What's up in November, 2011?

Panellus serotinus is found in North America and Europe and is normally 5-15cm in diameter with a kidney shaped yellow or green cap.  It's flesh is slimy or sticky and it has a white, creme, or yellowish spore print.  It is typically found on fallen trunks or branches.

What's up in October, 2011?

Armillaria ostoyae is a species of fungus in the Physalacriaceae family. It is the most common variant in the western U.S., of the group of species that all used to share the name Armillaria mellea. Armillaria solidipes is quite common on both hardwood and conifer wood in forests west of the Cascade crest. The mycelium attacks the sapwood and is able to travel great distances under the bark or between trees in the form of black rhizomorphs ("shoestrings").

In most areas of North America, Armillaria solidipes can be separated from other species by its physical features. Its brown colors, fairly prominent scales featured on its cap, and the well-developed ring on its stem sets it apart from any Armillaria. (Herink, 1973)

It is known to be one of the largest living organisms, where scientists have estimated a single specimen found in Malheur National Forest in Oregon to have been growing for some 2,400 years, covering 3.4 square miles. Armillaria solidipes grows and spreads primarily underground and the bulk of the organism lies in the ground, out of sight. Therefore, the organism is not visible to anyone viewing from the surface. It is only in the autumn when this organism will bloom “honey mushrooms”, visible evidence of the organism lying beneath. Low competition for land and nutrients have allowed this organism to grow so huge and become arguably the largest living organism. ^[1]

Armillaria ostoyae in the news:

• Oregon's monster mushroom is world's biggest living thing
• Largest Living Organism: Fungus

What's up in September, 2011?

Armillaria mellea is a plant pathogen and a species of Honey fungus. It causes Armillaria root rot in many plant species. The mushrooms are edible but some people may be intolerant to them. The fungus produces mushrooms around the base of trees it has infected. As the fungus causes root rot, symptoms also appear in the crowns of infected trees as death and dieback of the branches. This species is capable of producing light via bioluminiscence.

The classic honey mushroom, Armillaria mellea, turns out to be limited to roughly the eastern half of North America, from about the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast and the East Coast--and perhaps to northern California, where it has been reported. It usually grows in clusters on hardwoods, but is occasionally found on conifers. It has a fairly smooth cap, a sturdy ring on the stem, and fused stem bases that are tapered to points. Under the microscope, it has basidia that are not clamped at their bases.

What's up in August, 2011?

Boletus hortonii is a fascinating bolete which is relatively common in eastern North America's oak forests. It has a tightly wrinkled cap surface that turns green with ammonia, a yellow pore surface, and a stem that appears bald and unadorned but on close inspection features tiny scabers. The flesh and pore surface occasionally bruise slightly bluish, especially in older specimens.

Boletus hortonii is mycorrhizal with oaks and perhaps with other hardwoods; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously (sometimes densely so); early summer through fall; northeastern United States and eastern Canada.

What's up in July, 2011?

Boletus frostii, commonly known as Frost's bolete or the apple bolete, is a bolete mushroom first described scientifically in 1874. A member of the Boletaceae family, the mushrooms produced by the fungus have tubes and pores instead of gills on the underside of its cap. The fruit bodies may be recognized by their dark red sticky caps, the red pores, the network-like pattern of the stem, and the bluing reaction to tissue injury. Another characteristic of young, moist fruit bodies are the amber drops exuded on the pore surface.

Boletus frostii is a mycorrhizal species, and the fruit bodies are typically found growing near hardwood trees, especially oak. Boletus frostii is distributed in the eastern United States from Maine to Georgia, Mexico, and Costa Rica. A subspecies, Boletus frostii ssp. Floridanus, has been described and differs from the typical species in the color of the fruit body, and texture of the cap. Boletus frostii mushrooms are edible, but generally not recommended because of the risk of confusion with other poisonous red-pored boletes.

What's up in June, 2011?

