NewsletterNovember 2000

Fungus Friends: Newsletter of the Illinois Mycological Association
November 2000

November Meeting
November 19th
October 7th!
Membership Renewal!
NAMA 2001 Annual Foray
Dr. Harry Thiers
Upcoming Meetings
Dusty Book Notes—An Odyssey—Ron Tracy
Foray Reports - - Bemis Woods, Saturday, September 23
Elizabeth A. Conkey Woods, Sunday, October 1
Bachelor Grove, Saturday, October 14
Gleanings From the Economist—Ron Tracy
NAMA Slides Shows On the Internet
Odd and Ends
Fungi and Early Terrestrial Life
Suggested Reading!
Mushworld
Martha Stewart Is a Fungophile!
Mushrooms in Sour Cream Sauce a la Rus

Next IMA Meeting

Monday, March 4th, 2002 7:30 PM

Our inaugural meeting of the year will feature a NAMA slide show "Mushrooms: Macro to Micro". Not your usual "pretty pictures of mushrooms" show, this show concentrates on the things that are bigger than the individual mushroom - - the relation of fungi to their environment - - and smaller - - "the inner workings of fungi and slime molds"

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Photo of Morchella esculenta by John Denk

To get us in the right spirit for the Spring season, the board will be serving up bowls of hot cream-of-morel soup, using the pound of (dried) morels that president Catherine Lambrecht bought online a little while ago.

The program will be at the North Park Village Nature Center (directions inside).

IMA April Meeting

Monday, April 1st, 2002 7:30 PM

And that's no joke!
Our April meeting will be our annual morel meeting, and the speaker will be Michael Kuo, of Charleston, IL. Mike runs one of the largest morel bulletin boards online, and has a new feature of maps of morel reports by week, so you can watch the season move north. Check out his site: Identifying Morels and False Morels

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Meeting Location: North Park Village Nature Center 5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago, IL

The North Park Village Nature Center is located just off the Edens Expressway (I-94). You will exit at Peterson and travel east to Pulaski. Go south (right turn) on Pulaski until you reach the North Park Village complex which will be on the east (left) side of the street. Once you have entered the complex, go all the way to the back (North Park Village is a large complex of buildings, with the Nature Center way in the interior of the block) to reach the meeting site.

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Club News:

New Officers

You may have noticed the names of three new people on the masthead: Therese Yee, Dann Wilke, and Pai-pai Cheng. These three people are jointly holding the offices of foray chair and secretary. They are new to both positions (Therese and Pai-pai only joined the club last year, in fact) and get full kudos for their courage in service of the club. You'll start to see their efforts here next month, when we announce the first forays of the year.

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Annual Morel Meeting

You may have noticed that we're having our annual morel meeting in April this year, instead of May. There are two reasons for this: one is that we had such an early season last year that by the time we had our morel meeting, most of the morels had come and gone. With this year's warm winter, we anticipate another early season, and we want to get the jump on the morels (rather than the other way around). The other, and even more important, reason is that our speaker, Michael Kuo, could only make it in April. In May, he's going to be on a mushroom trip to Michigan and Pennsylvania, the lucky dog.

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Those of you with access to the internet should check out Michael's morel site, Identifying Morels and False Morels. It contains a very active bulletin board with a nice FAQ at the bottom, pages showing the difference between morels and false morels and (as they say on late-night television) much much more.

He's also started a new site, mushroomexpert.com which has identification help and texts about mushrooming in general.

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Your Name Here

Yes, you (I'm talking to you) could be the editor of this wonderful newsletter. It's blindingly easy: people from all over the club send you tons of material that you simply paste into a document on your home computer. Sure, sometimes there isn't enough material; but then you just make stuff up! Sound too good to be true? But wait: there's more - - win the adulation of your friends, family, and the entire mushroom club for performing this essential service. To volunteer, email me or Catherine Lambrecht at our email addresses on the masthead (first page).

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Sound Bites

Morels in California

Dann Wilke (our new officer) passes along an emailed tip that morels are now out in Southern California. "Does anyone want to go to Southern Cal with me?" he asks.

Win a Truffle!

Marché aux Delices, a gourmet ingredients business based in New York City, has contributed several delicious recipes to this newsletter. Time will be a little tight by the time you receive this notice, but if you act fast, you can still send in several of your friends' emails in an attempt to win their (annual? hint, hint) truffle lottery. Their official announcement follows:

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Have you ever tasted a truffle…
Baked in a bladder
Folded into a frittata
Tucked into a ‘tater ?

Follow Marché aux Delices to the source of all that is fungus - - France. From the lowly button to the mighty truffle, we move mushrooms from field to table. To celebrate our guest appearance on this national food show (and to get you to talk it up among your friends), we’d like to send YOU on a fantastical fungus voyage. We’ll leave the truffle-sniffing pig on the farm, and send the winner a fresh, wildly aromatic black winter truffle.

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To win this chance at palate-seducing flavor, just send us the names and e-mail addresses of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who would like to receive our free monthly newsletter, M.A.D. About Mushrooms. [For those of you who are pun-impaired, I will point out that M.A.D. probably stands for Marché aux Delices. I do this in an attempt to foster a sense of outrage in my readers that will lead to someone else taking over this job. - - your guest editor] For every valid name and email address we receive (send to: staff@auxdelices.com), you get 2 entries in our truffle drawing. Place an order for $75 or more between now and February 25, and we’ll double the number of chances you get to win.

