About Gymnopilus ventricosus (Earle) Hesler
The cap of Gymnopilus ventricosus ranges from 5 to 30 cm (2 to 11 and 3/4 inches) or more in diameter. It is colored bright yellow-orange to rusty orange, covered in tiny yellow hairs, and may become scaly with age. The flesh is thick, yellow, and bitter. The gills are yellow to rusty orange, closely spaced, and attach to the stipe in an adnate to slightly decurrent arrangement. The stipe measures 7 to 21 cm long and 1 to 4 cm thick, is yellow-orange, marked with streaky brown fibrils, and shaped like a club or ventricose (swollen), usually tapering toward the base. A yellowish partial veil forms a membranous superior ring on the stipe, and white mycelium grows at the stipe base. Spores of this species are ellipsoid or ovoid, warty, and measure 7.5–9 x 4–5.5μm. The spore print is rusty brown to rusty orange, and clamp connections are present. This species does not contain psilocybin, is classified as inedible, and has an intensely bitter taste. In terms of habitat and ecology, Gymnopilus ventricosus grows in groups or dense clusters on dead wood, living pines, and also on other conifers and hardwoods.
