November/December 2006

Fall Foray Report, Penitentiary Glen

By Jerry Pepera

Our fall foray was at Chapin Forest this year, co-sponsored by Lake MetroParks. This was a good year for rain and it seemed like mushrooms were everywhere! Before the usual Saturday morning registration even began, there was a crowd of people gathered around an unknown/ unidentified Amanita species right next to Pine Lodge where we held the event. This species has only been seen rarely in Ohio and we almost tripped over it. (See write-up elsewhere in the newsletter) This proved to be a nice tie-in to Walt's program on Amanita later in the afternoon.

We had a standing room only crowd bolstered by the public which signed up for the event through the Metroparks. We sent people to foray at Chapin Forest, Penitentiary Glen, and Holden Arboretum. By the afternoon, we had trouble finding table space for all of the mushrooms. Jerry gave a beginners program with some basics on mushroom field characteristics and a slide show on some common Ohio mushrooms. Attendees had plenty of time to actually sit down with a field guide and compare the table specimens with descriptions in the guides as well as ask questions.

Walt followed up with an excellent discussion and slide show on Amanitas which included field tips on smell and color changes. Amanita brunnescens, the cleft foot Amanita, has a brown staining reaction when bruised and has an odor of potatos. A number of Amanitas have the potato odor, particularly at the base, such as A. citrina. More unusual, A. excelsa var. spissa has an odor very much like licorice or anise. Amanitas in the Lepidella group have many species with odd odors such as salty ham, smelly socks, or chlorine. In addition to strong odors, Lepidellas have medium to large, warted caps with ragged margins, and very fragile veils. Some common Ohio Lepidellas are A. abrupta, A. cokeri, A. daucipes (which has a nauseous odor!). A.pelioma, a gulf coast species, stains green at the base. Finally, A. mutabilis is white until handled and stains pinkish. Many thanks to Walt for a very informative talk.

Lunch was a fabulous potluck affair with an excellent selection of dishes; some with wild mushrooms. I'm not sure who brought the salad with Grifola frondosa in it but, if they read this, please send the recipe for publication. I'm grateful for the help I received from many of the club members during set-up and clean-up. Our usual hospitality crew was not able to make the event and many hands made the task small.

After lunch, Judy Doyle and Cathy Pepera surprised the Old Man of The Woods, Dick Grimm with a birthday cake and a card that nearly made him cry! I can't think of a better way to spend a Birthday.

For dinner, we went to the Kirtland City Tavern right around the corner and virtually had the place to ourselves. The tavern is kind of out of the way making it a mostly a local hangout but the food is very good and it fit the bill perfectly.

On Sunday, Ed Meena, a researcher from LifePharms Inc. in Connecticut, arrived and literally packed up the entire mushroom display into his luggage for transport back home. Ed is doing research into the cancer fighting properties of fungi and uses lab space on loan from the University of Connecticut to aid his research. He has been showing up at forays around the country for specimens and has amassed quite an extensive collection in his lab.

The following web site provides more details:

www.lifepharms.com

Also, Ed was featured in a local news story that is available online at:

www.fox61.com/mushrooms.

Many thanks to all who helped make this foray a success.

Species List for Penitentiary Glen

Ascomycetes:

Bisporella citrinum

Scutellina scutellata

Chlorocyboria aeruginascens

(Blue Stain Fungus, no cups!)

Rutstroemia megaspora

Hypomyces chrysospermum on Strobilomyces

H. hyalinus (from Granville)

Trichoglossum sp.

Xylaria tetraculata “Fairy Sparkler” from Cuyahoga Co.

