Latin: Meripilus giganteus

Size: Rosettes to 50cm+

Habitat: Base of beech/oak

Note: Pale flesh bruises black within minutes

Latin: Crepidotus sp.

Size: Cap 1-6cm

Habitat: Dead twigs, broadleaf trees

Note: Wavy cap grows almost stemless, sideways on

Latin: Armillaria mellea

Size: Cap 2-10cm

Habitat: Clustered on dead/dying wood

Note: Mycelium is faintly bioluminescent ("foxfire")

Latin: Laetiporus sulphureus

Size: Fan-shaped brackets 5-20cm across

Habitat: Overlapping tiers on oak, yew, and other broadleaf trees

Note: Bright sulphur-yellow to orange, fading paler with age

Latin: Grifola frondosa

Size: Rosettes to 40cm+, made of many overlapping caps

Habitat: Base of oak and other broadleaf stumps/roots

Note: Also called Maitake; greyish-brown, fan-shaped caps in a tight cluster

Latin: Lacrymaria lacrymabunda

Size: Cap 4-12cm, bell-shaped then flattening, with a retained umbo

Habitat: Grassland and leaf litter, often in small clusters

Note: Named for the black, spore-stained droplets that form on the gill edges when moist; listed as edible but bitter and generally not worth eating. ID not confirmed from photo alone.

Latin: Pleurotus dryinus

Found: Beckenham Place Park

Size: Cap 5-15cm, off-white with fine woolly scales

Habitat: Bracket-like on trunks and logs of broadleaf trees

Note: Torn veil remnants round the stem and cap edge set it apart from the common oyster

Latin: Chlorophyllum rhacodes

Found: High Elms Country Park

Size: Cap 8-20cm; smooth stem up to 20cm tall

Habitat: Leaf litter in woodland, hedge bottoms and gardens

Note: Brown scales break up on a white cap; the flesh turns orange-red when cut