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The winner (chosen at random) gets a fresh winter black truffle, delivered to your door (no charges whatsoever).
1 GRAND PRIZE : a fresh, black winter truffle, nestled in its own basket with a recipe booklet.
1 WE-TRY-HARDER PRIZE: autographed copy of The Mushroom Lover’s Mushroom Cookbook and Primer, by Amy Farges. [Amy is the principal at M.A.D.]
1 MAYBE-NEXT-TIME PRIZE: love potion in a bottle, black truffle oil to drizzle over nuggets of lamb, swirl into sauces, dab behind the ears…

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The Details: Entries for the contest must be received by email by 10pm, eastern standard time, Monday, February 25. For every name we receive to be added to our monthly e-newsletter, the recipient will receive 2 entries into the drawing. The winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, February 26, and will be contacted by email from Marché aux Delices.

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Send all entries to: staff@auxdelices.com. No telephone responses, please!
To order, visit our website at http://www.auxdelices.com or call us at 888-547-5471.

Italian Mushroom Club

Image of Abbé Giacomo Bresadola from Curtis Gates Lloyd (1898 - 1925) Mycological Notes

I recently got in contact (accidentally) with the Gruppo micologico G. Bresadola di Trento. I emailed Dominic, asking him whether the program online for their annual foray was for this year or last year. His reply to me went to them by accident, and in response they sent me a full-size color calendar featuring gorgeous photos of mushrooms, and a copy of their Bolettino, which is a color glossy magazine on the interesting fungi of the Trento region. Apparently, you get the calendar free when you join the club! Shows what you can do when you have over 1200 members. We'll bring the calendar to the March meeting, so you can all check it out. And check out the photo of their "patron saint", Giacomo Bresadola, on your membership renewal form! (last page) Bresadola was one of the important mycologists for the first few decades of the 20th century. He didn't name too many new things (see? you're liking him already), but he did a lot of good work on making the definitions of existing species correct and consistent. We could use several of him today...

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Foray News

None of our regular forays are set for the year (yet), but some of the biggies are:

The Botanic Gardens

Our annual show at the Botanic Gardens is already set for Sunday, September 8th. That means that our Deer Grove foray will be the day before, on Saturday the 7th (are you reading this, Harriet? Want to lead the foray again?). This foray and show is (are?) one of our major annual events, both in terms of exposure to the public and income.
Cathy reminds me that your membership in the IMA can also be leveraged if you want to become a member of the Botanic Gardens:

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When applying for membership at the Botanic Gardens, referring to yourselves as members of the Illinois Mycological Association allows you a $10 discount. If you are already a member, then remember this privilege the next time you renew your membership. Membership in the Botanic Gardens gets you free parking, discounts at their shops, and a 20% discount on School of the Botanic Garden classes.

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NAMA Annual Foray

The annual continent-wide foray of the North American Mycological Association is set for October 10-13th in Diamond Lake, Oregon. I know that not many of you are active in NAMA, but this looks to be a very edible-intensive foray: they are advertising the area, "beautiful Southern Oregon, near Crater Lake", as the "Land of the Matsutake and the Giant Golden Chanterelle". Now, that sounds downright appealing. Not much seems to be set yet besides the location, but if you have questions, you can email Planning Coordinator Lee Yamada at
yamacole@cruzio.com

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The resort's site is
http://www.diamondlake.net/
NAMA's page for the foray is
http://www.namyco.org/events/foray2002.html
I imagine that it will have more frequent updates on the foray than this newsletter will.

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More forays!

Other speakers for club meetings this Spring include John Shane (those of you who attended the joint meeting with the microscopic society heard him speak on his work with airborne mold spores) and Andy Methven from southern IL. We are also in the process of setting up a foray/lecture with Tom Volk for the fall. This may end up being a Friday + Saturday foray experience with Tom, who is one of the more interesting and knowledgeable mycologists around. Check out his famous website at one of the following URLs:http://www.wisc.edu/botany/fungi/volkmyco.html or
http://www.tomvolkfungi.net
Tom's long-awaited book will be out this Fall: over a thousand species, in color, with a CD-ROM with 5000 additional pictures. Now there's the modern approach to a field guide!

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More news as it breaks...

Book Review

by Ron Tracy

The winter months can be a difficult time for amateur mycologists who are often reduced to flipping through guidebooks, collecting mushroom stamps, or watching mold grow on refrigerator leftovers. A good book can provide a stimulating and pleasant alternative. In previous newsletters I have recommended In the Company of Mushrooms by Elio Schaechter (Harvard University Press, 1997) and Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds by George Hudler (Princeton University Press, 1998). They are still available and still good reads. Another very interesting book I can recommend is Morel Tales: The Culture of Mushrooming by Gary Fine (Harvard University Press, 1998). Fine is a member of the IMA but his book is largely based on his experiences with and study of the Minnesota Mycological Society in the 1990s. Morel Tales is different from the first two books mentioned above in that they are personal, anecdotal books for the general public. Morel Tales is a scholarly study of the interactions of people and nature that uses mushroomers as its main examples. General readers might find some of the more theoretical parts of the book a bit formidable but the fact remains this is a well-written book about people and how they interact with mushrooms and with each other and that makes it entirely different from any other mushroom book. Here are some examples from a book full of similar material.

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A chapter on "Meaningful Mushrooms" points out how mushrooming gives a focus to one's experience in nature and then goes on to a rather interesting account of mushroom morality! Anybody who has ever been on a foray will enjoy this section as mushroomers use factors such as edibility, rarity, and color to classify mushrooms as good or bad. The mycenas are tagged as "wood garbage" not worth the time to try to identify on most forays. Russulas and polypores also get the short end compared, for instance, to amanitas which are seen as bright, cheerful, stately and deadly. Fine mentions that the Minnesota group had a guy referred to as "the polypore man" because that was real focus of his and he was the only person in the group who had a serious interest in them. (Reminds one of Rael Bassan, the IMA's "slime mold man.") This same chapter deals with the taste of wild mushrooms. Are they really that good to eat or do they taste like anything else fried in butter? Fine concludes that the taste of wild mushrooms derives in part--a large part--from their "gatheredness," the actual hunting and gathering experience. One Minnesota M.S. member is quoted as saying "You can barbecue cardboard, if you put enough sauce on it."

