A corloful mushroom

It is not everyday that one encounters bright colored mushrooms. Indeed, most mushrooms I find are wheat-colored, gray, brown, white or other dull color. Therefore, a bright yellow, blue, purple or red thing in the forest is always a cool find and it always makes me think of the utility of color for fungi. From what I understand, a common explanation is that bright colors are used as a warning for predators (although this mushroom is not poisonous). I am not sure this explanation is applicable to macrofungi but I would love to know ;-). Whatever is the cause, this bright lemony-yellow solitary mushroom was popping out of the dry leaves about a month ago and, although I planned to write about it, for a long time I couldn't find a good time to do it.

So here it goes.

Date: 11/13/2010
Location: Scott's Run Nature Preserve, VA
Habitat: Solitary, growing on the ground, over dead leaves


Measurements
Pileus diameter - 24 mm
Pileus height - 7-8 mm
Stipe length - 42.5 mm
Stipe diameter at apex - 7.5 x 3.0 mm
Stipe diameter at middle - 7.0 x 3.0 mm
Stipe diameter at base - 5.7 x 3.0 mm

Description
Pileus - Convex, smooth, yellow-orange, shiny when fresh and dull after 1 hour, flesh is thin, yellow, cuticle is glabrous, odor is mild and non-distinctive, taste is mild and non-distinctive
Hymenium - Gilled, gills are adnexed, well spaced, pale yellow, undulated
Stipe - Central, equal, hollow, compressed, splitting, yellow-orange, surface is smooth, glabrous
Spore print - not obtained


Impressions
This is a specimen of Hygrocybe flavescens. The lemon-yellow color and compressed, splitting stipe are quite characteristic, making the identification very easy.

Reference
Roody, W.C. Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians. Pg 175.

Deadly Galerina

Galerina autumnalis

This mushroom is one that I believe it is worth knowing well, specially when one considers its toxicity and the deadly consequences of mistaking it for other mushrooms. Indeed, any amateur mycologist worth its salt should be capable of identifying at least this mushroom and a couple deadly Amanitas, as for instance the Death Cap (A. phalloides) and the Destroying Angel (A. ocreata, A. virosa and A. bisporigera)

The Deadly Galerina (Galerina autumnalis or Galerina marginata (Batsch) Kühner)  is a good example of why mushrooms picking (specially for the table) should be done with great respect. In spite of its small size, a single Galerina can kill an adult (or more). This little fungi contains a deadly toxin (alpha-amanitin) which is highly toxic to the liver and that can also affect kidneys and the brain. Reports of poisoning by G. autumnalis have been made since the beggining of the last century (Peck, 1912). Death occur around 5 days post ingestion if heroic measures (i.e. liver transplant) are not taken and those that survive have increased incidence of liver cancer. Although its identification is quite easy, once could possibly mistake it Psilocybe specie or for honey mushrooms.  Most often Galerinas are found growing on dead/rotten wood.

Note the white mycelium at the base.

Being a gregarious mushroom, one can always find multiple specimens on the same log and it's innocent appearance may even tempt some to taste it (please, don't!). To complicate things a bit, quite often Galerinas grow side by side with Honey Mushrooms (Armillaria gallica). For an example see Tom Volks website, where he has a cool photo showing both mushrooms growing on the same log.

Ring on the upper par of the stipe.

Galerinas are quite easy to identify. They are small (2.5-8 cm of length) wheat colored (Roody calls it yellow-brown to orange-brown). with a hemispheric to convex pileus (cap), which is viscid when moist, smooth and glabrous (bald). The hymenium has close, adnate (attached) gills that are more or less the same color as the cap cuticle. They have a central stipe (stem) that is equal (same diameter from bottom to top) and hollow. The stipe usually has a white ring on its upper part, that often is colored brown due to the falling spores. The stem has longitudinal lines (fibrillose streaking), which are dark brown, and it tends to be lighter at the top than at the base. Last, frequently the stipe is attached to decaying wood by a cottony white mycelium. If you happen to obtain a spore print, the color should be rusty brown.

Notes on this specimen
Date: 11/13/2010
Location: Scott's Run Nature Preserve, McLean, VA
Habitat: Gregarious, growing on rotten wood

Measurements
Pileus diameter: 17.3 mm
Pileus height: 8.3 mm
Stipe length: 40.5 mm
Stipe diameter at base: 3.0 mm
Stipe diameter at middle: 2.7 mm
Stipe diameter at apex: 2.7 mm

Description
Pileus: Convex, round, smooth, glabrous, yellow-brown, margin is dark brown, entire. Smell is non-distinctive.
Hymenium: Gills are adnate, pale brown.
Stipe: Central, equal, hollow, smooth with longitudinal streaking, light brown at top and dark brown at base, white mycelium at the point of attachment, brown ring on upper part of the stipe (10 mm from the pileus).
Spore print: Not obtained


References: Roody WC. Mushrooms of West Virginia and Central Appalachians. Pg 33.

