhizal with spruce and pine
edibilityEdible when young, but often bitter
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Large brown cap covered with coarse, dark brown, roof-shingle-like scales
- │ ▸ Grey-brown, brittle teeth instead of gills under the cap
- │ ▸ Becomes broadly funnel-shaped with age, sometimes with greenish zones
- │ ▸ Stout, grey-brown stem
└─ Often deeply bitter; cooking does not remove the bitter taste, making most finds unusable.
speciesAmanita phalloides
locationWamberg approach
habitatMycorrhizal under broadleaf trees (oak, beech, hornbeam), occasionally with spruce
edibilityDEADLY POISONOUS
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Yellowish-green to olive cap, shiny when damp; smooth, without flecks
- │ ▸ White gills and ring
- │ ▸ White stem with a bulbous base in a white, sac-like volva
- │ ▸ Pale, watery-marbled cap margin in damp conditions (veil remnants)
└─ Responsible for most fatal mushroom poisonings in Europe. Must not be tasted.
speciesCantharellus cibarius
locationWamberg approach
habitatMycorrhizal with beech, birch, spruce and pine
edibilityExcellent edible mushroom
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Golden-yellow, funnel-shaped cap with a wavy, irregular margin
- │ ▸ Blunt, forked ridges (no true gills) running down the stem
- │ ▸ Pale yellow to whitish, firm flesh
- │ ▸ Pleasant fruity smell of apricots
└─ One of the most sought-after wild mushrooms in Europe; a great choice for drying.
speciesCantharellus cibarius
locationWamberg approach
habitatMycorrhizal with beech, birch, spruce and pine
edibilityExcellent edible mushroom
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Golden-yellow, funnel-shaped cap with a wavy, irregular margin
- │ ▸ Blunt, forked ridges (no true gills) running down the stem
- │ ▸ Pale yellow to whitish, firm flesh
- │ ▸ Pleasant fruity smell of apricots
└─ One of the most sought-after wild mushrooms in Europe; a great choice for drying.
speciesCantharellus cibarius
locationWamberg approach
habitatMycorrhizal with beech, birch, spruce and pine
edibilityExcellent edible mushroom
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Golden-yellow, funnel-shaped cap with a wavy, irregular margin
- │ ▸ Blunt, forked ridges (no true gills) running down the stem
- │ ▸ Pale yellow to whitish, firm flesh
- │ ▸ Pleasant fruity smell of apricots
└─ One of the most sought-after wild mushrooms in Europe; a great choice for drying.
speciesClathrus archeri
locationWamberg approach
habitatGardens, wood-chip mulch and disturbed ground, also broadleaf woodland
edibilityInedible — foul smell
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Starts as a whitish, leathery 'egg' at the base
- │ ▸ Opens into 4–6 (rarely 8) bright red, tentacle-like arms
- │ ▸ Inner surfaces covered with a dark, olive-brown spore mass (gleba)
- │ ▸ Strong smell of rotting flesh
└─ Originally from Australasia, now a widespread invasive species across Europe; the odour attracts flies that disperse the spores.
speciesLactarius deterrimus
locationAltherrenweg (Oberammergau)
habitatUnder spruce (Picea), more rarely in mixed forest, from lowland to subalpine
edibilityEdible
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Orange to carrot-red cap with faint concentric zones, greening with age
- │ ▸ Orange, later greenish milk that stains weakly orange on exposure
- │ ▸ Gills bruise green where damaged
- │ ▸ Stem without distinct pits; latex mild to slightly bitter, never hot
speciesSarcodon imbricatus
locationAltherrenweg (Oberammergau)
habitatConiferous forest, mycorrhizal with spruce and pine
edibilityEdible when young, but often bitter
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Large brown cap covered with coarse, dark brown, roof-shingle-like scales
- │ ▸ Grey-brown, brittle teeth instead of gills under the cap
- │ ▸ Becomes broadly funnel-shaped with age, sometimes with greenish zones
- │ ▸ Stout, grey-brown stem
└─ Often deeply bitter; cooking does not remove the bitter taste, making most finds unusable.
speciesAlbatrellus ovinus
locationKramerplateau
habitatIn spruce forest on calcareous soil, montane to subalpine
edibilityEdible when young, becomes bitter with age
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Whitish to cream cap that stains yellow when bruised
- │ ▸ Smooth cap in young specimens, cracking and becoming scaly with age
- │ ▸ Very short, often eccentric stem
- │ ▸ Whitish pores running down the stem; older specimens sometimes greenish-brown at the base
speciesAmanita muscaria
locationKramerplateau
habitatBirch and coniferous forest
edibilityPsychoactive
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Bright red (occ. orange/yellow) cap with white spots
- │ ▸ White gills and stem
- │ ▸ Ring on stem
- │ ▸ Bulbous base
speciesClathrus archeri
locationKramerplateau
habitatGardens, wood-chip mulch and disturbed ground, also broadleaf woodland
edibilityInedible — foul smell
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Starts as a whitish, leathery 'egg' at the base
- │ ▸ Opens into 4–6 (rarely 8) bright red, tentacle-like arms
- │ ▸ Inner surfaces covered with a dark, olive-brown spore mass (gleba)
- │ ▸ Strong smell of rotting flesh
└─ Originally from Australasia, now a widespread invasive species across Europe; the odour attracts flies that disperse the spores.