X. polymorpha (Dead Man’s Finger)

Polypores:

Bondarzewia berkeleyii

Daedaleopsis confragosa

Fistulina hepatica (Beefsteak)

Ganoderma applanatum (Artist’s Conk)

G. lucidum (Ling Chi, Reishi)

Grifola frondosa (Hen of the Woods)

Laetiporus sulfureus (Chicken Polypore)

Lenzites betulina

Merulius radiata

Oligoporus chioneus (Cheese Polypore)

Piptoporus betulinus

Polyporus badius

P. mori

P. radicatus

Stereum ostrea

Trametes elegans

T. versicolor (Turkey Tail)

Trichaptum biforme

Tyromyces caesius

Boletes:

Boletus badius

B. innixus

B. variipes

B. variipes, var. fagicola

Gyroporus castaneus

Phylloporus rhodoxanthus (Gilled Bolete)

Strobilomyces floccopus

Suillus americanus (Chicken Fat Suillus)

S. granulatus

Tylopilus felleus

Puffballs, Bird’s Nests

Calvatia cyathiformis

C. rubroflava

Crucibulum laeve (Common Bird’s Nest)

Cyathus stercoreus (Bird Nest)

Lycoperdon perlatum

L. pyriforme

Scleroderma areolatum

S. citrinum

S. michiganensis

Agarics:

Amanita brunnescens

A. citrina

A. flaviconia

A. fulva

A. gemmeta

A. muscaria var. guessowii

A. rubescens

A. sinicoflava

A. virosa

A. sp. (probably undescribed)

Agaricus arvensis

A. placomyces

Armillaria ostoya

A. tabescens

Chroogomphus rutilus

Clitocybe clavipes (Clubfoot)

C. gibba

Clitocybe sp.

C. nuda (The Blewit)

Clitopilus prunulus

Collybia cookei

Coprinus atramentarius

C. comatus (Shaggy Mane)

C. micaceus (Mica Cap)

Cortinarius iodes

7 other unID’ed sp.of Corts

In defense of our “official” IDers, Cortinarius has over 500-1000 sp., many poisonous!

Crepidotus applanatus

Entoloma abortivum

E. lividum

Flammulina velutipes

Galerina autumnalis

Gymnopus dryophila

G. luieus

Hygrocybe coccinea OR H. punicea (unsure of ID)

H. conica

H. flavescens

H. marginata var. concolor

H. miniata

H. niveus

H. psittaciana (Parrot Mushroom)

H. punicea

Hygrophoropsis aurantica

Hygrophorus pratensis

H. sordidus

H. sp. (undescribed?)

Hypholoma sublateritium

Hypsizygus tessalatus

Laccaria laccata

L. ochropurpurea

L. proxima

Lactarius cinereus var. fagetorvin

L. deceptivus

L. mutabilis

L. oculatus,, or very close to it

L. peckii (from PA)

L. subdulcis complex

L. vinaceorufescens

Lentaria (Limacella) byssiseda

Lentinellus ursinus

Lepiota rubrotincta

Leucoagarius naucina

Lyophyllum decastes

Macrolepiota rachodes

Marasmius rotula

M. sullivanti

M. sp.

Mycena inclinata

M. leiana

M. pura

M. subcarulea

M. sp.

Omphalotus illudens

Panellus stipticus

Pholiota alnicola

P. aurivella

P. squarrosoides

Phyllotopsis nidulans

Pleurotus lignatilis

P. ostreatus

P. lignatilis, (old name P. absondens)

Rhodocollybia maculata

Russula compacta

R. fragilis

R.granulata

R. laurocerasi (smells of maraschino cherrys!)

R. pulchra

R. variata

3 Russula spp.

Stropharia rugosa-annulata

Tricholoma caligata (from PA, the bitter inedible variety)

T. transmutans

2 different T. sp.

Volvariella hypopithys

Xerula furfuracea

Club, Coral, Teeth Fungi:

Clavaria aurantiocinnabarina

C. cristata

Clavulinopsis fusiformus

Hericium coralloides

Hydnum umbilicatum

Ramariopsis kunzei

Ramariopsis laeticolor

Sparassis spathulata

Jelly Fungi:

Dacromyces palmatus

Syzygospora mycetophila (on Collybia dryophila)

Chantrelles:

Cantharellus lateritus

Slime Molds:

Lycogala epidendron (Wolf’s Milk Slime)

FALL FORAY FINDS

By Walt Sturgeon

An unfamiliar Hygrophorus (wax cap) was brought in by two forayers at Chapin Forest. It was a glutinous species similar in aspect to Hygrophorus fuligineus. The cap coloration was brown and white. The gills were white to cream colored. The white stipe had a pale yellow base. Hemlock was in the vicinity of one collection. Various broadleaf trees present were not identified. I have seen a photo of what appears to be the same species taken in WV by Bill Roody. Hemlock was also present there. That collection has been studied by a couple professional mycologists. So far it has not been identified. It may be an as yet undescribed species.

