Yellow stainers?

[reshroomED]

Had a quick run out to a pine plantation yesterday to grab some amanitas for printing. Plenty of milk-caps still about, but a poor season so far.

I also came across a few dozen lovely big field mushies. Up to about 6" dia., and in beautiful condition. I usually suspect any large pristine ones to be yellow-stainers, so give them a scratch on the cap. No staining at all was evident so I proceeded picking. But a glance in the bag while heading back to the car showed severe yellow staining on the cut stems only. Pulled a couple out and squeezed, squashed,etc the caps in an attempt to make them stain, but to no avail.

I'm guessing just a xanthodermus with low levels of whatever causes the staining, but strange that it's in the stem only.

Is anyone aware of what these are?

ed

[PD.]

Dirty ol stainers.

They have really been pissin me off this year, popping up in places where i wouldnt expect to find them and like you said ED, only minor staining that takes a little longer than usual to appear. I have found the older the cap the less it seems to stain.

[platypii]

When speaking of scratching to produce the yellow stain, is it a vigorous slash or just a poke? Just curious, several large strange orange mushrooms have appeared which reveal a bright yellow surface when the viscid layer is scratched off

[PD.]

Just a scratch on the surface with your fingernail should be enough Willow. They USUALLY stain very easily once handled.

[genki]

the younger unopened caps stain more readily then older flatter caps

[Conan Troutman]

What the go here? Are the ones that dont stain edible

[worowa]

I've been told NOT to eat the yellow stainers since I was a piccaniny, but I met an old couple in the domain in Hobart picking them, and when I warned them they told me they'ld eaten them for years with no problems! Confusing? Well most sources say avoid yellow stainers, and that's the choice I make. They are supposedly only slightly poisonous, causing gastro, headaches and sweats in some people. By the way, I'm referring to Agaricus xanthoderma.