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Photo of Russula compacta by Leon Shernoff

The chapter on "Meaningful Mushrooms" is typical in that it presents a theoretical framework which is reinforced with numerous quotes, quips, and stories from mushroomers, which means there is a lot of humor in the book. For example, in a section dealing with mushroom identification as a shared activity at a foray Fine writes: "At tables that sometimes resemble altars and at other times, checkout counters, the faithful line up and the chanting begins: Russula brevipes, Pseudocolus schellenbergiae...etc. The laying on of names is an old and complex ritual uttered in Latin and administered by those who descend from an ancient apostolic tradition."

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I hope that I'm managing to convey the impression that mushroomers can find a lot to enjoy, identify with, and think about in Morel Tales. There are interesting discussions on the hierarchy of identifiers in mushroom groups, the use of storytelling to contribute to group identify, the purposes of leisure organizations such as amateur mushroom groups and how those purposes are fulfilled (such as the "mycorrhizal" relationship between amateurs and professionals as they pursue their different goals), and the significance of secrecy in groups : "One should describe the find for the enjoyment of one's colleagues, but provide little information as to its location. Novices must learn not to share too much." Fine has a long and insightful account on the naming of mushrooms. Whereas birders have a set of common names to work with and don't have to stumble over all the Latin, most mushrooms don't have common names and what common names there are vary by region and country. The scientific identification process is rather torturous and Fine presents an interesting example of the identification of a new species and the differences between scientists who want to lump more mushrooms into fewer categories versus those who think mushrooms should be split into more categories. "I ask [mycologist Kent McKnight] how many species of morels there are. 'That's difficult to answser,' he says. 'In France, fifty. Here, maybe five or six.' 'More morels in France?' I wonder. 'No,' he answers, 'more mycologists working on them.' "

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Morel Tales is a serious sociological study and the first few pages of theory in the introduction might leave the social studies novice wondering whether this is really a book for him/her. The fact is most of the book consists of a thorough look at the world of mushrooming as experienced by members of the Minnesota Mycological Society. Members of the IMA will readily identify with and smile over many of the situations and problems described. The book uses the information Fine acquired from the Minnesota group to support an analysis of how people in groups relate to nature and each other, a process Fine terms "naturework." This is a book about naturework as experienced by a lively group of mushroomers and I found it to be very enjoyable and thought-provoking reading. Morel Tales is available from Amazon.com or have your favorite bookseller order it. (Amazon does have some cheaper used copies available).

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Recipe of the Month:

Beef and Portobello Stew

Whenever you think of mushroom cookery in connection with our club, you of course think of Dennis Bukala. Denny, who thrills all of us by appearing at club meetings in his tall white chef's hat, has contributed many recipes to the newsletter over the years, and I'm happy to announce that the board has finally let me publish one of them. He sums up the recipe with "Beef and full-flavored mushrooms were made for each other."

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Pot Roast With Wild Mushrooms

Serves 4
3 pounds Chuck roast, boneless
1/2 cup Flour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 medium Onion, sliced
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
4 ounces Mushrooms (Portobello, shitake or oyster) sliced
6 ounces Beef broth

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Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch-type oven (that has a lid). Season the beef, dredge in the flour and brown well on both sides. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Pour on the broth and stir well. Cover and place in a 325 oven. Simmer until very tender (about 2 1/2 hours). Serve warm.

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More recipes?

In fact, we have quite an archive (backlog?) of recipes here at the-office-that-everyone-who-has-edited-the-newsletter-in-the-past-five-year-has-sent-all-their-leftover-material-to. Maybe we'll do a special culinary issue of the newsletter next month (in honor of morel season). It's not enough that you'll all have cabin fever from being cooped up all winter: we'll flood the newsletter with recipes that drive you wild with culinary longing and send you raving through the woods! If you would like to contribute to this statewide disaster, send your favorite recipes to me, at the email on the front page, so that I can send them all in a huge pile to the next person to take over this job. Bon appetit!

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THE ILLINOIS MYCOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FORM

Image of Abbé Giacomo Bresadola from Curtis Gates Lloyd (1898 - 1925) Mycological Notes

Give Mr. G. Bresadola something to SMILE about: RENEW today!
Annual dues of $20. for individual and $25. for family membership payable January 1 entitle you to receive the IMA Newsletter - published nine times a year - and to participate in all IMA activities. IMA meets at 7:30 p.m. in the North Park Village Nature Center on the first Monday of each month except January, February and July. Please refer to your newsletter or phone for dates of the September meeting.

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Name(s):______________________________________ Telephone:________________

Address:________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

E-Mail: _________________________________________________________________

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Please check one: __ New __ Changed __ Unchanged. Please mail your check payable to the Illinois Mycological Association with this form to Jim Lamb, 20W075 98 Street, Lemont, IL 60439

IMA members may join the North American Mycological Association at a discount. To join or renew NAMA, enclose a separate check for $32 payable to NAMA.

IMA members also receive a $10 discount on Chicago Botanic Garden memberships. On your membership application or renewal form, simply mention you’re a member of the Illinois Mycological Association to qualify.

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Terrorist Attack

…..On Wednesday, September 12, 2001, just barely hours following the terrorist attack on our country, John Komosa shared these messages that he received. John tells us, “I just want to share with you words of caring from two mushroom friends that I have established via Internet—two people who I don’t even know that, while on another continent, took time out to encourage us and express solidarity in these hard times. I’m sending the texts in their original “English”. (Each message is followed by John’s comments).

