Fossilised Mushroom

[THobern]

Think the density and woodiness of bracket fungi.

[glacialerratic]

it could still be a fungus several decades old.

This makes me wonder about checking the weather records, and how far back those records go (MI.'s goes to 1882). You could check and see if there were any tropical storms/cyclones, or unusually wet years with prevailing winds coming from the north. African orchids have shown up in south Florida a few years after hurricanes, as they have very small, dust like seeds. I'm sure mushroom spores can be transported this way. Another thing I would look at is the life cycle of Bolete mushrooms, how fast they can go from mycelium to fruiting body. In an arid region, a long cycle might indicate an unusually long wet period, or visa versa... and narrow your records search.

[THobern]

My thought was that it was a desiccated fungus buried in dry soil for a long time.

[Al Dente]

I think it is a bolete mushroom but I doubt it is fossilized, just dried up. I would ask the question does it feel like rock or more like wood? does it make a sharp noise when tapped on a table or does it make a dull thud? Here is a picture of an Australian bolete called Phlebopus that has similar features to your mushroom. It is from this website: http://huntervalleyj...ngi-galore.html

[THobern]

... But some people were once certain that the world was flat and wouldn't hear otherwise.

Apart from being anachronistic, that's just a terrible argument to use. It says nothing other than people have been wrong before, and that the other person could be wrong, which is pretty banal.

[THobern]

I think it is a bolete mushroom but I doubt it is fossilized, just dried up. I would ask the question does it feel like rock or more like wood? does it make a sharp noise when tapped on a table or does it make a dull thud? Here is a picture of an Australian bolete called Phlebopus that has similar features to your mushroom. It is from this website: http://huntervalleyj...ngi-galore.html

Looks right, but there's a lot of convergence in fungal forms across groups.

[Carl]

I hate to be contrary but there are examples of fossil mushrooms in amber and petrified mushrooms as well. They are exceedingly rare, it's true, but they do exist. That said, I doubt that the specimen shown is a fossil mushroom. Pleecan suggested a mummified mushroom - I'm much more apt to believe that. But I would also say that it is unsafe to say that it is not a fossil mushroom merely based on these photos.

It is almost certainly not mushroom. There are a few examples of spores preserved in amber, but never whole body fossils... think of the preservation process. There is virtually no way that a mushroom could be preserved.

Perhaps, what you have is an anthozoan???

[jenjen14]

I think it is a bolete mushroom but I doubt it is fossilized, just dried up. I would ask the question does it feel like rock or more like wood? does it make a sharp noise when tapped on a table or does it make a dull thud? Here is a picture of an Australian bolete called Phlebopus that has similar features to your mushroom. It is from this website: http://huntervalleyj...ngi-galore.html

When tapped on a table it makes a sharp noise, however, it is possible to score it with a finger nail.

[THobern]

I hate to be contrary but there are examples of fossil mushrooms in amber and petrified mushrooms as well. They are exceedingly rare, it's true, but they do exist. That said, I doubt that the specimen shown is a fossil mushroom. Pleecan suggested a mummified mushroom - I'm much more apt to believe that. But I would also say that it is unsafe to say that it is not a fossil mushroom merely based on these photos.

I think the problem is the term "fossil"; while it obviously would not be a lithified fungus, it could be a preserved fungus.

[jenjen14]

This makes me wonder about checking the weather records, and how far back those records go (MI.'s goes to 1882). You could check and see if there were any tropical storms/cyclones, or unusually wet years with prevailing winds coming from the north. African orchids have shown up in south Florida a few years after hurricanes, as they have very small, dust like seeds. I'm sure mushroom spores can be transported this way. Another thing I would look at is the life cycle of Bolete mushrooms, how fast they can go from mycelium to fruiting body. In an arid region, a long cycle might indicate an unusually long wet period, or visa versa... and narrow your records search.

This is a great idea. As I mentioned before, it is a dry area with sandy soil and we have never seen a mushroom grow there the whole time our family has owned the farm. It is only just moist enough to grow crops and thats on a good year. We also have never seen bolete type mushrooms anywhere on the eyre peninsula, even in the wetter areas.

[Bill]

@ thanatocoenosis, (It is almost certainly not mushroom),

see this as to whether fungi can fossilise.

[ashcraft]

Some fungi do not expose their "fruit", but remain underground. Examples would include the truffles, and their stinky north American relatives. Could this be a subteranean variety?

Brent Ashcraft

[Auspex]

Of what is it made? Have you tried testing it with a red hot needle?

