v ⁄ fête in the dairy state: nama 2005 at uw–lax · t m , september/october 2005 2 the...

1 T M, September/October 2005

V 46:5 S ⁄ O 2005 ..

by Judy Roger

This year’s annual foray/meetinghad the usual “NAMA curse” of avery dry pre-season—the rainsstarted only a day or so before wearrived, then proceeded to dump onus several mornings. However, quitea few mushrooms managed to

struggle into view in time for us topluck them, caress them, photographthem, and call them by name.

Our magnificent host Tom Volkand his students welcomed us andhelped us settle into the dorms atthe University of Wisconsin–LaCrosse campus on the scenic banksof the Mississippi River. Many of uswere met at the airport to be trans-ported into town to campus and,along the way, were treated to abrief tour of La Crosse, shown thebest café in town for a tasty deli-style lunch, given a tour of campusto help us get our bearings, thenhelped to our rooms. If this is anexample of young students inbiology today, La Crosse can be veryproud. They were friendly, helpfulthroughout the foray, and alwaysready to assist wherever they wereneeded.

Even though we had quite awalk diagonally across campus forour meals, they were excellent andoffered many healthy choices.College food has changed consid-erably for the better; these mealswere similar to what you find inmany good restaurants. The sit-down meals with linens on thetables created a good atmosphere forlingering in conversation. We werehappy that the campus was fairlysmall and on a flat plain as theweather was very hot. As we walkedto breakfast, it would sprinkle, thenopen to a hefty downpour, usuallyletting up about the time we left forthe fungal fields.

Mushroom collecting took somepersistence since the weather hadbeen quite dry up until the foray, buteven in town at the Hixon ForestPreserve (only two miles from the

Fête in the Dairy State: NAMA 2005 at UW–LAX

Chief Mycologist Andy Methven pointsout characteristics during the TablesWalkaround. Photo courtesy of ColemanMcCleneghan.

Continued on page 5The logo for Foray ‘05 was created by oneof his Tom Volk’s students, Maria Lee.

A glorious place for a foray:the banks of the Mississippi

In this issue:President’s Message .................... 2

Forays and Announcements ........ 3

Wildacres Registration Form........ 4

NAMA Award Winners ................. 7

Ed Mena on Fungi ......................... 9

Slide Contest Winners .......... 10, 11

Mice & Mushrooms ....................14

Book Reviews .............................15

Hebeloma radiculosum ..............17

Poetry ..........................................18

In Memoriam .............................19

Culinary Corner ..........................19

Mushroom of the Month ............20

2T M, September/October 2005

The Mycophile is published bimonthlyby the North American MycologicalAssociation, 6615 Tudor Court,Gladstone, OR 97027-1032.NAMA is a nonprofit corporation;contributions may be tax-deductible.Web site: www.namyco.orgIsaac Forester, NAMA PresidentP.O. Box 1107North Wilkesboro, NC 28659-1107<[email protected]>

Judy Roger, Executive Secretary6615 Tudor CourtGladstone, OR 97027-1032<[email protected]><[email protected]>

Britt Bunyard, Content EditorW184 N12633 Fond du Lac AvenueGermantown, WI 53022<[email protected]>Judith Caulfield, Production Editor927 Lansing DriveMt. Pleasant, SC 29464<[email protected]>

NAMA is a 501(c)(3) charitableorganization. Contributions to supportthe scientific and educational activi-ties of the Association are alwayswelcome and may be deductible asallowed by law. Gifts of any amountmay be made for special occasions,such as birthdays, anniversaries, andfor memorials.Special categories include

Friend of NAMA: $500–900Benefactor: $1000–4900Patron: $5000 and up

Send contributions toJudith McCandless, Treasurer330 Wildwood PlaceLouisville, KY40206-2523<[email protected]>

Moving?Please send your new address,two weeks before you move, to

Ann BornsteinNAMA Membership Secretary336 Lenox AvenueOakland, CA 94610-4675<[email protected]>

Otherwise—you may not be gettingyour newsletter for a while. Eachissue, several Mycophiles arereturned as undeliverable because ofno forwarding address on file. NAMAis charged seventy cents for eachreturned or forwarded newsletter.

P R E S I D E N T ’S M E S S A G E

NAMA ’05 was a great success. Thanks again to Tom Volk, his students,other graduate students, lecturers, presenters, foray leaders, and all of theothers who pulled off a wonderful foray. The species found and much otherinformation about the foray will be forthcoming in T M.

The officers and trustees of NAMA met for a marathon session prior tothe foray. We covered a lot of material in a full day, breaking only for lunchand a short afternoon stretch of the legs. If you know any of these peoplewho give so much of their time and energies to NAMA, please thank themfor a job well done. Following is a brief summary of just a few of the issuesdiscussed at the trustees meeting.

NAMA is financially stable. The organization realized a profitable yearand has maintained assets at a level that should insure continued operationsfor the foreseeable future. Membership increased slightly, with more newmembers joining and the number of renewing members also rising.

The trustees voted to continue financing an annual mycology scholarshipadministered through the Mycological Society of America. In addition,representatives of NAMA and MSA have been talking to each other and arebeginning to open doors that we hope will lead to the two organizationsworking more closely together to advance the science of mycology in thiscountry.

An agreement has been reached with the New York Botanical Gardensfor archiving NAMA materials. In addition, NAMA has recently received twolarge collections of fungal slides, books, and information from individuals;the trustees will utilize them to the best advantage of the membership.

The NAMA Endownment Fund has been established. The earnings fromthe fund will be used to advance the science of mycology through variousavenues available to NAMA. The fund was established by combiningundesignated special events funds with the generous donations of theofficers and trustees of NAMA, who put over $2,000 personally into theinvestment. A special thanks goes to Ben Woo, who got the ball rolling with

Continued on page 18

Steven and Brooke Behmke of Slinger, Wisconsin, proudly display a large Dairy Statepuffball. Photo courtesy of Cindy and Steve Sr.


F O R A Y S & A N N O U N C E M E N T S

Three Exotic Mexican ForaysThe Copper Canyon MushroomExpedition, July 24–31The Tlaxcala Mushroom Foray,August 28–September 4The Veracruz Fungi Exploration,October 16–23For details see the Mar./Apr. ’05issue of T M; contact thetour organizers, Erik and Gundi, [email protected]; or visit www.mexmush.com.

Annual Gary Lincoff Mid-Atlantic Mushroom ForaySeptember 10

For details see the May/June ’05issue of T M or contactthe WPMC or Dick Dougall at (412)486-7504 or by email <[email protected]>; or Glenn Carr at(412) 369-0495 or by email<[email protected]>.

Annual Priest Lake ForaySeptember 23–25For details see the July/Aug. ’05issue of T M or contactDoris <[email protected]> at (509)328-7973 or visit www.spokanemushroomclub.org.

Wildacres Regional NAMAForayWildacres, NCSeptember 29–October 2

Dr. Orson Miller, Jr., will be Princi-pal Mycologist. Participants at thisforay will be limited to 40 persons,double occupancy. There are no pri-vate rooms. The cost of the foray is$175 and covers three nights lodgingand eight meals beginning with anevening meal on Thursday Septem-ber 29 and ending with breakfast onSunday, October 2. Registration formcan be found in this issue of TM. For additional informa-tion contact Allein Stanley at<wildacres@namyco .org>.

Annual MushroomConferenceBreitenbush Hot Spring Resort,Detroit, OregonOctober 6–9Our speakers this year are mycologistDr. Susan Libonati, who will bedelighting us with the subjects ofmushroom anatomy and human usesof fungi, and Dorothy Beebee, anartist and internationally recognizedexpert on the subject of dyeing withfungi. Chef Michael Blackwell willpresent the mushrooms with theirbest flavors forward, and Hot Springsbiologist Paul Kroeger will be ourforay mycologist with expertise toshare about what’s what at the fungilevel at Breitenbush. Judy Roger andMaggie Rogers are our local mush-room experts—fountains of informa-tion about things mushroom includ-ing books about mushrooms, whatthey are and how to find them!Expert guides will lead the inexperi-enced in daily forays, and hands-ondyeing and identification workshopswill keep you busy back at the resortwhen you are not soaking in the hotwaters or enjoying the deliciousorganic foods.