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“Hello, I would like to express to You and to Your country my deepest solidarity after the terrible attacks. I hope, You personally or Your family were not injured by the attacks.
With best regards Anton Janecko”

Anton is a (mushroom) photographer from Slovakia.

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Dear Friend,
Sadness, sadness is everywhere here. Big tragedy was happened in U.S. We could not belief that this was happened in Your country. We are very, very sorry for thousands victims.
Anyway, those who are responsible for this, have to be punished and the end of the terorism must be put. Please deliver our sorrow for this tragedy to your frineds in U.S.

SincerelyYours

Lasko from Macedonia

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Lasko is a mushroom grower from Macedonia (former republic in Yugoslavia) who have their own hands full of war and suffering.

Upcoming Forays

Sunday, Sept. 30 at 10:00 AM Kettle Moraine South (Wisconsin) - joint foray IMA & WMS. See directions in the last issue. Central Wisconsin got a lot of moisture lately!
Friday, Oct. 12 at 12:00 noon Schiller Woods (Directions & map below) Collecting for next days microscopic class.
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 9:00 AM Bachelor Grove (see page 3 for directions and map)
Saturday, Nov. 10 at 10:00 AM Moraine Hills State Park (see page 3 for directions and map) Help us check out this new location! The far north and westside IMAers deserve one foray in “their-neck-of-the-woods”, no??!

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Schiller Woods Foray

Schiller Woods is located on Irving Park Road (4000 north) between Des Plaines River Road and Cumberland Road just east of O’Hare Field. We will meet at Schiller Woods South.

Directions: (note that North is to the left on this map)

From the south—Exit I-294 at O’Hare Field onto I-90 going towards Chicago, exit onto Des Plaines River Road south to Irving Park Road (2 miles) and turn left onto Irving Park Road. The Schiller Woods entrance is on the right just past the river.

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From the north—Exit I-294 at Irving Park Road and go east on Irving Park Road to the Schiller Woods entrance just east of Des Plaines River Road and the river. The entrance is on the right (south) side.

From Cumberland Avenue, north or south -
Proceed to Irving Park Road. Take Irving Park Road west to the Schiller Woods entrance.

McCrone Research Institute Meeting Directions

The McCrone Research Institute is at 2820 South Michigan Ave., telephone (312) 842-7100.
Take an expressway to downtown, and just drive down Michigan Ave.

Please note that the building is set back from the street. It is a low building with vines growing on it. The driveway is on the north side of the complex.
The meeting will last from 9am to noon.

Bachelor Grove Foray

Directions to Bachelor Grove (part of Tinley Creek Woods)
----------------------------
Take Harlem Ave. (Rt.43) south to 143rd St. Make a left turn (east)
and go a few blocks to 1st park entrance on left hand (north) side.

Moraine Hills Foray

Directions to Moraine Hills State Park in McHenry, IL

From Chicagoland area take Il Rt. 12 or 59 northwest.
Then at Waucanda, take Rt. 176 west.
Before the town of Holiday Hills, take River Rd. north into the State Park.
Take a right at the 1st park entrance.

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Moraine Hills State Park

From angling to hiking, from viewing rare plants to observing migratory waterfowl, Moraine Hills State Park offers you a recreational bounty. Located in the northeast corner of Illinois, the park is 3 miles south of McHenry. McHenry Dam, on the Fox River, is on the park's western border. Roughly half of the park's 1,690 acres is composed of wetlands and lakes.

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Moraine Hills State Park: History

Artifacts found on the park property indicate man's presence in the area within 1,000 years of the Wisconsin glacier's retreat. Seasonal habitation of the park area extends back to approximately 4,000 B.C. Native American tribes that occupied or passed through the area include the Potawatomi, Sauk, Fox and possibly the Miami and Winnebago. The Sauk and Fox tribes, originally from what is now Canada, claimed ownership of the land at the time of white settlement.

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Horace Long was the first known settler in the park area and occupied a portion on what is now the southeast corner of the park. Part of the stone foundation from his cabin still stands along the main park road.

In 1907, the original McHenry dam was built and a hand operated lock was constructed. The facilities were donated to the people of Illinois in 1924 and construction of a new concrete block dam began in 1934. In the early 1960's, a portion of the park property on the west bank of the Fox River was provided for the locks and managed by the Division of Water Resources.

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In 1939, the State of Illinois made the initial land acquisition of 15 acres for the McHenry Dam State Park, located on the east bank of the Fox River. Major acquisition of the Lake Defiance area began in 1971, and construction of park facilities took place in the spring of 1975. The present Moraine Hills opened in October 1976.

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Moraine Hills State Park: Geological History

Moraine Hills derives its name from a geologic formation known as a moraine, which is an accumulation of boulders, stones and other debris deposited by a glacier. As glacial ice melted here following the Wisconsin glaciation period, it left gravel-rich deposits called kames that make up the park's wooded hills and ridges.

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Moraine Hills State Park: Natural Features

A 48-acre lake near the center of the park was formed when a large portion of ice broke away from the main glacier and melted. Lake Defiance is gradually filling in with peat from its unstable shoreline. The lake is one of the few glacial lakes in Illinois that has remained largely undeveloped, maintaining a near-natural condition.

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Pike Marsh, a 115-acre area in the southeast corner of the park, is home to many rare plants. Its outer fen area (a very rare marsh wetland) includes Ohio goldenrod, Kalm's lobelia, dwarf birch, and hoary willow, while cattails and bulrushes grow in its interior. Pike Marsh also supports one of the state's largest known colonies of pitcher plants, which attract, trap, and digest insects.