I suspect it is of relatively recent (geologically speaking) origin.

[Indy]

I think it is a bolete mushroom but I doubt it is fossilized, just dried up. I would ask the question

does it feel like rock or more like wood? does it make a sharp noise when tapped on a table

or does it make a dull thud?

Of what is it made? Have you tried testing it with a red hot needle?

I suspect it is of relatively recent (geologically speaking) origin.

jenjen14 ... Excellent suggestions

Looking forward to the results of these tests

[THobern]

Good idea, but let's not damage the specimen too much, it's an interesting specimen.

[ashcraft]

I still think it may be an extant species. Below is an excerpt on Australian mushrooms.

http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/truffle-like.html

This species is endemic to Australia and these pictures show mature specimens. You will immediately notice several points - it certainly is mushroom-like (with stem, cap and gills), but the stem is very short and the cortina is both quite dense and persistent. While the spores are forcibly shot from the gills, in the same way as in any ordinary mushroom, the dense cortina greatly hinders the passage of the spores beyond the confines of the cap. However, even if there were no cortina, the shortness of the stem means that the mature fruiting bodies almost always remain buried in leaf litter. Here is a photo (taken on Black Mountain in Canberra) showing the fungus in a dry sclerophyll habitat. The overlying leaf litter has been scraped away to show the mushroom caps, hugging the soil. So, in contrast to the great majority of Dermocybe species, the spores of Dermocybe globuliformis are not shed into the air for wind dispersal. If that persistent cortina were a more membranous veil it would virtually transform this mushroom into a proper truffle-like fungus

[-Andy-]

Whether it really is a fossil mushroom or not...IT LOOKS REALLY COOL.

I want one.

[Bullsnake]

If it is a mushroom, could it be a modern day mummified mushroom....?

Before I even read the text in the original post, my first thought was a dried Bolete mushroom. They are very tough and somewhat leathery.

I'm by no means a mycologist, but as a favorite pasttime, I've been collecting edibles, and trying to identify all mushrooms I find for years.. Many edibles can be dehydrated for storage, and rehydrated for use. I've seen many 'shelf' types on trunks of trees that have been there at least a couple of years. If you try to pull them off, the wood breaks before the fungus does!

So, just my two cents, I'm reluctant to use the term fossil, but I'm on board for mummified bolete-type of mushroom.

Edited March 15, 2012 by Bullsnake

[piranha]

Intriguing item Other possibilities:

bacterial tumor (crown gall) that occurred above / below ground

woody-like stem and partially rotted unidentifiable tuber / wild gourd

[Interpaleo]

Hi,

I'm well on my way to earning my BS in mycology, have been taking classes on the side for years. I collect wild mushrooms locally in my area year round, belong to several mushroom clubs, etc, so I thought I'd add my humble opinion.

Looks like a dried up boletoid type fungus. Mushrooms tend to become rock hard shriveld masses when they dry out. If the drying process goes smoothly, a whole mushroom can be dried out, keeping most of its form. I like to do this in the freezer when I want to store a strange specimen.

Basidiomycota are extremely variable, and its quite possible your specimen is dimitic. This means it has the standard generative hyphae found in all fungi plus some skeletal or binding hyphae mixed in. This would greatly increase its chances of hanging around for a while. There is some evolutionary purpose for the fungi to hang around as a dried husk. Mushrooms act as reproductive organs for fungi, and their gills (poors in this case) store hundreds of thousands to millions of spores. Spores tend to last a while, and if your fungus was brought up in say a huge flood, it would be able to produce offspring in new and exiting places.

I really don't think this is a fossil, and its probably not too ancient. Maybe poped up a couple summers ago after a big rain?

My 2 cents,

Joe

[richardfulton]

Subfossil? That's a new on on me.

[richardfulton]

Maybe from a Quaternary or early Holocene peat deposit?

[Bill]

Subfossil? That's a new on on me.

Google it.

[jenjen14]

jenjen14 ... Excellent suggestions

Looking forward to the results of these tests

If you read eariier, I did one of the tests. It has a sharp sound when tapped on a table but it is possible to score it with a fingernail.

What does the hot needle determine?

[jenjen14]

I really don't think this is a fossil, and its probably not too ancient. Maybe poped up a couple summers ago after a big rain?

My 2 cents,

Joe

Its older than a few summers ago. If you read the very first post, my Dad found it 15 years ago. Hasnt been any big rains the whole time my family has had the farm.