Megacollybia rodmani is one of the first mushrooms to appear after the end of Morel season.  It is a medium to large sized mushroom with a grey-brown or olive-brown cap and white spore print which is typically found on rotting or buried hardwood east of the Rocky Mountains.  This species was formerly known as "Tricholomopsis platyphylla" and was assumed to be the same species across North America, but DNA analysis has changed that perspective.  Megacollybia rodmani must now be identified either by molecular sequencing, or by considering its range and ecology (east of the Rocky Mountains, decomposing the deadwood of hardwoods) and then eliminating two contenders with as-yet limited ranges.  See the key to Megacollybia at the MushroomExpert.com for details.

What's up in May, 2011?

Polyporus squamosus is an basidiomycete bracket fungus, with common names including Dryad's saddle and Pheasant's back mushroom. It has a widespread distribution, being found in North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe, where it causes a white rot in the heartwood of living and dead hardwood trees. The name "Dryad's saddle" refers to creatures in Greek mythology called Dryads who could conceivably fit and ride on this mushroom, whereas the pheasant's back analogy derives from the pattern of colors on the bracket matching that of a pheasant's back.

What's up in April, 2011?

Half-free morels are easily separated from other morels by cutting them in half, lengthwise. The cap of the half-free morel is attached to the stem half way (more or less; "one-third to two-thirds" might be more accurate), so that a substantial portion hangs free like a skirt. Other true morels have caps that are (again, more or less) completely attached to the stem--while false morels in the genus Verpa have caps that hang completely free, like a thimble placed on a pencil eraser.

What's up in March, 2011?

Exidia glandulosa is a jelly fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. It is a common, wood-rotting species in Europe, typically growing on dead attached branches of oak. The fruit bodies are up to 3 cm (1.2 in) wide, shiny, black and blister-like, and grow singly or in clusters. Its occurrence elsewhere is uncertain because of confusion with the related species, Exidia nigricans.

According to the MushroomExpert.com website Exidia glandulosa is commonly encountered in most areas in spring and again in fall, but not infrequently appearing during summer cold spells or winter warm spells and is widely distributed in North America.

What's up in February, 2011?

Fomes fomentarius is a species of fungal plant pathogen found in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. The species produces very large fruit bodies which are shaped like a horse's hoof and vary in colour from a silvery grey to almost black, though they are normally brown. It grows on the side of various species of tree which it infects through broken bark, causing rot. The species typically continues to live on trees long after they have died, changing from a parasite to a detritivore.

Though inedible, F. fomentarius has traditionally seen use as the main ingredient of amadou, a material used primarily as tinder, but also used to make clothing and other items. The 5,000-year-old Ötzi the Iceman carried four pieces of F. fomentarius, concluded to be for use as tinder. It also has medicinal and other uses. The species is both a pest and useful in timber production.

What's up in January, 2011?

Ganoderma applanatum (syn. Boletus applanatus, Fomes applanatus, Fomes vegetus, Ganoderme aplani, Ganoderma lipsiense, Polyporus applanatus, and Polyporus vegetus) is a bracket fungus with a cosmopolitan distribution.

The spore bodies are up to 30-40 cm across, hard, woody-textured, and inedible; they are white at first but soon turn dark red-brown.

It is a wood-decaying fungus, using primarily dead heartwood, but also as a pathogen on live sapwood, particularly on older trees. It is a common cause of decay and death of beech and poplar, and less often of several other tree species, including alder, apple, elm, horse-chestnut, maple, oak, walnut, and willow.

A peculiarity of this fungus lies in its ability to be as a drawing medium for artists. When the surface is rubbed or scratched with a sharp implement, it changes from light to dark brown, producing visible lines and shading.

What's up in December?

Enokitake are long, thin white mushrooms used in Asian cuisine. (see Cuisine of China, Cuisine of Japan, Cuisine of Korea). These mushrooms are cultivars of Flammulina velutipes also called golden needle mushroom. Wild forms differing in color, texture, and sliminess are called winter mushrooms, velvet foot, or velvet stem among other names.

The mushroom is available fresh or canned, the fresh mushroom being preferred. They are traditionally used for soups, but can also be used for salads and other dishes. They have a crisp texture. The mushroom can be refrigerated for about one week. When purchasing fresh enoki, look for specimens with firm, white, shiny caps; avoid those that have slimy or brownish stalks.

What's up in October?

