Spectacular Rustgill
Gymnopilus junonius is a type of mushroom-forming fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae. Commonly known as the spectacular rustgill, or laughing Jim, this large orange mushroom is typically found growing on tree stumps, logs, or tree bases. It is found in Europe, Australasia and South America.
Scientific Name – Gymnopilus junonius
Common Names:
Spectacular Rustgill (EN), Laughing Jim (US), Tagell Goch Fawr (CY), Łysak Wspaniały (PL), Aranysárga Lánggomba (HU)
Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Cap
5-15 cm. Convex to start, expanding to almost flat. Varying in colour from golden yellow to deep orange and covered in small, slightly darker scales making the cap look very fibrous.
Gills
Initially covered by a veil and starting yellow, darkening with age to dull orange brown. Crowded and slightly decurrent with a thin band of vertical striations at the apex of the stem.
Cortina / Veil
A very pale yellow to white cobweb like veil covers the gills on a young mushroom. This will come away but can leave remnants on the cap edge and stem.
Stem
6-12 cm long, 1.5-4 cm diameter. Cap coloured and fibrous below the ring, usually swollen towards the base but narrowing at the very bottom. Above the ring, the stem is lighter in colour and less fibrous with a narrow band of vertical striations at the apex.
Skirt
Has a membranous ring that starts off white to pale yellow but soon becomes darkened as it is covered in rust brown spores.
Flesh
Off white to pale yellow.
Habitat
Commonly found at the base of living trees but can also be found on stumps and logs. Mainly growing on deciduous trees and remains but can be found on conifer stumps. Saprotrophic, causes white-rot.
Possible Confusion
The Shaggy Scalycap (Pholiota squarrosa) can look similar and grows in similar environments but it is much more ‘shaggy’ with a shaggy stem that the Spectacular Rustgill lacks.
Other Facts
Gymnopilus junonius is a large and colourful wood-rotting species that occurs in small groups at the bases of dead broad-leaf trees and occasionally conifers from spring through to early winter. When seen in full sunlight, this mushroom deserves the name ‘Spectacular’. The cap colour is very variable – sometimes beautiful gold colour, while at other times the dominant colour is deep orange, as seen above. This fine display of Spectacular Rustgills was growing from the stump of a pine, and the largest cap was nearly 20cm across.
This large fleshy mushroom looks tasty, but please don’t treat it as a ‘Golden Delicious’, because it is inedible. Several authorities (including Tom Volk) state that specimens from various parts of the world have been found to contain toxins, including the hallucinogens psilocybin and psilobin. The common names Laughing Jack and Laughing Jim (or Gym) have been given to this toxic toadstool because of its hallucinogenic properties.