The Mushroom Conference atBreitenbush Hot Springs is nowposted on their Web site. Sign upright away to take advantage of theearly registration discount! Visitwww.breitenbush.com/html/events/oct6-9.html to view more informationabout this relaxing, fun, and educa-tional conference. For answers toquestions, contact Patrice Benson at(206) 722-0691.

3rd International MedicinalMushroom ConferencePort Townsend, WashingtonOctober 12–17For details see the May/June ’05issue of T M or contactSteve at (800) 780 9126 extension 10,or email at <[email protected]>.

SOMA Winter MushroomCampJanuary 14–16, 2006The Sonoma County MycologicalAssociation (SOMA) invites you tothe 9th Annual SOMA WinterMushroom Camp, Martin LutherKing weekend, January 14–16, 2006. The Camp, a benefit for SOMA,will offer a full schedule of mush-room forays, specimen tables,slideshows, and speaker presenta-tions. The SOMA Culinary Groupwill prepare wonderful wild mush-room cuisine for all to enjoy. A variety of classes and work-shops in mushroom photography,cooking with wild mushrooms,medicinal mushrooms, mushroomcultivation, papermaking, and fabricdyeing will be offered to campparticipants. Additionally, thoseattending will have several forays,planned and led by experienced andknowledgeable mycology members,to choose from each day.

Lodging. Situated near Occiden-tal, in beautiful Sonoma County, thecamp is approximately one hournorth of San Francisco. The spa-cious, modern camp offers sharedcabins, which are heated, bright,clean, and airy, set among 225 acresof some of the most gorgeous oak,madrone, tan oak, redwood, andDouglas fir forests in the state.

Registration information.Aug. 15–Nov. 15, 2005: $195. Nov.15, 2005–Jan. 5, 2006: $225. One-day registration for Sunday, Febru-ary 16, 2006, is available for a fee of$110. Fees include lodging, meals,and all classes, presentations, andactivities. Sunday’s fees do notinclude lodging. To obtain a registra-tion form or for more information,check out our Web site at www.SOMAmushrooms.org or call RickMeininger, SOMA Winter Camp Co-Director, at (707) 938-4106.

Continued on page 4


8th International Mycological CongressCairns, AustraliaAugust 21–26, 2006It’s not too early to start planning—and saving money—for IMC8. Details are forthcoming; in the meantimecheck the Web site for periodic updates: www.sapmea.asn.au/imc8.

◆

Young Adult Amateur Mycologists Neededfor Research Project

Amateur mycologists between the ages of 18 and 35 areinvited to participate in a research project that willinvestigate how young people develop interests inhobbies involving wild environments and naturalhistory. Participation involves working with a researcherwith the Environmental Socialization Project to createan environmental autobiography. Results should helpnature centers and environmental education centers doan even better job of introducing children and youth tonatural history subjects. For more details or to volunteer,contact Rob Bixler of Clemson University at <[email protected]> or (864) 656-4849.

Forays and Announcements, continued from page 3

NAMA WILDACRES REGIONAL FORAYSeptember 29–Oct. 2, 2005Wildacres , North Carolina

To register, complete this form and mail with a check for $175, payable to NAMA, to Allein Stanley, 136Homeplace Drive, Mount Holly NC. For additional information call (704) 827-1939 or email<[email protected]>. Persons sharing a room may use the same form.

l. Name ______________________________________ 2. Name ____________________________________

❏ Male ❏ Female ❏ Male ❏ Female

Address_____________________________________ Address_____________________________________

______________________________________________ _____________________________________________

Phone _____________________________________ Phone ______________________________________

E-mail _____________________________________ E-mail ______________________________________

I wish to room with __________________________ I wish to room with ___________________________

______________________________________________ _____________________________________________

Dietary requests______________________________ Dietary requests______________________________

______________________________________________ _____________________________________________

Bedding preference: ❏ Double ❏ Single Bedding preference: ❏ Double ❏ Single

Participants at this foray will be limited to 40 persons, double occupancy. There are no private rooms. The costof the foray covers 3 nights lodging and 8 meals beginning with an evening meal on Thursday, Sept. 29, andending with breakfast on Sunday, October 2.

Liability waiver: By signing below, I release the North American Mycological Association, its officers, and membersfrom any and all liability and loss arising from any accident, injury, or illness which may result from activities of heNAMA regional foray at Wildacres.

Signature #1___________________________________ Signature #2 __________________________________

Date__________________________________________ Date _________________________________________


university), if one looked carefully and walked slowly,a large number of species could be collected: Coprinus,Psathyrella, Collybia, Amanita, Sarcoscypha, Microstoma,Xylaria, some inoperculate Ascos, plus umpteenpolypore-related genera. (This was only what I sawcollected by my companions on a two-hour walk. Muchmore was found on a later, longer walk in the samearea.) Because the rains had started, mosquitoes wereout in large, hungry numbers; but that didn’t stop us.

Collecting trips were made to several interestingsites that exhibited unique vegetative habitats createdby ancient geologic processes due to lack of glaciationduring the previous ice age. People were intrigued bythe variations in each site. All areas were within a veryshort drive from campus, making it easy for most to seeall sites. Pat Leacock, the Voucher Collection Chair,reported that 325 species were collected by attendees,with five species of truffles found by Roseanne Healy;55 species of lichens identified by Will-Wolf, Trest, andNelsen; and numerous myxomycetes that he didn’t listin his note.

The largest and most interesting specimen foundwas Paragyrodon spaerosporus, the “LeatherneckBolete.” Cryphonectria parasitica and a young Fistulinahepatica were also on the tables. Because the rainsbegan so close to the foray, few of the fleshy “charis-matic mega fungi” were found, but many members ofthe Polyporales were well represented.

Those who took the trips to the American chestnut(Castanea dentata) forest found quite a number ofinteresting fungi and had the opportunity to see asomewhat rare native tree that is still surviving in aforest setting. Because most of the American chestnutsacross the eastern portion of the country succumbed tothe blight Cryphonectria parasitica, few people haveseen that species of tree. This forest owes its existenceto an early settler who planted a few trees, whichmultiplied to several thousand. They remained free ofthe blight until about 20 years ago, when it appeared inone tree. Since the first infection, more than onethousand trees have succumbed. Many trees sport“diapers” because they are subjects in a study ofinoculating the trees with the attenuated blight organ-ism in the hopes of increasing their resistance. Thelargest tree has a diameter of more than four feet. Theyare really magnificent trees, and it is hoped many willremain. Surprising to many, the native tree has a smallnut (and frequently more than one nut per husk) incontrast to the nuts we find in the markets during thewinter holidays. The nuts in stores are an Asian speciesand do not have the same texture and sweet flavor asC. dentata.

The committee that assembled the classes andprograms provided an interesting array withoutoverwhelming us. A partial sampling of the offerings—Beginner’s Foray and Identification Workshop, with

Michael Beug; Russulas of the Eastern U.S., by BartBuyck; Mushroom Anatomy with a Hand Lens, with WaltSundberg; to seriousness: On Being Deadly: the Historyof Amatoxins; having a good laugh while learning:Getting the Jellies Out of a Jam: An Updated Classificationof Jelly Fungi, by Beth Frieders; Legerdemain in theFungal Domain: Use and Abuse of Insects by Fungi, byM editor, Britt Bunyard; Spine Tingling Fungi:It’s Like Pulling Teeth, by Sean Westmoreland. Also,Susan Will-Wolf presented a great workshop on takingthe mystery out of identifying the local lichens. Herenthusiasm was infectious and helpful inunderstanding them. Other interesting workshops andclasses kept attendees busy when they were not outsearching for elusive mushrooms.

This year a large number of names were submittedfor NAMA’s two awards for teaching and furtheringmycology within local clubs and also for mushroomersin general. Dr. Tom Volk received the prestigiousContributions to Amateur Mycology Award for hisincredibly popular outreach to people at all levels ofinterest as well as the public in general. We all knowhow popular Tom’s methods of teaching are and howmuch he encourages everyone to go beyond what they

Foray 2005, continued from page 1

Continued on page 8

An American chestnut of record-breaking size.Photo from Tom Volk’s Foray Web site.


[This year’s winners were announced at the 2005 ForayAwards Banquet by Trustee Maggie Rogers. Commentarywas prepared and submitted by Awards Chair GaryLincoff.]

Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology“This year’s NAMA Award for Contribution to

Amateur Mycology winner is known to everyone. He isan active contributor to everyone’s foray—including ourNAMA Forays. He comes to the forays, identifiesmushrooms, helps beginners and experts alike under-stand what they’ve been collecting, and gives inspiringand entertaining talks at all these forays. In addition, incase you don’t already recognize him by this descrip-tion, he has a Web site that is to dye for (pun intended),on which it will be hard not to find whatever mush-room you’re looking for. His Web site is composed ofgood science and abundant humor. He has been givingus a Fungus of the Month every month for years, aswell as telling us of ways to celebrate our holidays withmushrooms. He is also the tattoo guru of Americanmycology. You can’t miss him at our forays: who elsehas a tattoo of morel mycelium going up his right arm?Will his left arm get a basidiomycete tattoo so we cansay that anyone looking at him can tell their ascus fromtheir basidium? Is there any way that this candidate forNAMA’s Award has not contributed in some conspicu-ous and rewarding fashion? He’s long overdue for thisAward.

“The winner of NAMA’s Award for Contributions toAmateur Mycology for this year, 2005, is Dr. ThomasVolk. “

A standing ovation followed this grand news! As hereached the podium, Maggie added, “Congratulations,Tom! Now if we can get you to a tattoo parlor and findsome bare skin, you can be the only NAMA Awardwinner bearing a tattoo of your award!”

NAMA’s Award for Contributions to AmateurMycology is given annually to a person who has con-tributed extraordinarily to the advancement of amateurmycology. Its recipients have often extensively con-ducted workshops, led forays, written or lecturedwidely about mushrooms and identifying mushrooms,all on a national or international level. Selection ismade by a committee consisting of past award winners,and the award includes a plaque and lifetime member-ship in NAMA.

Nominations for this award should include adescription of the accomplishments the nominee hasmade in the field of amateur mycology. Previousnominees who were not selected to receive the awardare still eligible for re-nomination. Nominations for theaward should be sent no later than April 1st of the yearin which the award is to be given.

◆

The Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award“This year’s Harry and Elsie Knighton NAMA

Service Award featured a vigorous contest among eightcandidates nominated by eight mycological societiesacross North America. The nominating paperwork thatcame in for these candidates included newspaperarticles, articles from mushroom club newsletters,black and white illustrations of mushrooms drawn bythe candidates, photographs of the candidates involvedin various mycological activities, letters of recommen-dation, and a nominating letter highlighting the activi-ties in which the candidate has helped the local myco-logical society the past couple of years. Based just onthe quality of these candidates, we have an amazinglyenergetic and creative membership out there. (And ifever half of the mycological societies in North Ameri-can nominated a candidate among their ranks, it wouldbe an impossible job to evaluate these nominations!)

“It was very difficult, this year, to choose onewinner among these eight nominees. The judges forthe Knighton Service Award are composed of thewinners of the previous three contests. This year one ofthe judges withdrew because someone from his clubhad been nominated, and we brought in the winnerfrom the previous year to take his place.

“This year’s winner’s name appeared on all threejudges’ ballots. This year’s winner was consideredoutstanding by these judges and worthy of recognitionat this time for the Harry and Elsie Knighton ServiceAward for 2005.

“This year’s winner comes from the OregonMycological Society, of Portland, Oregon, and he isRichard Bishop.”

Following a rousing round of applause at thisannouncement, Maggie went on, “If you want a verybrief synopsis of what a Knighton Service Awardwinner should be doing for his local club, lend an earfor two minutes.” She then read a “brief synopsis” ofDick’s recent contributions:

2005 NAMA Award Winners

Tom Volk. Photocourtesy of ColemanMcCleneghan.


1. Dick leads ten monthly meetings per year for 40 orso members who bring in specimens for ID. He helpsthem with identification of their collections.2. He plans eight meetings or so per year for Inter-mediate Education Classes, involving microscope use,handouts, and study of groups at an increased level ofskill and understanding.3. Dick leads field trips and is one of the club’s mostpopular field trip leaders.4. Each fall Dick is involved in Community Outreachand brings together a crew to put up posters anddisplays, give talks, and identify mushroom for the Mt.Hood Forest Information Center.5. He coordinates the arrangement and identificationof the fresh mushrooms that arrive in collecting boxesfor the club’s annual Fall Mushroom Show.6. He is an active member of the OMS ToxicologyCommittee, one of the most respected in the country.7. He is an accomplished photographer and has wonprizes several times in the NAMA Photography Contest.8. He is a member of the Pacific Northwest (Mycologi-cal) Key Council and specializes in the boletes.9. He joined the Oregon Mycological Society in 1984and has served as its President twice.

Maggie concluded, “Dick Bishop is not only ahugely deserving winner of the Harry and ElsieKnighton NAMA Service Award, but he should serve asa model for all future candidates for nomination forthis award.”

The Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award wasestablished by the NAMA Board of Trustees to recognizeand encourage persons who have distinguished them-selves in service to their local clubs. It is named for theKnightons, whose efforts began the North AmericanMycological Association in 1967.

The annual award consists of a framed certificate,publicity for the winner and club in T M, aone-year membership in the organization, and registra-tion, housing, and foray fees for the next NAMA Foray.Each year’s recipient is selected by the three mostrecent recipients of the Award.

Every NAMA-affiliated mycological club maynominate one candidate who it feels has performedmeritorious service during the current or precedingyear. Normally, the President of the NAMA-affiliatedclub makes the nomination for the club (unless, ofcourse, the President is the nominee). Candidates neednot be NAMA members. Four copies of the nominationand supporting materials must be sent by April 1 of theyear in which the award is to be given.

NAMA Awards, continued from page 6

Other magazines urge you to subscribe, butwe invite you to join friends on what we call

“printed forays”!

For 20 years, Mushroom the Journal has provided informa-tion of value to those who like to hunt, name, cook, studyand photograph wild mushrooms. We’ve answered —

• How do professionals find “pillowcasefuls” of morels?

• In the future, will you have to pay to pick on public landand still have to contend with bag limits?

• If you discover a new species, can you name it anythingyou want?

• Should you worry about violence from commercialpickers?

• Can you do more with choice edibles than toss them in asauté pan with butter?

• Can you grow your own truffles? Train your own trufflehound?

• Can you subscribe to the world’s best mushroom maga-zine and have your satisfaction guaranteed? (You certainlycan guess that answer—and yes, you can also train thedog.)

We’re proud of the job we do of reviewing books of interestto the amateur mycologist. Before you buy, you’ll knowwhether you should. Think we’re kidding about “joining”rather than “subscribing”? Our Letters column lets you speakout, or contact others to seek that special book or sell thathistoric mushroom basket.

So join—come aboard and check us out!www.mushroomthejournal.com

Yes! Send me ❏❏❏❏❏ the next year (4 issues) for $19 or❏❏❏❏❏ three years (12 issues) for $49 (Save $8)

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think they can learn. He exemplifies the spirit of thisaward in every way possible. The Harry and ElsieKnighton Service Award went to Dick Bishop of theOregon Mycological Society for his long years ofservice to his society. He has been everything one canpossibly beo within a club: president, board, teacher of

several levels of knowledge, field trip leader, exhibitorganizer, and the list goes on. . . .

The President’s Award, give to an individual chosenby the President as someone who exemplifies NAMA’sideals and goals, was presented to Dr. Walt Sundbergfor his lifetime years of service to NAMA in so manycapacities it is difficult to name them all. His classesand workshops are always filled to overflowing; he is

NAMA 2005 foraygoers, including this year’s President’s Awardwinner Walter Sundberg with a self-styled “rain hat.”

Host Mycologist Tom Volk describes a specimen during the TablesWalkaround.

Foray 2005, continued from page 5

Roz Lowen instructs on Ascomycete identification.

so patient and helpful to everyone he teaches; and he isa very popular speaker.

Next year? How ‘bout Alberta, Canada, in WilliamSchweitzer Provincial Park near Jasper? The dates:August 17–20, 2006. The location is near Hinton,Alberta, at a resort called VentureScape Retreat. Then2007 will be Pipestem, West Virginia, same week inAugust as 2006.

Judy Roger, NAMA Executive Secretary, proudly displays a tinybut elegant Microstoma floccosa.