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The 120-acre region known as Leatherleaf Bog is an excellent example of kettle-moraine topography. In geological terms, a kettle is a depression formed when an isolated block of glacial ice melts. The bog consists of a floating mat of sphagnum moss and leatherleaf surrounded by a moat of water. Marsh fern, marsh marigold, St. John's wort, and several species of willow put down roots here. Because both Pike Marsh and Leatherleaf Bog are dedicated nature preserves, they are protected by law.

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Moraine Hills offers three examples of wetland enhancements. Yellow-head, Black Tern, and Opossum Run marshes are samples of what can be accomplished with a little help from man.

Moraine Hills State Park: Boating and Fishing

Fishing is available on both Lake Defiance and on the Fox River. Regulations are posted at both sites. To help preserve the natural state of Lake Defiance, and because of the dangerous peat shoreline, bank fishing is prohibited except from designated piers along the boardwalk. Private watercraft are not allowed, but rental boats are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and electric trolling motors may be used.

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The McHenry Dam area provides access to the Fox River, and a fishing pier accessible to disabled visitors is available. While trailers are prohibited in the park, private boats may be brought in by car top for use on the river.

Moraine Hills State Park: Biking, Hiking, Skiing

More than 10 miles of trails make Moraine Hills popular for hikers, skiers and cyclists, and provide one of the park's main recreation features. Three trails, surfaced with crushed limestone, wind their way through the park and offer you exceptional scenic and wildlife viewing opportunities. Enjoy the 2-mile Fox River Trail, the 3.2-mile Leatherleaf Bog Trail, and the 3.7-mile Lake Defiance Trail. To keep you on track, trails are color coded and one way.

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IMA Potluck Cook Off October 13th - New Date!

Last year 19 lucky IMA members joined together to eat Puffball Soup a la Yarroll, Sweet & Sour Cabbage, Pickled Puffball plus Rye Bread & Butter by Bill Lahvic; Sautéed Shiitake finished with Sherry by Larry Bailey; Pickled Mushrooms, Breaded Puffball, and Czech Dumplings, Eggs & Mushrooms by Tony and Carmella Jandacek, Mushroom Risotto with Puffball Croutons by Leon Shernoff, Blueberry Cake and Shiitake Mushrooms in Brown Sauce by Catherine Lambrecht, and Tiramisu brought by Dominic Saettonne. Now it is your chance to join the fun!

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Where: United Moravian Societies, 2140 Wesley, Berwyn (just off 22nd Street).
When: October 13th - You can bring a dish prepared at home, or you may come as early as 4 pm to get your wild mushrooms double-checked by our experts and prepare them in the on-site kitchen.
Dinner will be at 6 pm.

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Bemis Woods Foray Report

Foray Report for Bemis Woods, Sept. 1, 2001
Submitted by Eileen Schutte & Leon Shernoff

The following species were identified at a very enjoyable foray held at Bemis Woods. Although Leon was not able to attend he examined as many saved specimens as possible and noted that “All in all, a very good percentage of correct identifications by the crew at the foray”. He also noted that “most of the things that they couldn’t identify are either things that I also can’t identify (without a lot of work) or things that I’m seeing for the first time. Special thanks to Harriet Yarroll for pointing out the blue staining reaction that allowed the identification of Tyromyces caesius.” Leon adds that several people also collected a “cup thingy that we get on oak leaves that’s shaped and colored like blueberry flowers but a little smaller. This is the third time we’ve gotten it, and the second collection that I have. I’m calling it a thingy because there’s some doubt as to whether it’s a fungus or not. Any input?”

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Photo of Amanita flavorubescens by John Denk

Abortiporus biennis
Agaricus sp.
Amanita flavorubescens
Amanita muscaria formosa
Amanita rubescens
Amanita vaginata

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Photo of Boletus campestris by John Denk

Ascocoryne sp.
Auricularia auricula
Boletus campestris
Boletus subfraternus

Photo of Calvatia gigantea by John Denk

Calvatia gigantea
Cantharellus cibarius
Cortinarius violaceus
Crepidotus mollis
Entoloma sp.

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Photo of Ganoderma lucidum by John Denk

Favolus alveolaris
Ganoderma applanatum
Ganoderma lucidum
Gyrodon merulioides
Gyroporus castaneus

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Image of Helvella lacunosa from Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (1816 - 1817) Das System der Pilze und Schwämme

Helvella lacunosa
Hericium coralloides Hypomyces chrysospermus
Hypomyces hyalinus

Photo of Laccaria ochropurpurea by Leon Shernoff

Laccaria ochropurpurea
Lactarius piperatus
Lactarius sp.
Laetiporus sulphureus
Lepiota acutesquamosa

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Photo of Lycoperdon echinatum by John Denk

Lepiota cristata
Lepiota rubrotincta
Leptonia sp.
Leucopaxillus albissimus
Lycoperdon echinatum

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Photo of Phellinus gilvus by John Denk

Lycoperdon perlatum
Mutinus elegans
Mycena haematopus
Nolanea
Peziza Phellinus gilvus

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Image of Russula virescens from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Polyporus radicatus
Polyporus squamosus
Polyporus varius
Psathyrella candolleana
Psathyrella velutina
Russula virescens

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Image of Scleroderma citrinum from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Sarcoscypha occidentalis
Scleroderma areolatum
Scleroderma cepa
Scleroderma citrinum

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Photo of Thelephora palmata by John Denk

Spinellus fusiger (on Mycena haematopus)
Stereum complicatum
Stereum ostrea
Tarzetta cupularis
Thelephora palmata

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Photo of Trametes versicolor by John Denk

Trametes conchifer
Trametes hirsuta
Trametes versicolor
Tremella mesenterica
Tremellodendron pallidum
Tyromyces caesius

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Deer Grove West Foray Report

Submitted by La Monte H. P. Yarroll
With additions & corrections by Dr. Patrick Leacock

Our annual foray at Deer Grove in preparation for our show at the Chicago Botanic Garden went nicely. We found over 105 species including some nice eye-catchers like Laetiporus cincinnatus (a sulphur-shelf look-alike), Omphalotus olearius (Jack-O-Lantern) and a couple very pretty examples of the unfamiliar phylum Zygomycota. In celebration of her birthday, Harriet Yarroll led this foray (with a little help from her Dad and Eileen Schutte). Leon Shernoff collected a small shopping-bag full of Entoloma abortivum for his evening snack. We had 16 people gathering specimens for the show. If anybody finds the attendance list in their collection baskets, Harriet's Dad would like his notebook back :-). Leon Shernoff kept a small army of label writers busy with identifications.