Last foray of the year

Unindentified mushroom

The winter is just around the corner and the mushroom season is probably almost over. Because  I haven't been going to forays very often (life is hectic when you have a two-year old daughter) I decided to join the last MAW foray of the year at Scott's Run Nature Preserve in McLean, VA. The group was composed of approximately 15 to 20 people and it was a beautiful day, with a perfect blue sky, and pleasant temperatures. 

Pear-shaped Puffball (Lycoperdon pyriforme)

Because it has not been raining a lot and because the temperatures at night are reaching freezing point, there weren't too many mushrooms around, specially in the areas far from the water where humidity is quite low. Furthermore, the leaves have already fallen, and by now most mushrooms are probably hidden under the a thick layer of beige material. In spite of that, a small variety of mushrooms were found, including some Blewitts (Clitocybe nuda), Fawn Mushrooms (Pluteus atricapillus), Deadly Galerinas (Galerina autumnalis), Pear-shaped puffballs (Lycoperdon pyriforme), a couple colorful and bright yellow colored Golden Waxy Cap (Hygocybe flavescens) and a variety of polypores, including the usual suspects: False Turkey Tail (Stereum ostrea), Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor), Parchment fungus (Stereum complicatum), Thick Mazed Polypore (Daedalea quercina), Cinnabar-red Polypore (Pycnoporus cinnabarinus), one large specimen of what looked like a Stump Blossom (Polyporus berkeleyi) and a large number of Resinous Polypore (Ischnoderma resinosum). All in all, it was a fun foray and it gave me plenty of material to bring home for studying.

Resinous Polypore (Ischnoderma resinosum)

Since I don't expect to be going out on forays before the spring, I'll write about each of my findings over the next couple of weeks and post them in separate posts.

Thick Mazed Polypore (Daedalea quercina)

A Giant Mushroom

About two weeks ago, while taking my daughter to the playground I spotted a cluster of giant mushrooms growing on a lawn near the park. Indeed, these mushrooms were so big that I initially thought they were something else. Because I did not have time to examine the specimen for a few days, I kept it in the fridge for almost a week (despite my wife's protest ;-).  Given the size of this fungi and the fact that it looked like a puff ball I was optimistic this one was going to be an edible and that it was going to feed me for a couple of days.


Description

Date
08/22/2010

Habitat
Gregarious (three specimens close to each other), growing on grass, under oak

Fruiting body
Pear shaped, very large, beige, dry, smooth, glabrous, wrinkled, leathery, approximately 110 mm wide at top and 140 mm of high. Odor is non-distinctive. When cut, it was possible to observe that the cuticle was quite thick and that the gleba was spongy and olive/beige.


Spore print
Not obtained

Impression
This is a specimen of Calvatia craniiformis (Schwein.) Fr., which is considered to be a very fine edible, when the gleba is pure white (not the case here). By the time I inspected it was already past its prime time and therefore was not edible anymore. I'm not sure why, but the Falcon Guide to North American Mushrooms recommends that they should be kept for one day at the refrigerator before eating. Because the genus Calvatia does not present any mushrooms with toxins and because the identification is quite easy I would think that this might be a good mushroom for beginners interested in picking edibles.

Summer Mushrooms

Over the last two months my life has been quite hectic, with a lot of traveling both within the US and abroad, and little time for mushrooms picking. After a long mushroom abstinence period I finally had the chance to foray for a couple of days here in Rockville (MD) and in Richmond (VA). To my surprise my block was full of mushrooms of all types, shapes and sizes and, because this is my first summer picking mushrooms here in Rockville, I am still getting to meet the local habitants.

Some of the mushrooms I found in my two forays were the edible Agaricus campestris (Pink Bottom), a variety of boletus (which I could not identify), a nice looking (and poisonous) Amanita pantherina, some giant, and supposedly edible, Calvatia craniiformis (Purple-Spored puff ball), a huge number of the somewhat ugly puff ball Pisolithus tinctorius, a nice cluster of Coprinus (I am not sure about which one) and a few other mushrooms which I could not identify by sight and did not have enough time to inspect carefully.  In Richmond I was happy to find a nice fairy ring at my friend's yard. These mushrooms were very abundant and in all stages of development (most of them getting a bit old and dry). Because my friends were very interested in figuring out if these yummy looking mushrooms were edible (they were a bit excited with the idea of eating them) I was very was glad to help. So here we go...


Date
07/28/2010

Location
Richmond, VA

Habitat
Growing on grass, gregarious, multiple mushrooms growing in lines (partial fairy ring)

Pileus
Conical with an umbo, light beige, dry, with concentric scales on top,  with approximately ~10-15cm of diameter, round, smell is non-distinctive

Hymenium
Gilled, free, with crowded gills, dark grey/green, with remnants of universal veil on the edge, lamellae are free and smooth

Stipe
White, central, slender, long, equal, hollow, with superior,  dark, fringed ring

Spore print
Green

Impressions

These beautiful mushrooms are the very common Chlorophyllium molybdites Massee, a.k.a Green-spored Parasol. It is commonly found in lawns during the summer and fall, specially after rainy periods.  It is poisonous and contains type 8 toxins, which cause severe gastrointestinal upset, which can last several hours and it is, perhaps, one of the most common causes of mushroom poisoning in the US. This mushroom is commonly mistaken for Macrolepiota rachodes (the Shaggy Parasol) and Macrolepioda procera (the Parasol Mushroom), which are considered excellent edibles. The distinctive characteristics of this mushroom (which it is worth knowing well) are that Chlorophyllium grows in fairy rings and that it has a green spore print while the other two Parasols do not. Keep in mind that the gills of Chlorophyllium do not become very green and that, if you are not sure about its identity, that you should make a spore print (this should not take more than one hour).