Also a possibly undescribed Amanita was fruiting in the lawn near oaks right outside our display building. The same species has been observed several times in Granville OH and I have one site for it in Youngstown. I have also seen a single specimen from Western NY State. This Amanita fruits in late September and October. It is usually gregarious. It is robust and a look-alike for the destroying angel, Amanita virosa. It differs in the olivaceous to brown discoloration of the cap and volva. I have never seen it in the summer. Amanita expert, Rod Tulloss has been unable to identify it so far. I have never seen it illustrated.

Hygrophorus sp. unk. (Courtesy of John Plischke III)

Amanita sp. unk. (Courtesy of Jerry Pepera)

These finds are a reminder that a mushroom in hand may not be found in most (or any!) field guide. Relatively few people are serious mycologists so there are many species still “unknown to science”. Our forays are one way to put a lot of eyes out there to locate some of these “rarities”.

Attack of the Domestic Fungus

By Jerry Pepera

This has been a big year for rain. It seems that mushrooms are showing up everywhere, even places you really don't want them to be. Last month, I received a call from John Skonieczny who had an infestation of mushrooms fruiting on his walls. Since he only lives 5 minutes down the road, I stopped in for a look. John has an ambitious project in his yard that is years in the making and involves a grist mill house with a water wheel fed by an upper pond some 30 feet above. The water empties into a lower pond and is recirculated back to the upper pond. His residence is about 50 yards away and he has a tunnel that leads from his home to the grist mill house because it's easier than shoveling the snow in the winter! Talk about an ambitious project! Anyway, he showed me a very damp concrete wall under the porch of the mill which had mature fruiting bodies on it and a thick mycelial mat all over the surface. I asked him if there was a source of wood or organic material behind the wall and he said no. He had personally backfilled the outside area himself and there was no wood in contact with the wall. Also, the outside was coated in tar and styrofoam. See attached pics - The affected wall is the porch wall with firewood stacked on it and is directly uphill from the pond. I sent some photos of it to Walt and Nik Money at Miami Univ. Both responded that it was an epidemic of Peziza domiciliana. This is the 2nd case Nik Money has seen this year; an official from the EPA sent similar photos to him from a house in Cincinnati.

It is often seen in bathrooms with soaking wet walls. Walt says he has seen it in some very nice homes including his own! The really interesting thing is that it can fruit on a range of domestic materials (hence, the name) including concrete, carpeting, ashes, and plaster. It particularly likes a very alkaline habitat. Fruiting bodies are very slow to develop (3-5 weeks), have a pale yellow to ochre inner surface and a short ribbed stalk, especially when young.

Closeup of Peziza domiciliana

Clusters of fruiting bodies visible on the wall, just above the case of wine.

The Nose Knows, Simple Identification of Agaricus and Matsutake Mushrooms

By: Bill Windsor

Reprinted with permission from the Oct., 2006 issue of the Colorado Mycological Society’s Spores Afield.

Ed. Note: We all know of Walt Sturgeon’s endearing habit of shoving mushrooms under our nose while commanding us to “Smell!” Apparently he’s not the only one who taps into this much underutilized sense as an aid in identifying mushrooms.

It has been some 26 years now that I have been scanning the ground for edible mushrooms, and it has come to the point that it is no longer a conscious effort. It does not matter that I might be engaged in a business meeting inspecting a property, or perhaps on a sporting motorcycle ride; I see mushrooms everywhere. Recently, I have noticed that Agaricus mushrooms are fruiting all over the area at lower elevations…

I am a big fan of edible Agaricus mushrooms, I really enjoy their 'meaty' flavor. It is an easy mushroom to identify to genus, but it can be very daunting to identify to species. Since there are a number of toxic Agaricus mushroom species, and because I tend to be VERY cautious about eating any mushroom that I cannot identify without question, for many years I avoided collecting Agaricus mushrooms for my dinner plate. It was CMS-member Ellen Jacobson who introduced me to a remarkably simple tool to identify edible Agaricus mushrooms. Even then, it took me a couple of years to learn to trust that tool. But I am at the point that when it comes to separating an edible Agaricus from a toxic Agaricus, I use my nose.