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A few of us then went to the East end of Deer Grove West looking for more Calvatia gigantea. We found a very mature 3 foot C. gigantea (sorry, no cameras in the group), a nice fruiting of Boletus campestris, a stark white viscid Hygrophorus sp. (like H. eburneus? but the stalk was not viscid), and some unidentified earthstars. La Monte took a few of the unknown specimens which did not make the cut for the Botanic Garden's show and identified six additional species. Leon, Eileen, and others brought the identified and unidentified fungi to the Chicago Botanic Garden. Pat Leacock met them there and made additional identifications.

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Here is the total list for Deer Grove - More than 105 species found.

Deer Grove Species: ASCOMYCOTA (6)

Photo of Aleuria aurantia by John Denk

Aleuria aurantia
Bisporella citrina
Hypomyces hyalinus
Peziza sp.
Xylaria longipes (These are huge--easily 10cm long!)
Unknown Hypocreales parasite on unknown fungus on wood

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Deer Grove Species: BASIDIOMYCOTA - - Gilled mushrooms and boletes (54)

Photo of Amanita abrupta by John Denk

Agaricus cf. placomyces
Amanita abrupta
Amanita flavorubescens
Amanita GN274
Amanita virginiana
Amanita bisporigera

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Photo of Armillaria mellea by John Denk

Armillaria mellea
Boletus campestris
Coprinus sp.
Cortinarius aff. alboviolaceus
Cortinarius about 3 spp.

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Photo of Cortinarius JD1 by John Denk

Crepidotus applanatus
Crepidotus crocophyllus
Entoloma abortivum on Armillaria mellea
Entoloma sp. (large)
Gymnopilus penetrans
Gymnopilus sapineus

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Image of Inocybe pyriodora from Jean Louis Émile Boudier (1904 - 1909) Icones mycologicae ou iconographie des champignons de France, principalement Discomycètes

Gyrodon merulioides
Hygrocybe cf. acutoconica
Hygrophorus sp.
Inocybe caesariata
Inocybe pyriodora
Inocybe rimosa (= Inocybe fastigiata)

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Image of Lactarius glaucescens from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Laccaria ochropurpurea
Laccaria cf. ohiensis
Lactarius glaucescens
Lactarius hygrophoroides
Lactarius luteolus
Lactarius maculatus
Lactarius cf. mutabilis

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Photo of Lactarius psammicola by John Denk

Lactarius psammicola
Lactarius quietus
Lactarius subvellereus var. subdistans
Lepiota americana
Lepiota procera

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Image of Mycena galericulata from Gotthold Hahn (1883) Der Pilz-Sammler oder Anleitung zur Kenntnis der wichtigsten Pilze Deutschlands und der angrenzenden Laender

Mycena galericulata / Mycena inclinata
Mycena haematopus
Mycena sp. (Chlorine odor)
Omphalotus olearius Paragyrodon sphaerosporus

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Photo of Pholiota albocrenulata by John Denk

Pholiota albocrenulata
Pluteus cervinus
Psathyrella candolleana
Psathyrella velutina
Russula crustosa
Russula cyanoxantha

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Image of Russula foetentula from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Russula densifolia
Russula foetentula
Russula pectinatoides
Russula variata
Russula many unknown species

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Image of Strobilomyces floccopus from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Strobilomyces floccopus Tricholoma sp. (grey, with pinkish purple mycelium)

Deer Grove Species: BASIDIOMYCOTA - - Polypores, teeth fungi, and crust fungi (33)

Photo of Ganoderma lucidum by John Denk

Abortiporus biennis (= Heteroporus biennis)
Gloeoporus dichrous
Climacodon septentrionale
Daedaleopsis confragosa (Thin-Walled Maze Polypore)
Ganoderma applanatum (Artist's conk)
Ganoderma lucidum (Lingh Chi)
Grifola frondosa (alien)

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Photo of Laetiporus cincinnatus by John Denk

Hapalopilus nidulans
Hydnum repandum (Sweet Tooth) (alien)
Irpex lacteus (Milk-tooth polypore)
Laetiporus cincinnatus (Sulphur Shelf look-alike)

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Photo of Laetiporus sulphureus by John Denk

Laetiporus sulphureus (Sulphur Shelf) Phellinus gilvus(Oak Conk)
Phellinus sp. Phlebia tremellosa
Favolus alveolaris (= Polyporus alveolaris)
Polyporus elegans
Polyporus radicatus

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Photo of Stereum ostrea by John Denk

Polyporus squamosus (Dryad's saddle)
Porodisculus pendulus
Schizophyllum commune
Stereum complicatum(orange)
Stereum ostrea (=S. fasciatum, =S. lobatum)
Thelephora palmata
Trametes conchifer

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Photo of Trametes versicolor by John Denk

Trametes hirsuta (Hairy Turkey-tail)
Trametes versicolor (Turkey-tail)
Trichaptum biforme
Tyromyces caesius (Blue-staining Cheese Polypore)
Tyromyces chioneus (Common Cheese Polypore)
Tyromyces fragilis (Rusty Cheese Polypore)
Sebacina incrustans