Photos on this page appear courtesy of Coleman McCleneghan.


by Ed Mena

For the last several years I have been collecting samplesof basidiomycetes and ascomycetes from all overcountry. I have been generously assisted by an assort-ment of people, both professional and amateur mycolo-gists, many who are members of NAMA. One commentthat I frequently hear is that they are pleased someonehas found a use for the samples that are usually dis-carded. I am happy to report that this is the prevailingattitude among mycologists throughout the country.(There are some exceptions, but they will go unnamed.)

One problem that has been very difficult to addressis trying to give an adequate explanation of why I amdoing what I appear to be doing—and keep the answerwithin the attention span of the questioner. The solutionseemed to be to write an article about my activities sopeople can read it at their own pace (or not at all, if theychoose). Various versions of this article have alreadyappeared in several club newsletters on the East Coastand in San Francisco’s Mycena News. I have received e-mails that it is handed out (and, I hope, read) in intro-ductory mycology classes in a few colleges, and it lookslike the folks at NEMF this year will have to sit througha presentation from me.

I am always trying to find ways to combine naturalproducts and biochemistry. Before becoming a fulltimemushroom researcher with a lab at the University ofConnecticut at Avery Point, I researched the venom ofConus snails (predatory snails from the Philippines),spider venoms, and compounds from fungal cultures (atWashington University in St Louis, University ofCalifornia at Irvine, and at Pfizer, Inc.). Whoever said“Nature is the world’s best chemist” has been provedcorrect time and time again. But why is there such avariety of chemicals in nature? And why have I decidedto look at fungal fruiting bodies as a source of new anduseful compounds? I wish I had a short answer, but Idon’t.

All living organisms produce an extremely variedlist of chemicals. These chemicals fall into two verylarge—and arbitrary—groups. The first types of chemi-cals are those that are needed by the organisms for theirbasic cellular functions such as metabolism, energyproduction, breakdown of damaged molecules andsynthesis of new ones. Cells also need the chemicalmachinery to make proteins, DNA, RNA, and manyother complex molecules that are absolutely essentialfor all life. Producing each of these large molecules is acomplicated process that can include 50 or 60 differentchemicals and a similar number of enzymes (largeproteins). To make these different chemicals andenzymes, the cell requires yet another series of reac-tions, a list of which could become quite lengthy,depending on the organism. For example, most typicalcells, from bacteria to yeast (a fungus!) to mammals,

can oxidize sugar (glucose) and produce energy (ATP) inaddition to more specialized tasks, such as dining ondecaying wood or savoring fresh dung. You soon get thegeneral idea that many chemicals are needed to keepthe basic biochemical machinery of a cell operatingproperly. These chemicals that keep the cell going arereferred to as “primary” metabolites.

If there are “primary” metabolites, then there alsomust be “secondary” metabolites. We hear about thisclass of compounds usually in association with plants,fungi, bacteria and other “lower” forms of life, such asinvertebrates. (I dislike the term “lower form of life,”but elaborating here would digress too much.) The term“secondary” was originally given to this class of com-pounds largely because no “primary” role was knownfor most of them. They were chemicals that didn’t seemto have any essential role for the organism. There wasno reason to believe that if the organism or cell did notproduce these compounds, it would not continue happilyonward. This was especially true if the organism founditself in a monoculture in some scientist’s lab. This isstill the case with many “secondary” metabolites—thatis, scientists studying these organisms in isolation canfind no (obvious) function for them. Most researchersnow believe that they play a critical role in the organ-ism’s life; it’s just that frequently the function of thesecompounds may be difficult to ferret out among otheractivities that are being studied. For example, mothsexual pheromones are considered secondary metabo-lites. The individual moth does quite well without them.However, they are vitally important to the survival ofthe species. Another classic example of a secondarymetabolite is the antibiotics produced by some fungi andbacteria. When growing as a sterile monoculture insomeone’s laboratory, the organism has little use forantibiotics and usually ceases to product them. How-ever, in its natural habitat, their production is not aluxury.

The pheromones and antibiotics are examples ofwhat I believe are the two major functions of allsecondary metabolites made by lower life forms:defense and communication. These functions also helpto explain another important observation. Most of thecompounds classified as secondary metabolites are notsynthesized continuously but are made by what could bedescribed as an “on demand” fashion. A more textbook-like term is “inducible compounds.” Perhaps one reasonfor them not to be synthesized continuously is thatmany of them are extremely complicated chemicals.Any cell that synthesizes complicated molecules such asivermectin, taxol, and other secondary metabolites isinvesting a significant portion of its resources into thatsynthesis; thus, the product of the synthesis must beessential for its survival. If the production of these


Why I Never Met a Fungus I Didn’t Like


2005 NAMA 35mm Slide Photo Contest Winners

A

C

F

G

H

Judges’ Option

Millipede on PluteusWalt Sturgeon..................................... G

Rosemary’s Stinky Baby (Clathrus ruber)Ron Pastorino ..................................... H

Morel Harvest At the Yoder FarmDean Abel ............................................ J


Open Division Pictorial1 Boletus bicolor

David Work .................................... A

2 Cortinarius iodesDavid Dennis ................................. B

3 Amanita muscariaMichael Beug ................................. C

HM Calostoma cinnabarinaDavid Work

HM Trametes conchiferWalt Sturgeon

HM Craterellus cornucopioidesRon Pastorino

HM Laetiporus sulphureusCharles Fonaas

Open Division Documentary1 Collybia dryophila

David Dennis ................................. D

2 Hygrophorus fuligineusNoah Siegel ................................... E

3 Daldinia concentricaDavid Dennis ................................. F

HM Isaria parasitizing beetle larvaDean Abel

HM Suillus luteusNoah Siegel

HM Clavariadelphus truncatusWalt Sturgeon

B

E

J

D


compounds were not carefully regulated, there would bean enormous liability—those individuals that wastedsuch resources on their unnecessary synthesis would berapidly squeezed out. So, instead, their production isturned off and on by environmental cues. It could be acommunication from another mating type of the samespecies, contact with a particular food source, or attackby a predator. Some recent results indicate that withfungi, secondary metabolite production peaks at thetime of sporulation, a critical time. If we restrict ourstudy to fungi, we are discussing organisms that can’tsee, smell, hear, or feel. So how do they detect theirsurroundings? How do they become aware of essentialevents such as moisture in their surroundings or thepresence of friendly and not-so-friendly companions?These events are likely mediated by chemical communi-cations.

Defensive ChemicalsLet’s first consider fungal fruiting bodies and their

defense. Fungi live in intense environments, sur-rounded by other fungal types, bacteria, and all mannerof predatory soil-inhabiting invertebrates. Chemicalwarfare among organisms with clearly different agen-das is the rule, not the exception. I’m sure that every-one is familiar with the story of the discovery of penicil-lin. With the benefit of hindsight, it seems obvious thatsoil microbes would be synthesizing antibacterialcompounds. They are literally surrounded by billionsand billions of bacteria that are doing their best to findtheir next meal. Without antibacterial weapons, soilfungi would have a tough and short existence. By now,thousands of antibacterial compounds have beenidentified from soil microbes, and it’s a good bet that allfungi have some type of antibacterial response. So, howdo these bacteria that are being slaughtered by antibi-otic-producing fungi respond? Fungi may be cleverchemists, but so are bacteria. When this warfare wasgetting started a billion or so years ago, some bacterialenzyme that split proteins modified itself to split animportant chemical bond in penicillin, making it harm-less to bacteria. The code for the enzyme, penicillinase(also referred to as beta-lactamase), ended up on a pieceof DNA called a plasmid. A plasmid can be spreadthrough bacteria populations rapidly and can even betransmitted to different species of bacteria. The resultwas that the party was over for penicillin-producingfungi; they were back on the defensive. Over the courseof an eon or two, and after probably many chemicalswere synthesized and found wanting, a fungus hit onthe compound now called clavulinic acid. This com-pound was an inhibitor of the bacterial enzyme penicilli-nase. With the clavulinic acid in its chemical arsenal,their penicillin was now once again a potent weapon.There are many other examples of chemical warfareand co-evolution combatants.

