Hello, and I apologize for being obtuse and less than subtle title, but it is as it says.
I could really use some help identifying a mushroom that my mother found in our NJ suburban neighborhood. She has convinced herself that the mushroom she has found is the 'meshima' or Phellinus linteus mushroom widely used in the traditional medicine in east Asia. She is convinced that the mushroom is okay because her father has taught her that any mushroom that comes from an oak tree is okay to eat. I haven't been able to convince her that may not be the case in North America, despite finding some poisonous mushrooms that do grow on oak trees. With her age, she's becoming more and more stubborn about her knowledge it seems.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not adverse to eating and harvesting from the wild, and I lurk here regularly. I pick berries, ostrich ferns, make teas from wild plants, and generally try to get as much as I can from the wild - but only after I have studied the texts and have done online searching as well.
But mushrooms are something that I haven't messed around with, and I have almost zero experience searching and identifying mushrooms, so I have no idea how to even start. I now hope that more experienced members here can direct me to a path of safety here.
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Both bunch of mushrooms were found growing on the shady side of a large oak tree. One is about a foot tall, and the other about foot and a half. When I first saw what she had brought, I thought maybe, maybe chicken of the woods? But it all seems wrong, and I have no idea.
It doesn't have to be positive identification. Just a proof or suggestion that it might be a poisonous mushroom will be enough for me to convince her. Could anyone please tell me what this might be? Or direct me to a resource where I can do some searching by myself? Any response will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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