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Chanterelles and Coral fungi (1)

Image of Ramaria from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Ramaria sp. (Yellow)

Puffballs and other gasteromycetes (8)

Photo of Lycoperdon echinatum by John Denk

Calvatia gigantea
Cyathus striatus
Lycoperdon echinatum
Lycoperdon perlatum (Common Puffball)
Lycoperdon pyriforme (Pear-shaped Puffball) Scleroderma areolatum
Scleroderma cepa Scleroderma citrinum (Common Earthball)

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Jelly fungi (2)

Photo of Tremellodendron pallidum by John Denk

Tremella reticulata
Tremellodendron pallidum

ZYGOMYCOTA (1)

Photo of Spinellus fusiger by John Denk

Spinellus fusiger on Mycena haematopus

[Spinellus fusiger is one of a group of fungi parasitic on other mushrooms, whose fruiting bodies consist of long hairs with a tiny dark glob of spores at the end. You can see both the hairs (they're silvery here; different colored in other genera) and the globs, but it's hard to see them connected. - L. S.]

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Joint Meeting with the Illinois Microscopic Society — October 13th — 9 AM to Noon

Image of Inocybe from Jean Louis Émile Boudier (1904 - 1909) Icones mycologicae ou iconographie des champignons de France, principalement Discomycètes

IMA members love their fungi, the Microscopic Society loves their microscopes. Together we can share our enthusiasm and knowledge for our specialized interests.
Greg Mueller and Patrick Leacock will present, with the Microscopic Society’s Bill Mikuska, basic microscopic techniques for identifying fungi. Chemical tests will be made on fungi to reveal various characteristics which simplify identification in fungi difficult to distinguish visually.

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Image of Agaricaceae from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

We expect this meeting to be a first-of rather than a one-of and hope you will bring fresh specimens collected in your favorite location before the meeting. There will be no IMA organized foray before this event, though we hope you will bring fresh specimens as well as dried. We would be especially pleased to see Agaricus, Amanita, Boletaceae, Lactarius, Lepiota and Russula -- and a spore print would be very nice addition ... though any fresh material will be appreciated.

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Where: McCrone Research Institute, 2820 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL
Tel: 312-842-7100 --- Please note this building is set back from the street. It is a low building with vines growing on it. The driveway is on the north side of the complex.
When: October 13th, 9 am to Noon

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Escape via mushrooms

Thanks to John Komosa for passing along this wonderful tale related by one of his Internet “friends”, Violet

Image of Leccinum aurantiacum from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Mushroom hunting has been a pastime in my family for generations. I remember, as a little girl, it being a wonderful time that the whole family spent together, traipsing slowly through the woods with baskets, sharing stories, picking berries and just plain being a family....not to mention the great exercise we all got. I was about 3-4 then....and my brother would slowly maneuver me to an area he had already spotted a leccinum or edulis in and let me "discover" it for myself. It taught me to look for specific kinds of woods and landscape for individual species. Often times the REAL treat at dinner was the mushroom and onion sauce from the day's foray....not the fresh chicken or sausage.

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Now, I'm gonna try to tell this story as best as I remember....it's a long one.

My grandfather told me the story of when my great grandfather and the entire family were prisoners of war in the gold mines of Siberia, Russia during WWII.

Life was grim. They lived in a 10 X 10 hole dug in the ground and were given a slice of bread per day to eat. During the summer they foraged for berries, greens and mushrooms as a source of food...those who knew how that is. Those from upper-class families did not know how to survive off of the earth. My family watched their friends and neighbors slowly dying around them...sometimes entire families.... from sickness, fatigue and starvation.

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In their 6th year, my great-grandfather decided to escape in early spring with the entire family... better to die trying than not try at all...he said. They traveled for 4 weeks through the Siberian tundra. In the middle of their journey, heavy snow fell and covered any and all means of sustenance. Starvation was on everyone's mind as they only had food for 2 or 3 more days...the cold weather would require more food. Grandpa told me how they could hear wolves in the background at night as if they were just
waiting for them to perish.

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Image of Boletus edulis from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

As they huddled together under a makeshift branch tent, my grandmother took out a bag of dried mushrooms and herbs she'd been secretly gathering in the hems of her clothing and made them a pot (helmet) of warm mushroom soup which they dined on until they were able to travel again. She said they were "prawdziwki"...which are boletus edulis. She had gathered them on the way to and from the mines during the summer and fall so she had quite a big batch. She also dried some berries, which were a great source of much needed vitamins for them. They survived solely on the dried mushrooms, fruits and herbs.

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Everyone made it across the border....5 adults and 9 children.... one of them being my father.

It was the most wonderful story of survival I had ever heard....most importantly, those mushrooms may have had a lot to do with my very existence.

My grandmother passed away last year at 91 and my grandfather is still alive today...at 91... and still goes on forays with us whenever we visit.

IMA End of the Season Dinner

at the Bohemian Crystal
November 18th Noon to 4 PM

Bread Dumplings, Roast Duck, Pork Tenderloin, Mushroom Soup, Sweet Sauerkraut, Regular Sauerkraut and much more. Hmmmm, the mouth must be watering awaiting our annual feast. Mark your calendars and put aside interesting mushroom collectibles which you may want to donate for our raffle. Last year, someone brought an apple pie! We will have a raffle and party favors for everyone attending.
Time: Noon - Cash Bar, 1 PM: Lunch
Where: Bohemiam Crystal Restaurant, Cost: $16. per person paid by check.
Get your reservation in early!