The full appreciation of this process is also impor-

tant for the medical treatment of bacterial infections.Initially, few human pathogenic bacteria carried thepenicillinase plasmid. These bacteria were concentrat-ing on more important issues, such as how to combatour immune system, and not on penicillin resistance.However, the widespread use of penicillin createdstrong selection pressure for a pathogen that managedto pick up the penicillinase plasmid from a soil bacte-rium. This eventually occurred, and the plasmid rapidlyspread through pathogenic bacteria, severely impairingthe effectiveness of penicillin. Between 1941 and 2002,penicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus rose fromless than 1% to greater than 99%. It took fungi millionsof years to come up with clavulinic acid. Luckily, thepharmaceutical industry found a fungus that produced ita lot sooner. Beecham introduced it as Augmentin(clavulinic acid plus amoxicillin, semisynthetic penicil-lin) in 1981. I think we would be discounting thecreativity of bacteria if we did not assume that for everynaturally occurring antibacterial, there is a bacteriumsomewhere that has figured out a way to beat it.Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has been around for along time; it didn’t evolve because of our use of antibiot-ics. However, our rampant use of antibiotics created astrong selection pressure for pathogenic bacteria thatlearned new tricks from soil bacteria.

Some compounds from fungi that are used as drugsdon’t seem to have a ready explanation. For example,the first cholesterol-lowering agent, mevalonin(Lovastatin, from Merck), came from a fungus. Thismight initially seem odd, because there seems to belittle if any reason for a fungus to make this compound(we all know that mushrooms are cholesterol-free!). Thesecret is that the fungus needs a chemical namedergosterol, which, as it turns out, is very closely relatedto cholesterol (which means that mevalonin is also anergosterol-lowering agent). Nearly every cell in ahuman body needs cholesterol for proper membranefunctioning and has the ability to manufacture it.Humans are also fortunate (and sometimes unfortunate)enough to be able to obtain significant amounts of itfrom dietary sources. All fungi cells need ergosterol andcan also make it. If a fungus can’t make ergosterol, itdies. It does not have the option of going out andconsuming the fungal equivalent of a Big Mac. So if onefungus is able to stop ergosterol production in itsneighbors, it ends up with a bigger piece of the pie. Thisfungus uses its mevalonin-like compound to block itsneighbor’s ergosterol production (another fungus), andthe neighbor dies, so the fungus has fewer competitorsfor the food supply. Even Lipitor, which everybody onthe planet is taking or probably will take, is a derivativeof a natural product. Other types of drugs that arenatural products are the immune-suppressant drugs,which have been a major factor in the increase in thenumber of, and the success of, organ transplants.Seventy-eight percent of the antibacterials and 74% ofthe anticancer compounds are natural products or are

Ed Mena on Fungi, continued from page 9


derived from them, and the majority of the compoundsin these two therapeutic classes were isolated fromfungi. Additional examples could easily develop into anendless and boring list. However, there is anotherinteresting category of molecules produced by fungi andother organisms: communication molecules.

Communication among FungiWhat are communication molecules? The air we

breathe, the water in a lake, and the soil and leaf litterare highways through which all sorts of communicationmolecules course. We humans are challenged, to saythe least, at detecting all but a scant minority of thesechemicals. Many species of insects use them to adver-tise themselves to mates. Plants attract (or repel) insectswith chemicals. Various species of animals announcetheir presence with communication molecules. Takeyour pet dog for a walk and witness first-hand the signsof an olfactory world from which we are excluded. Thelives of millions of animals are synchronized by chemi-cal signals. I’m sure that many of you have seen theremarkable scenes of millions of coral spawning on thesame night, from one of David Attenborough’s showsfrom Life on Earth. I can’t resist one more example, thatof the stink horns, which we have the (mis)fortune todetect, as do many insects. Clearly, the chemical signalemanating from the stinkhorn has a very differentmeaning to you and me compared to the many speciesof insects encircling its tip.

We live in a sea of chemicals. I heard an analogyonce that I’ve become very fond of: Communicationschemicals can be looked at like postage stamps. You puta stamp on a letter or package to communicate some-thing to the addressee. The stamp insures that themessage will be received but says nothing about themessage or the reaction of the addressee. Communica-tion molecules also insure that a message will transmit-ted; the exact meaning of the message will depend onthe “sender” and “recipient.” Another interesting featureof communication molecules is that once Mother Naturefound a chemical that could be used for communicationpurposes, she stuck with it. Similar classes of moleculesare used throughout a wide phylogenic range. Commu-nication chemicals can act to send a message from onepart of an organism to another (e.g., hormones) or theycan send communications to organisms of the samespecies (pheromones) or to different species (stinkhorns,flowers say “come here,” a skunk’s smell says “goaway,” etc).

Since we are talking about mushrooms, what aresome things likely to be mediated by communicationchemicals? Let’s start at the beginning. A spore respondsto certain chemical cues to germinate. It may need toknow if it has landed on a suitable substrate. Thesemycelia respond to other mycelia of the correct matingtypes of the same species to form diploid myceliaorganisms. The growing mycelia need to be able todetect and utilize proper nutrients. Additionally, the

mycorrhizal species need to colonize (or be colonized by)the appropriate type of tree root for survival and growth.The selectivity of many types of mushrooms has alwaysamazed me. How does Suillus granulatus tell the differ-ence between a pine and maple tree? How do the manyother mycorrhizal species recognize their hosts? How-ever, also consider also the selectivity of the wood rotpolypores. Piptoporus betulinus almost always colonizesdead birches. It is rarely found on other species of trees.What signal or signals allow this fungus to selectivelygrow on this wood? Many species are selective forhardwoods or conifers. When we speak colloquiallyabout these interactions, we make statements like,“They are attracted to dead birch trees,” or “Suillusgranulatus prefers to grow in association with pine.”Statements like these seem to give decision-makingqualities to organisms that consist of a very limitednumber of cell types. While they do make a “decision,”in a manner of speaking, it is their responses to thevarious chemicals that they encounter—either positively,negatively, or both—that underlies this apparent deci-sion. These chemicals interact with cell surface orintracellular receptors and induce metabolic changes inthe fungus. As I mentioned above, Mother Nature isvery fond of the communication systems that fungideveloped a billion or so years ago. Many of them havebeen refined and elaborated upon more as eukaryoticsystems increased in complexity. Once evolution foundsome molecules that were good “postage stamps” andsome receptors that were good “mailboxes,” it stuck withthem and refined them over an eon or two. The result isthat many chemicals that are used by higher organismshave their “roots” in fungal metabolism. In fact, recentphylogenetic analysis has shown that the fungal king-dom is part of the terminal radiation of the eukaryoticgroups (sometimes eloquently referred to as “the greateukaryotic radiation”). This is assumed to have occurredone billion years ago when prokaryotes and eukaryotesseparated (my calendar doesn’t go back that far). Thereis evidence that fungi are more closely related to ani-mals than to plants. The prevailing opinion is that plantsdiverged from the lineage that then went on to give riseto animals and fungi.

Mammals, of course, have many more pressingcommunication needs than fungi. In the central nervoussystem, at least 40 to 50 chemical transmitters havebeen identified. In the immune system, many types ofcommunications proteins, known as cytokines, havebeen discovered. These are two broad examples ofmammalian communications molecules. What is alsotrue with higher organisms is that the type of messagethat a molecule sends depends on the receptor that thecell has. An organism may have many different types ofreceptors for chemicals and the message that a cellreceives depends on the receptors on that cell. Forexample, compounds that interact with mammalianserotonin receptors have been isolated from a fungus.



The introduction of Prozac has made many of us expertsin neuropharmacology, and we all know aboutserotonin’s involvement in mood and depression. Thereare several types of serotonin receptors in our centralnervous and others throughout our body. Serotonin and/or its receptor are apparently also involved in someaspect of fungal communication and may have beenused as a communication molecule long before peoplerealized that they were depressed. The cholinergicsystem provides another example. At one time, beforethe cloning of receptors became commonplace, therewere two types of mammalian cholinergic receptors:nicotinic and muscarinic. The nicotinic receptors wereactivated by nicotinic acid from tobacco, and the muscar-inic receptors were activated by muscarine, fromAmanita muscaria. Amanita muscaria is a particularly richsource of a variety of mammalian communicationcompounds. It also contains muscimol, which activatesmammalian inhibitory transmitter receptors for gamma-amino-butyric acid, and ibotenic acid, which stimulatesa mammalian excitatory receptor for L-glutamic acidand is a potent neurotoxin. While these chemicals act atmammalian neurotransmitter receptors, in the case ofA. muscaria they are probably defensive chemicals.Because of their immediate action, muscaria chemicalswould probably persuade potential predators to dinesomewhere else. The predators may include mammali-ans, insects, soil nematodes, and other fungi. We shouldresist the egocentric notion that these chemicals aredirected at our species. As I mentioned above, whennature finds a way to do something well, it usuallysticks to it. Fungi synthesize chemicals that act ascytokines, compounds that mimic various peptidetransmitters and gut hormones; they produce com-pounds that release insulin from mammalian cells. Noone believes that fungi had Homo sapiens in mind whenthese chemicals were first synthesized.