The Oyster mushroom, or Pleurotus ostreatus, is a common edible mushroom. It was first cultivated in Germany as a subsistence measure during the Great War and is now grown commercially around the world for food. However, the first documented cultivation was by Kaufert There is some question about the name Pleurotus corticatus, but no question that he cultivated an oyster mushroom. It is related to the similarly cultivated "king oyster mushroom". Oyster mushrooms can also be used industrially for mycoremediation purposes. The Oyster mushroom may be considered a medicinal mushroom since it contains statins such as lovastatin which work to reduce cholesterol.

What's up in September?

Grifola frondosa is a polypore mushroom that grows in clusters at the base of trees, particularly oaks. The mushroom is commonly known among English speakers as Hen-of-the-Woods, Ram's Head and Sheep's Head. In the United States' supplement market, as well as in Asian grocery stores, the mushroom is known by its Japanese name "Maitake", which means "dancing mushroom". G. frondosa should not be confused with Laetiporus sulphureus, another edible bracket fungus that is commonly called chicken of the woods or "sulphur shelf". The fungus becomes inedible like all polypores when they are older, because it is too tough to eat.

The fungus is native to the northeastern part of Japan and North America, and is prized in traditional Chinese and Japanese herbology as a medicinal mushroom, an aid to balance out altered body systems to a normal level. Its taste and texture are enormously appealing, though the mushroom has been alleged to cause allergic reactions in rare cases.

Like the sulphur shelf mushroom, G. frondosa is a perennial fungus that often grows in the same place for a number of years in succession. It occurs most prolifically in the northeastern regions of the United States, but has been found as far west as Idaho.

G. frondosa grows from an underground tuber-like structure, about the size of a potato. The fruiting body, occurring as large as 60 cm, is a cluster consisting of multiple grayish-brown caps which are often curled or spoon-shaped, with wavy margins and 2-7 cm broad. The undersurface of each cap bears approximately one to three pores per millimeter, with the tubes rarely deeper than 3 mm. The milky-white stipe (stalk) has a branchy structure and becomes tough as the mushroom matures.

In Japan, the Maitake can grow to more than 50 pounds (20 kilograms), earning this giant mushroom the title "King of Mushrooms." Maitake is one of the major culinary mushrooms used in Japan, the others being shiitake, shimeji and enoki. They are used in a wide variety of dishes, often being a key ingredient in nabemono or cooked in foil with butter.

What's up in August?

Omphalotus illudens, commonly known as the Jack o'Lantern mushroom, is an orange- to yellow-gill mushroom that to an untrained eye appears similar to some chanterelles, and is most notable for its bioluminescent properties. Unlike the chanterelle, the Jack o'Lantern mushroom is poisonous. While not lethal, consuming this mushroom leads to very severe cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. Complicating its toxicity is the fact that it smells and looks very appealing, to the extent that there are reports of repeat poisonings from individuals who were tempted to try them a second time.

Its bioluminescence is only observable in low light conditions when the eye becomes dark-adapted. The whole mushroom doesn't glow — only the gills do so. This is due to an enzyme, called luciferase, acting upon a compound called luciferin, leading to the emission of light much as fireflies do when glowing.

Unlike the chanterelle, the Jack o'Lantern has true, sharp, non-forking gills; this is possibly the simplest trait for distinguishing between the two.

There is some debate about whether this mushroom and its western companion Omphalotus olivascens are simply North American forms of the European Jack O'Lantern, Omphalotus olearius.

Further Online Information:

Omphalotus olearius at Tom Volk's Fungi
Omphalotus illudens at Roger's Mushrooms
Omphalotus olearius at Roger's Mushrooms
Omphalotus olearius at Fungi of Poland
Omphalotus olivascens at MykoWeb

What's up in July?

Cantharellus lateritius, commonly known as the smooth chanterelle, is a species of edible fungus in the Cantharellaceae family of mushrooms. Their fruit bodies are brightly colored yellow to orange, and usually highly conspicuous against the soil in which they are found. At maturity, the mushroom resembles a filled funnel with the spore-bearing surface along the sloping outer sides. The fertile undersurface (hymenium) of the caps is a distinguishing feature as unlike the golden variety these are nearly smooth. This species is found in North America, Africa, Malayia, and India. The specific name lateritius means "bricklike", and refers to the smooth hymenium.