Tricholoma sp.?

[BastedBrew]

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/rfEJOKX?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Gallery above.
 

Hello again, I haven’t posted for a long time, life & a move and all getting busy. New house has a section of conifers in the back yard, and after the first snow melted I found a large amount of these growing in the grass underneath them. Scattered amongst pine cones & dead grass, peeking out in clumps. I can’t tell if they’re connected at the base, but I don’t believe so. 

Hollowish stem. Seems to have a hollow cavity at the very top of the cap. Caps are “hairy/wooly”. Gills do not attach to the stem. Unfamiliar with these, especially since it’s November in Illinois, and I usually sign off for the year for mushroom hunting after the first snow.

when I get home tonight I should have a spore print to post. image search got me close to tricholoma terreum but info states Europe & California. 

[BastedBrew]

Spore print looks to be white/cream. (Sorry for shoddy media, still unpacking)

[Dave W]

I'd say they're a species of Tricholoma. If correct, spore print will be white. Tricholoma terreum is a name that appears to fit. Some sources may dismiss T. terreum as a possibility because it's a European species. However, although technically dubious, the name "terreum" is commonly applied to at least one NA species. Mushroom Expert offers "species 04" as one alternative. 

If you carefully examine the gills --perhaps with the aid of minor magnification-- I think you will see that there is a fairly deep notch near a thin attachment to the stipe. "Notched gill attachment" is a typical Tricholoma trait. Sometimes the gills break away from the point of attachment --called "seceding"-- which creates the appearance of the gills being free. 

Spore print photo posted as I finished my post. It's a Tricholoma.

[BastedBrew]

Thanks Dave! 

I did a little more investigation and there’s a definite “notch” where the gills run up towards the cap,  but when folded back you can see where the gills meet the stem. 

As far as edibility is concerned, I’m always very cautious of new species. Mushroom expert doesn’t warn against or endorse edibility. Any experience? I’m going to dig deeper, since I enjoy brewing with mushrooms, I would have to be sure there wasn’t alcohol extraction issues.  I have a “new backyard winter saison” in the works and I used a lot of ingredients found in my new place.

[Dave W]

There's a fair amount of controversy regarding the edibility of some species of Tricholoma. Consumption of large quantities of T. equestre has been associated with serious illness (incidents reported form France and Poland circa 2000). Subsequent studies have produced a few claims that toxins have been isolated from T, equestre, T. portentosum, and T. terreum. But I believe at least one such study has been discredited. Each fall I take home a few collections of T. equestre and T. portentosum; I've not ever had a problem with eating these types. I have not ever eaten T. terreum, partly because I tend to find only a couple or so of these mushrooms each year. Reports vary as to the edible quality of T. terreum. Some similar gray Trichs are bitter. 

[BastedBrew]

Thank you as always.

we had a hard frost this morning and when I went out to pick a couple more, they were trichsicles.  maybe next year I’ll try a few.

[bobby b]

I have also been seeing these for a month or so. Under eastern white pine. I like mushroomexperts sp 04, "turkeyloma".  This was my first tricholoma identification, so I'm not an expert. Check out your local mushroomexpert.com description of this species.

[skydive]

There are some heavily toxic species among the grey tricholomas, T. pardinum comes to mind. The specimen above most definitely is not the pardinum, it is reminescent of the Terreum instead. I'm 99% certain that this is in fact a Grey Knight (or an American equivalent), a beloved species in my neck of the woods (pun intended).

When I was a kid I used to pick them in late November in a pine forest nearby, in massive quantities.