The take-home message from all of the above isthat many receptors and metabolic systems used byfungi overlap with those used by more complex organ-isms (I’m still resisting using the term “higher”). As aresult, there are thousands and thousands of chemicalssynthesized by fungus for their own purposes that willalso affect mammalian systems, some for better andothers for worse. I’m trying to find the “better” ones.Other questions that I often hear are 1) “Exactly what doyou do with these mushrooms?” 2) “What kind ofcompounds are you looking for?” and 3) “So-and-sofungus is already known to be a good treatment fordisease/disorder X; why don’t you find out what’s in it?”Once again, there are no short answers to these ques-tions. I am trying to tackle them in my next installment.Stay tuned!

Ed Mena can be reached at <[email protected]> [email protected]. —Ed.

Ed Mena, continued from page 13 How mice help mushrooms grow

by Arturo Estrada Torres

When we look at how forests develop and grow in bothcold and warm areas of the world, we almost neverthink about what factors actually help in that develop-ment. Perhaps we think that all that is required iswater, salt, minerals, and some light. Generally, wetend to think that plants are quite independent of otherlife forms. It seems that isn’t the case, however.Forests in the northern hemisphere tend to be popu-lated with pines, firs, beech trees, and oaks, whileeucalyptus and other tropical trees are found in thesouthern hemisphere. We now know that the roots ofall of these trees have formed associations with variousmushrooms, which technically are called ectomycorrhi-zal associations.

The mushrooms involved in these associationsform reproductive structures, part of the fruitingmushrooms we see and collect in our forests duringrainy season. Many of these mushrooms are edible,such as boletes and Amanita caesaria. Others arepoisonous, such as the Amanita muscaria, known as the“fly agaric.” In all cases, though, these mushrooms playan important role in the maintenance of our forests.

The type of ectomycorrhizal association I’ve beentalking about is mutual: both organisms involvedreceive benefits. The tree gives mushrooms the carbo-hydrates and vitamins they need for their development,while the mushrooms provide the tree with water, salt,minerals, and antibiotics that help prevent damage, aswell as hormones that help them grow better.

Mushrooms reproduce through spore dispersal, andmany mushroom species depend on the wind for thisdispersal. There are, however, some mushroom groupsthat develop their reproductive structures under theground. These mushrooms cannot disperse their sporesthrough the air and need animals to do the job forthem. Such animals need to uncover the mushrooms,eat them, and pass them through their digestive tracts.Once deposited as the animal’s feces, the spores areliberated and are ready to germinate. Bears, deer,rabbits, pigs, and mice are just some of the animalsthat eat a lot of mushrooms as part of their diet becausethey are rich in nutrients.

But is there also a relationship between animalsand mushrooms that do not grow underground? Theanswer almost certainly is yes, because of the greatabundance of mushrooms that grow in our forests andare a sure source of food for the animals that livethere. To verify this, we chose three different environ-ments in La Malinche National Park [near Puebla,Mexico], where we studied mushrooms for evidence ofanimals eating them. As well, we collected the drop-pings of rodents in the same locations to see if their



B O O K R E V I E W S

Die Pilzflora des Ulmer Raumes(Fungus Flora of the Ulm Area)by Manfred Enderle. 2004. 521 pp.

Manfred Enderlefounded the StudyGroup for Mycol-ogy of Ulm in1976 and for overten years hasbeen a memberof the EditorialTeam for Zeit-shcrift für Mykolo-

gie (Journal of Mycology). He haspublished over 100 mycologicalpapers and has participated indescribing 18 fungi new to science.

This beautifully prepared hard-cover book is clearly a labor of love.It lists 2,823 taxa, including theslime molds (94) and (mostly)macrofungi that have been found inthe Ulm area. This area is preciselydefined as the 16 Messtischblätter(topographical map quadrants) thatare centered upon Ulm. Each quad-rant is 12×11 km, so the total area is48×44 km (29.8×26.9 miles, the areaof about thirty 5×5-mile towns in theprairie regions of Wisconsin). Ulm ison the Donau (Danube) River insouthern Germany, just insideBaden-Württemberg, on the borderwith Bayern (Bavaria).

The book includes a brief intro-duction to fungi and to the area, 19excellent photos of various habitatsin the area, and a separate section atthe end showing the 50 most fre-quent edible and poisonous mush-rooms, followed by 20 pages ofpictures of the many Europeanmycologists who have visited Ulm.The body of the book consists of alisting of the taxa, arranged insystematic botanical order down tofamily, with the finder and quadrantlisted for the less usual ones.

Because no descriptions of anybotanical groupings are given, andboth genera and species are botharranged in alphabetical orderwithin families, this book, like itscontemporaries, makes no effort to

assist the reader in learning theprinciples of mushroom classifica-tion. The color photos are absolutelyoutstanding; mushrooms shown intheir habitat and often with caps areturned over or sections made to givea good impression of what they looklike from more than one angle. Forsomeone who has some books onmushrooms, the illustrations are farmore valuable than their number(several hundred) would suggest,because they have clearly beenchosen with very different criteriafrom those in the usual mushroombooks that illustrate a few hundredspecies. For example, fifty-four taxaof Lactarius are listed; but only threefrequent poisonous, one frequentedible, and one less frequent one(L. fulvissimius) are illustrated. Greatattention is paid to the dark-sporedgilled mushrooms that are usuallyignored as much as possible inpopular manuals. For example, 30Psathyrella, 23 Inocybe, 16 Conocybe,and 10 Hebeloma taxa are shown inbeautiful color photos, belying theirusual dismissal by English-speakersas “LBMs.” Most species are notdescribed in this book, althoughreferences to descriptions in techni-cal papers, often by the author, aregiven for the less common species.

In some cases, detailed descrip-tions and occasionally drawings ofmicroscopy are included. I have notbeen able to discern what thecriteria are for describing taxa fully,but certainly only the less usualspecies have been selected. Almostalone in the ascomycetes, a remark-ably full treatment of Hypoxylon isgiven, with illustrations of technicalterms, spore drawings of 21 species,and color illustrations of eight. Ifyou are not completely put off by aGerman text, this beautiful book is areal bargain for anyone interested infungi; it would cost four times asmuch at a bookstore.

—Steve Nelsen, Madison, WI

[To order, visit the Web site www.manfred-enderle.de/pilzbuch.htm.]

Black Mold: Your Health and YourHome, by Richard F. Progovitz.Cleveland, NY: Forager Press, 2003.ISBN 0-9743943-9-4. 199 pp. $16.95

This small book is presented in fiveparts: I. Introduction to Molds, II.Mold Health Issues, III. Molds andthe Home, IV. Mold RemediationIssues, and V. Wrap-Up and Re-sources.

The opening Summary beginswith “Growing concerns over indoorair quality combined with mediareports about several high profilemold infestations have alerted thepublic to the potential health risksposed by toxic Black Molds . . . Thisbook proposes to separate hyperbolefrom the truth regarding indoor moldtoxicity issues and to demystify theabundance of molds we encounterin our daily lives. . . .” The “Sum-mary” ends, “The bottom line aboutindoor mold colonies is that it isbetter to be safe than sorry. Thisbook will shed light on the dangersof molds and inform the reader whatto do if mold is found.”

Richard Progovitz is an activeand avid mushroom hunter who isalso a certified mold inspector andcontractor. This leads to an internalconflict in his book. On the onehand he is attempting to educatereaders about a wide range of moldsand on the other hand he is sellingthe need to hire contractors toinspect for and remediate mold inhomes.

