Shrimp of the Woods (Entoloma abortivum)

New pics added 11/7/2018:

New pics added 12-31-2019:

shrimp of the woods mushroom

Gilled (non-aborted) Also edible, and grow right along with the aborted ones:

Association with honey mushrooms:

     The Entoloma mushroom actually feeds  on the mycelium of honey mushrooms and often you may find honeys fruiting along side the shrimp…

     It was believed that the honey mushroom, Armillaria mellea, was parasitizing the entoloma. But research has indicated that the inverse may be true – the entoloma may be parasitizing the honey mushroom. There is still some disagreement by mushroom collectors about this since it is common to see both the aborted and unaborted forms of the entoloma on wood and in leaf litter, whereas Armillaria generally only fruits on wood. Both versions of the entoloma have also been observed when there are no Armillaria fruiting.

Videos: New Video Added 1-22-2020:
Original Videos:

Description:

Scientific name:  Entoloma abortivum (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Donk
Derivation of name:  Abortivum refers to the misshapen
structures often found in association with this species.
Synonyms:   Clitopilus abortivus Berk. & M.A. Curtis
Common name(s):  Aborted Entoloma.
Phylum:   Basidiomycota
Order:   Agaricales
Family:   Entolomataceae
Occurrence on wood substrate:  Saprobic on wood:
solitary to clustered on or near decaying deciduous wood
such as stumps, logs, or buried wood; August through
November.
Dimensions:  Caps are 5-10 cm wide; stalks are
2.5-10 cm long and 5-15 mm thick.
Cap: Dry; gray to grayish-brown.
Gills:  Decurrent; pale gray when young and pinkish at maturity.
Spore print: Salmon-pink.
Stipe: Colored like the cap.
Veil: Absent.
Aborted structures: The presence of misshapen fruitbodies,
described as “aborted,” is actually what most people use to
identify this Entoloma species. These aborted structures
may be found with or without the gilled Entoloma
abortivum nearby. The aborted structures are 2.5-5 cm tall
and 2.5-10 cm wide; whitish masses with pinkish marbling
within a spongy white flesh.
Edibility: Edible

How to Preserve Your Finds:

Recipes:

Try breading real shrimp along with the mushrooms, deep fry and dip in cocktail sauce… Try and see if anyone can tell the difference!

References:

https://www.mushroomexpert.com/entoloma_abortivum.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entoloma_abortivum


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