Community find

Big Laughing Gym

Gymnopilus junonius

Group

gilled mushroom

Spore print

Rusty orange to reddish-brown

Size

Cap diameter 5-20cm; stipe 5-20cm long and 1-5cm thick.

Season

Commonly seen in late summer to autumn, or winter in milder climates like California.

Habitat

Found growing in clusters on dead wood, stumps, or at the base of living deciduous and coniferous trees. It is also common on buried wood or wood mulch.

Distribution

Widely distributed throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Key characteristics

Large, sturdy mushroom with an orange-yellow to ochre-brown cap. It features a persistent ring on the stem and rusty-orange gills that turn brown with age. The flesh is firm and typically has a bitter taste.

Fruiting body

Cap is convex to flat, often with a slight central bump, surface is dry and slightly scaly. Gills are crowded and adnate or slightly decurrent. Stipe is thick, often swollen in the middle, and features a membranous ring near the top.

How to recognise it

Look for the large size, growth on wood, presence of a ring on the stipe, and the characteristic rusty-orange spore print found on the ring or ground below.

Look-alikes

Gymnopilus luteus (smaller, different chemical reactions), Armillaria species (white spores), Cortinarius species (cobweb-like veil instead of a persistent ring).

Ecological role

Primarily saprophytic, acting as a wood-rot agent by breaking down cellulose and lignin in dead or dying timber.

Notes

The 'junonius' part of its name refers to Juno, the Roman goddess. This genus is known for containing many species that look identical without microscopic analysis or DNA sequencing.