Shaggy Scalycap
Shaggy Scalycap
Scientific name: Pholiota squarrosa
When out and about cycling along the Breamish Valley last week I passed a few oak trees along the road/lane from Brandon in the direction of Ingram, but before the Reaveley turnoff.
At the base of one of the oak trees was a couple of clumps of rather stunning mushrooms. The caps were bell-shaped/rounded, scaly and measured up to about 13-15cm in diameter.
Now, I’m very interested in flora and fauna but, being a townie most of my life, it’s a steep learning curve getting to know all the wonderful natural history of the Breamish Valley. So, who better to ask than Richard Poppleton? Richard, as most locals will know, writes the quarterly botany-focused article ‘Plantastic’ for Cheviot Views: the newsletter for Hedgeley Parish. So, I sent Richard the photos that you see here on this page and, after a bit of researching, he was able to identify the mushrooms as Shaggy Scalycap.
Shaggy Scalycap isn’t edible!
Richard says, “it is common in autumn in dense clusters at the base of deciduous and, very occasionally, coniferous trees. And just in case you are one of these ‘food for free’ foragers, it’s not edible!”
Shaggy Scalycap is an opportunistic parasite
