Observations by davegoodward

Growing at the edge of a dirt road in heavy soil, not near any shrubs or trees. Nonnative annual grasses and Erodium. Leafless trees in background of habitat shots are Honey Mesquite, which give way to salt-cedar and Sueda in lower areas, so the soil must be somewhat saline. The thick stipe of the fungus was buried in the soil. No sign of a volva, but the lower stem was rotted away. The blurry photo on the sawhorse shows the second much smaller fruiting body that was right next to the large one in the hole. My guess is the flimsy ragged pieces of tissue in the head are the remnants of the membranes of the locules.

Growing with Garrya, Chamise, and Muller's Oak. It was directly under the Chamise. The closest Q. agrifolia was approximately 40 meters down the hill, so I don't think it was associated with that species.

Growing in shady forest of Incense Cedar and Canyon Live Oak, very near Ironside Spring with Woodwardia ferns. No California Bay or Manzanita. Cap slimy viscid, lemon yellow when young and mature, no hints of orange or green. Did not measure but mature cap was about 8 cm across. Stipe viscid, especially upper portion, mostly white but pale yellow near top, deeply rooting in duff, striate, hollow. No blackening reaction while fresh.

After drying, the stipes turned black, the umbo of one turned dusky, and the pilei acquired some orange tones.

Taste moderately acrid, latex white at first, quickly turning pale yellow. No scrobiculation on the stipe. Under Quercus agrifolia. I don't think alnicola has the pinkish tones on the cap that this one has, leading me to L. xanthogalactus. But it's pretty pale, and the latex turned pale yellow rather than bright yellow.

Growing on saturated soil below Ironside Spring, underneath Woodwardia fimbriata ferns. Incense Cedar and Canyon Live Oak overstory. It was impossible to wash the dirt and organic matter off of the semi-buried stipes. Even though there have been previous fires throughout the area, it could not tell if the soil at this location was "burnt", and definitely did not burn last year, leading me away from G. carbonaria. Also, the cups look more flattened out than that species at maturity, but it still could be carbonaria.

Growing under Monterey Cypress on coastal bluff. Deep orangey stains developed quickly. Odor seemed like almond at the time, but visually this looks like brunneofibrillosus, which should smell mushroomy, so perhaps I was mistaken on the odor.