Everybody learns things in a personal manner and often that trait is linked to one of the senses. For me, my sense of sight is dominant to my learning. I learn best by seeing something. Because of that, it was initially difficult for me to 'switch gears' and classify Agaricus mushrooms by smell.

First, it is vitally important that you learn to identify an Agaricus mushroom to genus, and for that I use my vision. This is in harmony with the most basic identification concept of mycology which separates genus by differentiating macroscopic fruiting body characteristics. Once I establish that a given fruiting body is an Agaricus mushroom in prime age and condition, I then turn over identification to my nose.

Remember, my goal here is to identify an edible Agaricus from a toxic Agaricus, and not to identify the mushroom to species. I also must express a warning that it is best to be able to identify a mushroom to genus and species if you are going to eat it. Using smell to separate an edible Agaricus from an toxic Agaricus may not work for many people. I spent a couple of years verifying that my sense of smell matched known edible and toxic Agaricus mushrooms before I became comfortable in using my nose as a reliable tool in Agaricus identification.

As part of the identification process, I separate Agaricus mushrooms into three smell groups: (A) Almond smell; and (B) Mushroom smell; and

(C) Phenol, or chemical smell. Any hint of an Almond smell in an Agaricus mushroom is an automatic 'keeper' for eating. For me, all Agaricus mushrooms that have an almond smell are prime for eating. Those that smell 'mushroomy' are also 'safe' to eat and some (such as A. bitorquis) are prime edibles. I discard all Agaricus mushrooms that have any trace of a Phenol, or chemical smell, and as a back-up, I also discard all Agaricus mushrooms that quickly turn bright yellow at the very base of the stem when they are cut open.

Likewise, the unique smell of the Matsutake mushroom allows the nose to be the ultimate tool for field verification of the mushroom's identity. While there are several 'look-alike' species within the genus Tricholoma, once learned, the smell of the Matsutake mushroom is truly unmistakable. Your eyesight and knowledge of environment will lead you to Matsutake, but it is your nose that will verify that you have found the correct mushroom.

One of the joys of mushroom identification is that all of your senses can (and should) be used as part of the identification process. It is fascinating to me that with a little bit of training, a difficult-to-identify genus of mushrooms, such as Agaricus, can easily be separated into edible and non-edible species by the use of smell. Many other mushrooms also have specific smells that can aid in identification. Whether you are new to mycology or a seasoned shroomer, the nose is a valuable tool in navigating the complex task of mushroom identification.

Good forays to you all.

Sequencing of the Oyster Mushroom Genome

Reprinted from the Oct., 2006 Sporeprint, the Journal of the Los Angeles Mycological Society.

Ed. Note: While this may be more than you want to know about the process of gene sequencing, several reasons are cited for why the oyster was chosen for this work. Let’s just hope it doesn’t result in lots of name changes!

Professor of Microbiology at the Public University of Navarre, Antonio Gerardo Pisabarro de Lucas, is leading an international project to sequence the genome of the oyster mushroom.

The project research team is composed of scientists from nineteen universities and research centres from Europe, Canada, Japan, Israel and the United States.

The project, chosen from amongst more than 400 entered for the annual competition of the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) of the United States Department of Energy's Science Office, is one of just over 40 which have the go-ahead, one of the seven coordinated by a European body and the only one led by a Spanish person.

The oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, will be the first edible mushroom in the world to be genetically sequenced but, apart from its characteristics that make its consumption beneficial (rich in vitamins and proteins), this fungus is a model for studying the C02 cycle carbon dioxide being one of the principal gases of the greenhouse effect - and holds great potential for use in bioremediation or bio-degradation of contaminants; all reasons why, together with other crops such as the yucca or cotton, it has been chosen for genome sequencing by the mentioned North American Genome Institute.

The oyster mushroom and C02 balance.

The oyster mushroom is actively involved in the re-circulation of carbon at a global level, in as much as this fungus is a lignin-degrading one, lignin being a component of wood of trees and other plants that form part of the second most important store of carbon in the Biosphere. The degradation of this compound is an essential step in the transformation of cellulose - the principal store for carbon - into biofuel.