His history of molds leadsdirectly into a section presenting“the latest standards, guidelines andpractices that many mold experts,convinced that ‘no indoor mold isgood mold,’ feel are needed in thereal estate industry.” The amountand complexity of testing that ispropounded in this section wouldconsume many thousands of dollarspaid directly by the owner or indi-rectly by greatly increased insurance


M. Enderle


premiums. This section should havebeen included not in the introductionto molds, but in Part VI, and thereader should have been clearlyinformed as to when the seriousnessof a mold problem would merit suchan expense.

Meanwhile, in his description ofthe fungi, Progovitz seems toconsider all fungi as molds, and hedescribes not only common moldsfound in buildings but a wide rangeof other fungi found elsewhere innature. In raising fears of molds thateat gasoline, molds that can makehay unfit for animals, molds thatcan ruin grain and yeast, and fungithat live on and in humans, he loseshis focus on the problem of molds inhomes. His treatise on “Enemies ofMold” and mold spores at the end ofsection two would fit better as partof the remediation chapter as itwould reduce both duplication andconfusion on the part of the readeras to what to be worried about.

Like much of the book, Part II,“Mold Health Issues,” should focuson issues of mold in the home.There are simply too many discon-nected points raised in this section.Part III, “Molds and the Home,” hasmany good and useful points. Againit raises fears about everything thatwe do to bring spores into a homewith too little focus on when andwhy the spores are likely to pose aproblem or which spores are likelyto be the most worrisome. Part Four,“Mold Remediation Issues,” containsmany useful procedures to followbut does not give the reader enoughguidance on when it is or is notnecessary to bring in inspectors andstart spending thousands of dollarson testing, protocol development andremediation. The book does toomuch to encourage the reader tospend a fortune trying to be saferather than sorry and too little toseparate hyperbole from the truthregarding indoor mold toxicity.

—Michael W. Beug, Husum, WA

A Color Guidebook to CommonRocky Mountain Lichens,by Larry L. St. Clair. Provo, UT:M. L. Bean Life Science Museumand the U.S. Forest Service, SanJuan National Forest, 1999. 242 pp;ISBN 0-8425-2454-1.

Until the 1970s, mushroom-hunterswanting to determine the names oftheir finds had few good resourcesto help them. Available guides werebroad in scope and light on colorillustrations. Things changed withthe publication of books like Mush-rooms of North America by OrsonMiller, the Audubon Society FieldGuide to North American Mushroomsby Gary Lincoff, and MushroomsDemystified by David Arora. Now,several fine guides are available,and important regional works, suchas Bill Roody’s Mushrooms of WestVirginia and the Central Appala-chians, are beginning to appear.Although it has taken longer for thepublication flow to start, good colorguides to lichens are becomingincreasingly available so that, inmany parts of North America, it isnow possible to identify a substan-tial number of the common speciesand many of the less common onesas well. This guide, by BYU Profes-sor of Botany Larry St. Clair, pro-vides another handy resource forhard-core licheneers as well asmushroom hunters with a desire toexpand their fungal horizons.

The focus area for the bookincludes the Rockies south into theGreat Basin, Colorado Plateau, andthe “sky islands” of southeasternArizona and southwestern NewMexico. The content is typical for afield guide. The Introduction ex-plains what lichens are (compositesystems, or symbioses, consisting ofa fungus and a photosynthetic greenalga or blue-green bacterium), thebasics of their structure, how theygrow and reproduce, the distinctivechemicals that many of them pro-duce, and their ecological occur-rence.

Because many lichens are quitesensitive to air pollutants such assulfur dioxide, they can be used as

biomonitors (biological monitors) ofair quality. For instance, if sensitivespecies are present in a given area,one can conclude that the air qualitythere must be good. St. Clair in-cludes an extensive discussion ofsensitivity in terms of effects onmorphology, physiology, growth,reproduction, and general ecology oflichens, and concludes this sectionwith a discussion of the methodsused to evaluate air pollutant impacton lichens.The remainder of the introductorymaterial deals with the classificationof lichens, the tools needed toidentify them, and how to collectand preserve specimens for identifi-cation. All of this introductorymaterial is presented clearly andconcisely. The lichens follow, andthe book concludes with suggestionsfor further reading, a glossary, and alist of references cited. There is noindex, but the lichens are presentedalphabetically so the lack of one isnot an issue.The treatment of the lichens them-selves begins with a set of keys togrowth types and genera. Furtherkeys to species are included withmany of the genus treatments. Thekey leads are brief, focusing on themore critical features. In manycases their use requires access to amicroscope (size and shape ofspores, number of spores per ascus,

Reviews, continued from page 15


etc.), ultraviolet lamp, or chemicalssuch as household bleach, potas-sium hydroxide, and Melzer’sreagent or similar iodine solution.Brief descriptions of each genus areincluded, followed by a key tospecies in cases where more thanone exist in the area. Not all of thespecies in the keys are described.For those that are, the descriptionsinclude morphological characteris-tics, chemistry, substrate/habitat,and air pollution sensitivity. Thereare no general comments. A colorphoto is included for each describedspecies. These photos are of verygood quality, especially thoseprovided by Stephen and the lateSylvia Sharnoff. They will allow thecasual user to tentatively identifymany of the species without resort-ing to the keys and chemicals.

From a user’s perspective, Iwould have found the followingfeatures helpful:

• Comments pointing out importantor interesting features about eachspecies and, especially, how totell it from related or similar-looking ones. Most pages havespace where such commentscould be added without increasingthe length of the book.

• An indication of size of the thal-lus (body of the lichen). Many ofthe photos are cropped closely andcontain little information (leaves,twigs, etc.) on relative size.

• Information on the species rangesbeyond the Rockies. This wouldallow the book to be more usefuloutside its focus area.

• In cases where a photo includesmore than one species, anindication of which one is thespecies being described and whatthe names of the others are.

• Printing the book on glossy paper.The clarity of the photos would begreatly increased. Although thisprobably would increase the price,I would be willing to pay extra.

While these things would haveimproved the book, it still will bequite useful and, at $19.95, is anexcellent buy. I recommend it. Itwill provide an interesting diversion

for those timeswhen the fleshyfungi are inhiding. But wait,there’s more!Through thegenerosity of theauthor, earningsfrom the book’ssale go to a goodcause—an endow-

ment fund for support of the lichenherbarium in the ML Bean LifeScience Museum at BYU. As scienceand natural history funding becomesless and less available across theU.S., under-appreciated organismslike lichens and mushrooms need allthe help they can get.

—Steve TrudellSeattle, WA

[This book can be ordered from thepublisher. For information, tele-phone (801) 378-5052.]

Hebeloma radiculosumand moles

by Steve Nelson

I met Prof. Naohiko Sagara, who has“Professor of Mycology and LifeWeb” on his business card, at KyotoUniversity (introduced, as usual, bymy Chemistry colleague, Ken’ichiTakeuchi). His specialty is the studyof “fungi that sporulate or fruitrestrictedly in forest sites wheredecomposition of urine, feces ordead bodies (cadavers) has occurred.”

He lists Rhopalomyces, Amblyo-sporium, Ascobolus, Tephrocybe,Peziza, Coprinus, Crucispora, andHumaria species which appear earlyin the succession, and Hebelomavinosophyllum, H. spoliatum, H.radiculosum, and an undescribedspecies; Lactarius chrysorrheus;Laccaria bicolor, L. amethystina andan undescribed species; Lepista nuda,Suillus luteus and S. bovinus, and aMitrula spp. as appearing late in thecycle. He has shown that regularsuccessions (covering at least three

years), can also be stimulated byburying urea, aqueous ammoniasolution, or other compounds thatdecompose to ammonia in thewoods. Looking at such successionswould seem to be an interestingthing to try in the U.S., too.

This work is described in Can. J.Bot. 73 (Suppl. 1) S1423–33 (1995).Sagara has discovered that Hebelomaradiculosum (when identified cor-rectly) apparently only grows nearKyoto on the latrine areas of moledens. When you find the mushroom,you have found a mole den and candig down and find the moles (or atleast where they were; Sagara said ittakes him about three days toexcavate a mole den). He has alsopublished on the moles, about whichlittle was known because their densare about a yard underground andseveral from the entrance, so theyare difficult to locate otherwise. Hewas pleased that I had seen his pleafor people to tell him when they findH. radiculosum (published inMycology magazine in the fall issueof 1995). He had had only oneresponse by February of 1996 butwas going off to Sweden that sum-mer (at his own expense) to see howclosely related the mole species,whose den he was sure he couldlocate from the site where themushroom was found, would be tothe one he had been studying in thehills surrounding Kyoto. He showedme over a dozen of the nests he hadfound this way, stored in filingcabinets near his office. Prof. Sagara has an exceptionallyinteresting booklet for school chil-dren with lovely drawings and textin English and Japanese emphasiz-ing the ecology of fungi.