└─ Stinky - interesting to find a group of ovoids as well as an opened mushroom.
speciesClavulina coralloides
locationKramerplateau
habitatOn the ground in coniferous and broadleaf forest, in litter and moss
edibilityEdible but of little culinary value
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Cream-white to greyish, coral-like branched fruit body
- │ ▸ Branches end in comb-like crests or pointed tips
- │ ▸ No distinct stem; grows directly from needle and leaf litter, often in tufts
- │ ▸ Turns greyish with age or in dry weather
speciesCoprinopsis nivea
locationKramerplateau
habitatPastures and roadsides on horse or cattle dung
edibilityNo culinary value
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Whole fruit body initially covered in a white, powdery to flocculose veil
- │ ▸ White, egg-shaped cap that opens and greys at the margin with age
- │ ▸ Gills dissolve into black 'ink' (deliquescence)
- │ ▸ Grows on dung or heavily manured ground
speciesCortinarius largus
locationKramerplateau
habitatIn coniferous and mixed forest, often on calcareous soil
edibilityUnknown, not recommended
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Stocky fruit body with a pale grey-brown, viscid cap
- │ ▸ Pale lavender-grey gills, later rust-brown from the spores; cortina on young specimens
- │ ▸ Firm, pale, club-shaped stem with a bulbous base
- │ ▸ Flesh of cap and stem lilac to violaceous, becoming white in the centre when cut
└─ Could be a Blewit (Wood blewit / Lepista nuda). To distinguish with more certainty check for staining yellow with KOH. In case you do not have any KOH at hand, when cut in a vertical cross section the Cortinarius largus will be lilac to violaceous becoming white in the centre of cap and stem.
speciesGomphidius glutinosus
locationKramerplateau
habitatMycorrhizal with spruce in mossy coniferous forest
edibilityEdible
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Cap covered in a thick, slimy, grey-brown glutinous veil
- │ ▸ Soft grey-violet cap that darkens to brown-black with age
- │ ▸ Distant, waxy white-grey gills, decurrent on the stem
- │ ▸ Stem base is chrome-yellow
└─ The bottom of the stem should be yellow (we did not check).
speciesHydnellum peckii
locationKramerplateau
habitatConiferous forest
edibilityInedible
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ White to pinkish-brown velvety cap exuding red droplets when young
- │ ▸ Teeth/spines underneath instead of pores or gills
- │ ▸ Irregular, tough, fan-shaped fruit body
- │ ▸ Found growing on ground among moss in coniferous forest
└─ Exudes bright red droplets when young, giving it a "bleeding" appearance; turns brown and tough with age
speciesHygrocybe cantharellus
locationKramerplateau
habitatOn nutrient-poor grassland and mossy alpine meadows
edibilityEdible but of little culinary value
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Orange to red-orange cap with a scaly, fibrillose surface that yellows with age
- │ ▸ Convex cap with a conspicuous central depression, goblet-like
- │ ▸ Decurrent, yellowish gills with forked cross-veins
- │ ▸ Fragile, hollow stem in the colour of the cap
speciesLaccaria amethystina
locationKramerplateau
habitatBroadleaf and coniferous forest, often with beech and oak, in troops
edibilityEdible but insignificant; watch for poisonous lookalikes (e.g. violet Cortinarius species)
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Intense violet colour over the whole fruit body when fresh
- │ ▸ Waxy, widely spaced thick gills
- │ ▸ Fibrous, tough stem
- │ ▸ Colour fades quickly to pale tan as it ages or dries
└─ The common name refers to how easily the violet colour 'deceives' — once faded, the mushroom blends into the forest floor and is easy to overlook.
speciesLaccaria amethystina
locationKramerplateau
habitatBroadleaf and coniferous forest, often with beech and oak, in troops
edibilityEdible but insignificant; watch for poisonous lookalikes (e.g. violet Cortinarius species)
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Intense violet colour over the whole fruit body when fresh
- │ ▸ Waxy, widely spaced thick gills
- │ ▸ Fibrous, tough stem
- │ ▸ Colour fades quickly to pale tan as it ages or dries
└─ The common name refers to how easily the violet colour 'deceives' — once faded, the mushroom blends into the forest floor and is easy to overlook.