Moreover, it has to be taken into account that lignin has a chemical composition that is not easy to break down - similar to some of the contaminant compounds that man releases into the environment, such as certain colorants or oils and by products of the timber industry such as pulp and paper.

Thus, the study of the functioning of the oyster mushroom and of its strategies for adapting to its growth environment and for degrading lignin found in agricultural waste or decomposing wood in the natural environment, may be used for designing systems to enable the elimination of these contaminants from the environment.

The oyster mushroom is also a fungus the cultivation of which is widespread and so the study of its genetic organization can give pointers to what is needed for many mushrooms not industrially grown in order for them to be produced as industrial crops, such as, for example, Boletus aereus.

More than 10 years of research.

The Genetics and Micro-biology Team at the Public University of Navarre, of which Professor Pisabarro belongs, has been working with the genetic material of the oyster mushroom since 1994.

Over this period, the Team has established the genetic bases that have made sequencing a viable project and they have managed to sequence about 350 thousand "letters" of the genome of this mushroom, corresponding to 1 % of the total genome, a small part but a significant one for estimating the general parameters of the genome such as how many genes there are or how they are organized.

The complete genome for the oyster mushroom has 70 million "letters" or bases, distributed throughout two equivalent copies, given that this fungus has a double copy of each chromosome as humans do. However, the project of sequencing the complete genome involves the handling of a volume of 280 million letters, given the fact that each one of the two sets of genes has to be read several times in order to ensure a good result. It is like a complicated text that demands an assurance that there are no errors in what has been read.

To understand what this really involves, Pisabarro gives us an example: 70 million letters would be equivalent to a volume of more than 11,500 pages of text. If the pages are normal, folio size and are placed side by side, they would run for a distance of 3.5 kilometres; the letters thereof, written and placed one after the other, would run to 141 km. The genome of the mushroom has twin sets of the genes and, thereby, each set has about 6,000 "pages" on which we estimate there are some 12,000 genes - approximately two genes per page. Thus, the real task now is to determine where each of these genes-starts and finishes, what they do and how they do it.

Order 70 million letters.

With the selection of the project by the Genomics Institute, it will be this United States based body that will be responsible for carrying out the sequencing work and computer analysis.

At the Public University of Navarre laboratories the DNA of the oyster mushroom will be isolated and purified and then sent to the Genomics Institute for sequencing. Within one year, approximately, the JGI will have undertaken a first reading of the genome's 70 million letters. And, once again, it will be laboratories at the Public University of Navarre that will order the sequenced fragments and co-ordinate the rest of the project tasks.

From the Navarre university, the resulting computer archive of the sequencing, containing the definitive "pages of letters" for the genetic code, will be then distributed to the other participating laboratories in order to carry out the annotation of the genome sequence involving the identification of each one of the genes that make up the oyster mushroom, i.e. the genetic constitution of the organism. In the second year of the project, the reading of the genome will be completed and the annotation of the genes perfected. In the end, all the information will be placed at the disposal of the scientific community free of charge.

Reprinted from 4 October 2006 innovations-report.com

Species Confusa

By Dick Grimm

How many mushrooms should have the species title of confusa? The answer is…lots of them!

We often encounter mushrooms in the same genus whose differences are as hard to discern as those of identical twins. Most of the time we ignore the fact that they are actually different species. A case in point is a group of boletes, specifically the Tylopilus genus. I like to refer to them as the Felleus clan.

The leader of the band is that bitter character, Tylopilus felleus. Just tasting it will pucker one up like green apples. Its cap color is variable, but typically from luggage- to chocolate-brown. Its pore surface is white at first, then changing to a rather fleshy color and finally a deeper brown. This pore color sequence is typical of the group as a whole and is caused by the ripening of spores. The stem on the bitter bolete is highly reticulated (netted) all over and is the only one of the group with this trait. The others are only vaguely reticulated at the top quarter of the stem, the rest downwards is only obscurely lined.

Tylopilus ferrugineus is much the same in stature. The cap is sort of an iron (rust) color thus the name ferru (iron). It is more of a reddish brown than the bitter bolete. The cap margin is smooth and even.