[This article was originally printedwithout illustrations in the WisconsinMycological Society Newsletter (14:4,Dec. 1997). It is reprinted here bypermission of the author. —Ed.]

Larry L. St. Clair


What to Do with Mushrooms

You can cook them up in batterin an antique frying pan.

You can make them into gravyto pour over a flan.

You can stuff them fat with spinachor chop them into dip.

You can pickle them and cream them,to tantalize the lip.

You can stir them into chowderor curry them with rice.

You can mix them up with veggies;in a quiche they’re very nice.

But one thing I will balk ateven for fashion’s sake

I will refuse any time I’m offereda piece of mushroom cake.

—Amy Belding Brown

[Amy Belding Brown is a publishedpoet and the author of a historicalnovel, Mr. Emerson’s Wife, publishedrecently by St. Martin’s Press. —Ed.]

feces contained any evidence thatthey had been eating mushrooms.

Why rodents? Rats, mice andsquirrels comprise a group ofmammals that are well representedin the forests of La Malinche.Generally, they are considered anuisance because, not only do theyeat cultivated plants such as corn,they also eat a lot of the seeds ofinteresting forest species, inhibitingnew growth. Many of these animalstend to store much of the food theygather in their burrows and laterabandon it.

After a year of work, we foundthat practically all the mushroomspecies we collected in our studysites showed at least some evidenceof rodent bites. Often, their tinyteeth marks were clearly visible. Wetrapped ten different rodent species,most of which had some mushroomspores or other fungal material intheir feces, clearly showing that ratsand mice eat mushrooms as part oftheir diet.

What are the implications? As inother parts of the world, animals,specifically rodents, play an impor-tant role in the reproduction ofmushrooms, especially those whosereproductive structures are under theground. Even more important, theseanimals also eat mushrooms that donot grow under ground, providinganother means of spore dispersion,one even more powerful than thewind, and one that assures they’lleasily find a host to grow on. In thisway, rodents are an important ele-ment in the forest, connected to allthe others and forming a tri-partiteassociation that plays an importantrole in the functioning of ourecosystems.

[Arturo Estrada Torres is thePresident of the club MycoAficionados of Mexico. This articlewas adapted from a talk given at theFebruary 19, 2005, at a meeting ofMAM in Tlaxcala, Mexico. —Ed.]

Errata

In the July/August 2005 issueof T M the photo-credits were omitted from thefeature story on corn smut, byElse Vellinga.

The first photo on page 10, ofUstilago cynodontis, wascourtesy of the author. Theremaining photos, all on page10 and all of Ustilago maydis,were courtesy of Gerald Pataky,a corn pathologist at theUniversity of Illinois.

◆

On page 19 of the July/August2005 issue of T Mcontributor Steve Nelsen’sname was misspelled and heis, in fact, a professor in theChemistry Department (notBiochemistry) at the Universityof Wisconsin–Madison.

Mice and Mushrooms,continued from page 14

an extremely generous donation,challenging the others to match it.

McIlvainea returns. An issueshould be forthcoming within a fewmonths. Anyone with articles tocontribute to the journal shouldcontact Britt Bunyard.

Locations for NAMA nationalforays for 2006 and 2007 wereannounced. They will be in Alberta,Canada, and Pipestem Park, WV,respectively. Much more informationwill be forthcoming on these loca-tions. Any club interested in hostinga NAMA foray should contact AlleinStanley or Jack Greene. Anyone outthere in the southwest interested?

Much more information aboutthe foray itself will be reported inother articles and issues, I’m sure. Ifyou’ve never attended a nationalforay, you should give it a try. AsBritt stated to me the other day, it’salways amazing how much like afamily reunion the forays are. Themushrooms, programs, and work-shops are a wonderful side item togetting together with old and newfriends. See you in the woods. —Ike

President’s Message,continued from page 2

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To give away (you paypostage): Forty-three issues ofMushroom the Magazine. Issues38–82 plus 86. Missing: Issues48, 57, 77. Most are in goodcondition, though the postoffice folded many length-wise. Last few are unread.Weight (without box) approx.10 lbs. Figure postage or UPSfrom 65109.

Reply to <[email protected]>.


As a result of the article on corn smut by Else Vellingain the last issue of T M, I received anumber of comments about the fungus. Many queriesinvolved its edibility. So, the featured ingredient thismonth is . . . huitlacoche. Corn smut. Mexican corntruffle fungus. Call it what you will; just don’t pooh-pooh it based on its appearance. It’s actually very tasty!(Although the ancient Mesoamericans knew this, andcontemporary Mexicans still do, it’s taken a while formany of us north of the border to catch on.)

First things first: seek out a field of sweet corn. Yourbackyard garden may suffice, especially in droughtyyears. Don’t bother checking field corn, as it’s allresistant these days. The fungus can erupt from anypart of the plant, but you will want to find ears with itemerging from the top. Harvest the fungus when largeand grey but still firm. (The Mexicans prefer not to let itget so far along so as to release teliospores.) But youmustn’t pick it too early, as the flavor will be much lesspronounced. You can simply pluck it from the ear orslice it—along with all the corn kernels—and fry to-gether. By the way, the preferred method is lightlysautéing. Then you can add it to any dish.

Mexicans make salsas, soups, even ice cream (nokidding) from it. My favorite preparation, and the bestfor a first try, is to sauté it and place it onto a quesadilla(which is a corn—not white flour—tortilla, grilled on oneside for a few seconds, then turned and immediatelytopped with grated cheese). Once the cheese is melted(after only a few seconds), add your huitlacoche andfold the quesadilla over. Augment with a little of yourfavorite hot sauce if desired. It’s excellent!

To prepare neophytes for this fungal treasure, I tellthem to expect flavors of sweet corn (even if none isincluded with the fungus), mushrooms (like Agaricus),and hints of chocolate, especially if the teliospores arebeginning to release. Although you could find it inMexican grocery stores, don’t bother to buy cannedhuitlacoche; it’s insipid at best, and the texture is awful.

In Memoriam: Florence Hoseney,1917–2005

Florence Hoseney died April 25 at 87. Her daughterLaura reported that her mother was joking with nursesalmost to the moment she died.

Few Michigan Mushroom Hunters knew that as astudent at the University of Michigan, Flossie was AnnArbor City Champion Speed Skater. She was known tomany of us through her creative hats with sproutingfungi and clever drawings. She drew one of our clublogos, which shows a pointer dog pointing outmushrooms to a collector.

Flossie worked as a mushroom gofer/collector forAlexander Smith for several years, and she knew ofmany “secret spots” all over southeast Michigan. Shepainted a picture of Alexander Smith that hangs in theUM Herbarium. In the picture Alex is standing in theforeground of an area where people are pickingmushrooms. One of the pickers is a self-portrait ofFlossie in her usual collecting outfit.

There are at least two boletes named after her as“hosenii.” Flossie delighted in her “find of the day.” Shewas a person who found mycology gave life purposeand pleasure.

—Adapted from Peter Holmes and the Ann Arbor News

C U L I N A R Y C O R N E R

Huitlacoche, yum! Photo courtesy of Gerald Pataky

Flossie at an MMHC Spring Morel Weekend in the1990s Photo courtesy of Sister Marie A. Kopin


North American Mycological Association336 Lenox AvenueOakland, CA 94610-4675

Address Service Requested

Mushroom of the Month: Laetiporus sulfureus

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 1260CHAS. WV 25301

This photo of Laetiporus sulfureus won

Honorable Mention in the Annual Slide

Contest at this year’s Annual Foray in La

Crosse, Wisconsin. It was taken by the

President of the Wisconsin Mycological

Society, Charles Fonaas.

v ⁄ fête in the dairy state: nama 2005 at uw–lax · t m , september/october 2005 2 the...

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