Pisolithus arrhizus. Used to be P. tinctorius, but the names were combined several years ago.

P. arrhizus is mycorrhizal with many tree and shrub species. I have found it with pine, rhododendron, oak, birch and several other species.

It is something of a pioneer mycorrhizal fungi, often the first to colonize wasted areas, like old mine tailings, badly eroded areas, and soils with almost no humus.

A neat thing about Pisolithus arrhizus is its ability to concentrate heavy metals. It can leach these often heavy metals out of the surrounding soil, and concentrate them in the fruiting bodies. This effectively detoxifies soils.

Hi Daniel,

I didn’t collect or do cross-sections of any of these. What groups would the stipe or pseudostipe help distinguish between?

I think the tree was a sweetgum tree, Liquidambar styraciflua (even though there are oak leaves in the picture).

It was in a park near a baseball field though it probably does get some washout from a dirty little stream nearby when it floods. Why the question about being near waste?

Thanks!

was this observed in a waste area, by chance?

and it may prove to be so. But can’t make out any peridioles for certainty.

Need a photo of a cross-section through the stipe or pseudostipe, whichever it proves to be.