A group of grotesque white mushrooms growing in a planter on 88th Street between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue are attracting large crowds, who constantly stop to gawk at the bulbous fungi.
Local resident Phil Vasquez snapped the photo above, and one below showing the crowds who come to worship. The strangely bumpy ‘shrooms are apparently new: he hasn’t seen them there for the past two years.
Phil surmises that the rainy summer may have spurred the growths. That seems highly plausible, but then again I barely passed science.
Are there any mushroom experts out there? Can you let us know what kind they are? And if so, can we eat them and will they cause psychedelic effects? If so…mushroom-eating contest!
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They appear to be Amanita daucipes which is poisonous. Sorry! https://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~5530~source~gallerychooserresult.asp
If those are some especially white Amanita daucipes, then here’s what the expert said:
“I have been told on a number of occasions that the stipe’s bulb is edible. Considering the poor knowledge of toxins in section Lepidella and the established fact that kidney and/or liver failure is associated with ingestion of species in section Lepidella, I cannot recommend that this species be eaten.—R. E. Tulloss”
My interpretation is they are believed to be edible, but since some related species are poisonous, these are not recommended even when definitively identified.
This is hilarious. I especially like your tag: ABSURDITY