References
Roody, W.C. Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians (2003), Pg 64.
Miller, O.K. and Miller, H.H. North American Mushrooms - A field guide to edible and inedible fungi (2006), Pg 52.

Mushroom picking in Finland

Yesterday I went mushroom picking in the outskirts of Helsinki and it was a lot of fun. It hasn't being raining a lot and the temperatures in Helsinki this year are extremely hot for Scandinavian standards (>30C). In spite of that, I was able to find plenty of chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius), a nice Russula (Russula sp) and some hedgehog mushrooms (Hydnum hepandum). My friends weren't too excited with the hedgehogs and said that they didn't enjoy them very much. The Russula, as usual, is too difficult to identify to be considered edible. On the other hand, Finish people love chanterelles, and the fact that one can already fill a basked with them, even on a short walk, seemed to make my friends hearts beat a bit faster...

One thing I liked about mushroom picking in Finland is that the typical vegetation is composed mostly of coniferous forests, for that, the hunting is very easy and the mushrooms pop out of the green moss which contrasts well with their color. The funny thing is that the chanterelle season hasn't officially started here (it starts in August) and every Finn I talked to told me that it was too early to go after them.  On the other hand, because my host knows of a nice chanterelle spot behind her garage, she has been watering it everyday and there were hundreds of chanterelles growing there (no need to go into the forest ;-). Also, the very hot and humid weather (despite the little rain) may be helping the mushrooms to fruit as well.

If one is really into eating chanterelles (why one wouldn't be???) but is not into the mood of picking them (or does not have the time to go into the woods), all that is necessary is to go to one of the many open markets around here and buy a couple liters of fresh wild mushrooms (yup, chanterelles are sold in buckets here). The price doesn't vary a lot from stand to stand but it decreases somewhat linearly with increasing quantities (1 liter = 5 Euros, 2 liters = 8 Euros, 3 liters = 10 Euros). Right now the chanterelles sold on the markets come from Estonia, which is just a few miles south of Finland and which is a little bit warmer (I highly recommend taking the boat and spending at least one day in Tallin). To be sincere I went kindda crazy with this abundancy of chanterelles and for the first few days of my trip I lived on an almost chanterelle-exclusive diet ;-). Other mushrooms which are commonly sold in markets here (albeit dry or canned at this time of the year) are Gyromitras, black chanterelles (Craterelus cornucopiodes) and porcini (Boletus edulis). Although all my mushroom picking guides don't recommend eating Gyromytras, my friends here eat them frequently and don't seem to be too scared by them or the skull label (required by law), which is always visible in the packaging whenever you buy them (they cook them for a long time and change the water at least three times).

On a last note, apparently mushroom picking is an extremely common hobby in Finland (and other neighboring countries) and pretty much every Finn knows how to pick at least a couple of mushroom species (chanterelles being definitely the most common). This hobby is somewhat inserted into the Finish culture of camping and going into the wild and it is passed from generation to generation. My friends tell me that in August, the woods around Helsinki get full of people with their baskets, and that it is almost impossible to find mushrooms near the most beaten paths. Because of that, Finns are very secretive about their chanterelle spots and are not that willing to share their location.

Why join your local Mycological Association?

Some weeks ago I went for the first time to the Mycological Association of Washington (MAW) monthly meeting at the Chevy Chase Public Library (it is usually there and at the first Tuesday of each month, but you feel like going please check on Meetup.com first to make sure they haven't changed the venue). The meeting usually starts at 7 pm and it is a great opportunity to learn more about mushrooms, get to know other mycophiles from all ages and experience levels, and learn about all the mushroom related activities in the surroundings. Every meeting people take their recent findings, either to get an educated opinion about identification, or just for the sake of showing off to other people. On the last meeting there were a huge variety of mushroms, including jelly ears (Auricularia auricula), meadow mushrooms (A. campestris), reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum), Boletus fraternus, Thick Maze Oak Polypore (Daedaleopsis quercina) and a large variety of unidentified mushrooms.

In many ways, the meeting reminded me of the Bambui (a very nice Spelunking group in my hometown) meetings I used to go. The format is a little bit more formal, but still informal enough to make it enjoyable. The current president (Ray LaSala) makes sure everything that needs to be reported gets reported. Also, there was a section on mushroom identification by one of the former presidents, which displayed most of the field guide available and discussed the pros and cons of each one (really useful information). Last, there was a slide section with hundreds of mushroom images with nice commentary by a former president of MAW and time for questions. Really good stuff!