Phylloporus sp.

Wow, this is an interesting species. Unfortunately I don't think it is C. sublargus as with that species I would be expecting to see an obvious ring (annulus) with rusty red brown spores on it and a white stem (stipe). Though the colour in the stipe in your image may be due to a photographic effect. Do you remember if the colour I'm seeing in your image was true. Also the stipe in C sublargus is more robust and doesn't taper so finely as seen in this image. You actually have me stumped because when I first looked at your image I assumed it was a Phylloporus (never assume anything with fungi!) due to the overall shape which is typical of this genus. With that genus I would have expected tosee some hints of yellow in the gills (lamellae) - though there is always the possability that the brown is due to aging, again do you remember if there was any sign of yellow in the lamellae? Another genus that often exibits that tappering stipe is Russula - though the lamellae are the wrong colour and it doesn't quite gel with that genus either. Another thing withC. sublargus is it is often found on recently burnt ground. Are you aware if there had been a fire through where you found this great specimen? As I haven't enough details I can only ID it to Agaricus.......... Any chance you can get some spores? Spore colour is often essential for identification. Sometimes a bit of grass or nearby leaf will have deposits you can see.

Unfortunately I saw this fungus in April. It has gone by now but in future I will attempt to identify the spore color. The ground certainly hasn't been burnt. Didn't you think the lamellae were yellow? For me that was the defining feature. I did not see any evidence of an annulus but the specimen was protruding out of a hole in a bank.

Unfortunately I saw this fungus in April. It has gone by now but in future I will attempt to identify the spore color. The ground certainly hasn't been burnt. Didn't you think the lamellae were yellow? For me that was the defining feature. I did not see any evidence of an annulus but the specimen was protruding out of a hole in a bank.

Unfortunately I saw this fungus in April. It has gone by now but in future I will attempt to identify the spore color. The ground certainly hasn't been burnt. Didn't you think the lamellae were yellow? For me that was the defining feature. I did not see any evidence of an annulus but the specimen was protruding out of a hole in a bank.

I must admit I thought there was a definite 'yellow tone' to the lamellae, though in photos colours can be deceptive! In that case, as you actually saw the specimen and you felt there was a definite yellow colour there I'd go for the Phylloporus sp.. I've seen a number on the Canberra site that have the same colour cap (pileus) as yours. How do you feel about that ID? Another hint for identifying this genus is to have a little scratch in the soil near the base of the stipe as certain species have yellow mycelium and others white - good to note if you can. There is a wide range of brown to beige tonesfrom very rich dark chocolate brown to the more pale colours like yours in the different specie. Many of our Australian species still have to be formally identified and given a species name. The lamellae range from a lighter creamy yellow to bright chrome yellow.

These are a mycorrhizal fungi, meaning they grow in association with plant roots, so it's always useful to make a note of the trees (usually) and other plants nearby. It would be interesting to see over future sightings to see if there's a correlation between this species of Phylloporus and any particular trees!! Another thing of interest is that they are what is called a 'gilled bolete'. In othere words they are related to that group of fungi...........