By comparison, Tylopilus badiceps has a beveled margin, that is, it doesn’t end in a right angle into the pore layer but has about a 40 degree beveled edge.

Tylopilus indecisus has more of a greenish-brown, or olive brown cap and usually a more robust stem. T. indecisus resembles Boletus edulis in stature but, although not at all bitter, does not have the excellent, nutty flavor of “the Cep”. I find, too, that T. Indecisus frequently grows in tight groups of 2-4 fruitings, but this is not etched in stone, single fruitings being not uncommon.

There are other names that have appeared in this clan over the years but most of them are synonyms for on or the other of the species mentioned here. All in this section are probably edible, but I would hasten to place a disclaimer on any one of them and also the many, many species outside the “Felleus clan” that also appear much the same in one aspect or another. If you intend to eat boletes, use the tried and (mostly) true rule…do not eat boletes with red tube mouths or boletes that change color when injured or when their flesh is exposed to air (broken open). This color change is typically greenish-blue or bluish-black. I do not eat any bolete that has a red coloration, anywhere! I may be missing some decent edibles, but, other than an elite few, I haven’t found that many boletes that are worth carrying home. Perhaps, I’m too fussy, but there are just too many Boletus confusa’s out there.

Most of the better edibles among the boletes are in the Boletus edulis group.

This group is characterized by having a pure white pore surface in the young fruitings which changes to yellow and finally greenish olive. The flesh is white and does not bruise. The stem is typically reticulate but mostly near the top. The reticulation is white. (Tylopilus felleus’ reticulations are usually brown) In your field guides look up B. edulis, B. gertrudeae, B. nobilis, B. separans, and B. variipes. These are all in the edulis clan with the king (edulis) an undisputed favorite. Most in this group are summer boletes and one must rush to beat the varmints and the vermin to the table. I have never found a boletus variipes that wasn’t riddled with worms; this is unfortunate since it is not an uncommon bolete in the Ohio woodlands.

So I am not an authority on the boletes, but a few pointers for the confuse over the “confuse” species of the group may be well taken. It is a pretty good genus to experiment with but remember the rule and stick by it!

Calendar of Events

OMS Events

Email Jerry at g_pepera@sbcglobal.net to receive notification of impromptu events. Check your most recent issue of the Mushroom Log for event updates and for more detailed information. Please plan to join us.

We’ll have a listing of upcoming events for 2007, once the Board meets in January, so until then this page is pretty sparse.

Ohio & Regional

Nothing much going on now, but the intrepid, savvy mushroom hunter knows to go out during the brief warm spells or thaws that inevitably occur sometime between the brutal cold and snowy episodes. There one might find a stump, dead tree or log festooned with quantities of at least two good edibles. The oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) I once found encased in ice after a heavy mid-Jan. rain was followed by a sharp cold front. They were delicious! Flammulina velutipes can also fruit in cold weather; it seems fond of dead elm, often emerging from fissures in the decaying bark of the tree. This one I’ve not yet tried. The Fall, 2006 issue of Mushroom, The Journal of Wild Mushrooming, has an excellent article on this, “A Mushroom-collector in Winter”, by Bill Bakaitis.

National & More

Jan. 13-15, 2007 SOMA Wild Mushroom Camp at Sebastopol, CA. Contact person is Bill Hansen, email at idiv4ab@pacbell.net and find more info at website at http://www.somamushrooms.org This is a great opportunity to go to a milder climate during their mushroom season and meet some new folks. To justify the expense and bother of travel, combine it with a visit to far-flung relatives!

Again, things are pretty quiet this time of year. Probably a good time to pore over some of our field guides or books and dream of warmer wet weather.

Aug. 9-12-NEMF at U. of Maine, Orono, ME.

Aug. 16-19-2007 NAMA Foray at Pipestem, WV.

Aug. 23-26-2007 COMA Foray at Cave Hill Resort, Moodus CT

Articles for the next newsletter

Deadline – Jan 26 –

David Miller

352 W. College St.

Oberlin, OH 44074

David.H.Miller@oberlin.edu

2006 Ohio Mushroom Society Volunteers

Chairman

Jerry Pepera