speciesLactarius deterrimus
locationKramerplateau
habitatUnder spruce (Picea), more rarely in mixed forest, from lowland to subalpine
edibilityEdible
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Orange to carrot-red cap with faint concentric zones, greening with age
- │ ▸ Orange, later greenish milk that stains weakly orange on exposure
- │ ▸ Gills bruise green where damaged
- │ ▸ Stem without distinct pits; latex mild to slightly bitter, never hot
└─ A similar other option: Lactarius semisanguifluus.
speciesMacrolepiota procera
locationKramerplateau
habitatIn meadows, forest edges and clearings on sunny ground
edibilityGood edible when young
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Large pale cap with coarse, shaggy brown scales; egg-shaped and brown-scaly when young
- │ ▸ Naked margin without veil remnants
- │ ▸ Snake-skin patterned, slightly club-shaped stem with a thick double ring
- │ ▸ Free, close white gills; flesh white, flushed reddish-brown when cut
speciesMycena viridimarginata
locationKramerplateau
habitatIn the needle litter of spruce forest
edibilityNo culinary value
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Olive-green to olive-brown cap margin (greenish edge above the gills)
- │ ▸ Slender, dark olive stem
- │ ▸ Small, bell-shaped cap on mossy ground or rotten wood
- │ ▸ White to pale grey gills with green edges in fresh material
└─ Options: Mousepee pinkgill/Entoloma incanum, Mycena viridimarginata/olive edge bonnet. Most likely a bonnet/mycena
speciesRickenella fibula
locationKramerplateau
habitatOn living moss on the ground, also on damp walls and paths
edibilityNo culinary value
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Tiny orange, bell- to navel-shaped cap with a small central depression
- │ ▸ Gills long-decurrent on the slender hairy stem
- │ ▸ Cap and stem in the same vivid orange colour
- │ ▸ Grows on moss, especially on moss cushions in forests and bogs
└─ Orange mosscap / orange bonnet (rickenella fibula / mycena acicula). Cap shape with slightly depressed centre and growing on moss hints more towards the orange mosscap.
speciesRussula delica
locationKramerplateau
habitatConiferous and mixed forest, often under pines; in moss and needle litter
edibilityEdible after thorough cooking
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Pure white to ivory convex cap that becomes funnel-shaped with age
- │ ▸ Firm white flesh that stains ochre-brown, especially towards the base
- │ ▸ Decurrent, crowded cream-white gills
- │ ▸ Short, stout, often buried base
- │ ▸ Faint, oily or fishy odour
└─ One of the largest and most robust brittlegills, often growing partly buried in moss and pine litter, making it easy to overlook until the cap breaks the surface.
speciesSarcodon imbricatus
locationKramerplateau
habitatConiferous forest, mycorrhizal with spruce and pine
edibilityEdible when young, but often bitter
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Large brown cap covered with coarse, dark brown, roof-shingle-like scales
- │ ▸ Grey-brown, brittle teeth instead of gills under the cap
- │ ▸ Becomes broadly funnel-shaped with age, sometimes with greenish zones
- │ ▸ Stout, grey-brown stem
└─ Often deeply bitter; cooking does not remove the bitter taste, making most finds unusable.
speciesThelephora terrestris
locationKramerplateau
habitatOn the ground and in needle litter, also on bare soil; one of the 'nursery' fungi in tree nurseries
edibilityNot edible; tough and leathery
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Fan- to rosette-shaped fruit bodies growing in overlapping clusters, brick-brown and matted-fibrous
- │ ▸ Upper surface coarse with small tubercles, whitish fringe towards the margin
- │ ▸ No gills; fertile lower side smooth to wrinkled, grey-brown
- │ ▸ Stout, felty stem, often partially buried in the litter
locationKramerplateau
habitatMossy spruce forest, above buried Elaphomyces truffles
edibilityNot edible
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Orange-brown to yellowish, tongue-like clubs rising from the ground
- │ ▸ Each club is deeply rooted in the soil via a darkened holdfast
- │ ▸ Parasitic on the underground fruit bodies of Elaphomyces ('hart's truffle')
- │ ▸ Occurs in small, scattered groups in mossy coniferous forest
└─ aka Tolypocladium ophioglossoides
└─ If Snaketongue truffleclub, it would be growing on Elaphomyces (a type of truffle). Had we dug more we could have verified/ruled this option out.
speciesTricholoma sulphureum
locationKramerplateau
habitatOn the ground in broadleaf and coniferous forest, often under beech
edibilityPoisonous (gastrointestinal)
├─ Key Features
- │ ▸ Uniform sulphur-yellow cap, gills and stem
- │ ▸ Strong smell of coal gas or tar
- │ ▸ Convex cap, later wavy and slightly scaly
- │ ▸ Yellow, distant gills, in places slightly decurrent