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Our Urban Naturalist

The July-September 2001 issue of "Urban Naturalist," a publication of the Chicago Department of Environment, includes a full page illustrated article about IMA member and former program chairperson, Rael Bassan. The article highlights Rael's volunteer work at the North Park Village Nature Center. The article notes that Rael is the creator of the center's fungariums (but they do not note that he is the creator of the term "fungarium"). "His fungariums display many types of fungus within an aquarium, artfully arranged to highlight their natural beauty. They are enhanced with identification and natural history information about several of the species within the tank. Rael's displays have added a new dimension to our exhibits by highlighting an often overlooked part of nature." The article includes a short interview with Rael and notes he is sponsoring a Fungus Family Fun Fair at the nature center (5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago) on September 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. See page 4 for more details of this upcoming event.

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Upcoming Forays

Sat, Sept. 15, 9:00 AM Deer Grove, We will be picking fresh specimens for the IMA mushroom exhibit the next day (Sept. 16) at the Botanic Gardens...so come out in force, and let’s get a lot!
Sun, Sept. 30, 10:00 AM Kettle Moraine South (Wisconsin) - joint foray IMA & WMS See page 3 for map and details.

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Foray Report: Kankakee State Park, July 29, 2001

Photo of Boletus fraternus by John Denk

Submitted by Leon Shernoff

Half a dozen IMAers turned out for the July 29th foray at Kankakee and were rewarded with plenty of interesting fungi. Boletes are always a nice find, and three different species were there, in quantity: a few Gyroporus castaneus (the Chestnut bolete) were still coming up, although a few of them had already succumbed to the golden Hypomyces, Hypomyces chrysospermus. We also found quite a few Boletus fraternus, and many Boletus cf. innixus . All rather small species, but tasty.

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Photo of Stemonitis fusca by John Denk

There were also plenty of small interesting things to look at (this habitat seems to emphasize the small fungi): the hairy bird's nest Cyathus striatus, the picturesque slime mold Stemonitis fusca, innumerable fruitings of Marasmius capillaris and Marasmius rotula (including one population on an acorn cap), and "the white jelly coral", Tremellodendron pallidum. For those of you who don't know this species, it's a good one to learn, because it's quite common (I've found it several times in the last year) and then you can amaze your friends. Basically, it looks like an all-white coral fungus, except that the branches are flattened and often partly translucent. The fruiting body as a whole is tough (not fleshy as in the real coral mushrooms) and just dries up in age, becoming very hard (coral mushrooms rot, or are eaten by insects). Tremellodendron pallidum is a jelly fungus and, given the behavior of other jelly fungi, I'd expect that in the next rain it would rehydrate its shrivelled fruiting body and start producing spores again. But I don't know that anyone has checked up on it to see if it does.

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Bronze Inocybe

As usual, we also found some of "the usual suspects", and some continuing puzzles. We found, for instance, the ubiquitous Inocybe fastigiata, but we also found a different Inocybe with a deep bronze-colored cap that has successfully resisted identification. We also found Gymnopus dryophilus (=Collybia dryophila), Lycoperdon perlatum, Sebacina incrustans and a fresh, out-of-season Polyporus arcularius.

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Also, just coming into the park, some of us spotted (but others of us, including yours truly, walked right by) a huge swath of forest floor, about six feet by three feet, completely covered with a fruiting of Coprinus variegatus. This is a banner year for Coprinus variegatus, which can be recognized by the brown rhizomorphs and undiss olved patches and scraps of tissue that remain stuck to the cap while the rest of it is turning to ink - - we also found quite a bit of it at Beck Lake, and the NAMA foray in July turned up a lot of it likewise. This patch was mostly in the final stages of "black slime on a stick", but enough immature specimens remained to make an identification.

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When we emerged from the forest, the day had turned into a scorcher, but we managed to get the last picnic table in shade to do our identifications, while sucking down sodas from the concession. When we left, the adjacent table of people immediately seized our spot.

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2. Fungus Family Fun Fair Needs Your Help

Help Wanted: Fun Gals, Fun Guys, or budding Mushroomers. Assistance is needed for Fungus Family Fun Fair (see below) to answer attendees questions and facilitate their explorations. Two years ago, John Denk, and last year Ron Tracy helped. Contact Rael Bassan, rael@ripco.com, (773) 907-1465 (Note: Phone # in Directory is inaccurate).

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Fungus Family Fun Fair Sunday, September 23, 11AM - 3PM. Presentation at 1PM, followed by a fungal walk in the preserve. Featuring a multimedia interpretive display; fresh and dried specimens; fungaria, and an emerging mushroom garden. Explore the fun aspects of fungi. North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski Road, Chicago, 60646. For pre-registration or to request a Newsletter / Program Calendar, call (312)-744-5472. This event is intended for Adults and families with children ages six and older.

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On finding a mushroom...

Foray Report: Green Valley Forest Preserve, August 18, 2001

Submitted by Ralph Rucinski and Leon Shernoff

Twelve seemingly intelligent IMA members spent the day at Green Valley Forest Preserve walking in the rain, transfixed on the forest floor. In spite of the days’ steady rain, the storms of the previous week had bypassed this area resulting in relatively dry conditions. Nonetheless, we were able to collect the following species. (Identification of the following species was made by Leon Shernoff at the table following the foray):

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Photo of Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa by John Denk

Boletus chrysenteron
Calocera cornea
Calocera viscosa
Cantharellus cibarius
Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa
Crucibulum laeve

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Image of Crucibulum laeve from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Crucibulum laeve
Cyathus striatus
Dacrymyces palmatus
Dacryopinax spathularia
Hypomyces hyalinus
Inocybe
Lactarius subvellereus
Lactarius volemus

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Image of Marasmius rotula from Gotthold Hahn (1883) Der Pilz-Sammler oder Anleitung zur Kenntnis der wichtigsten Pilze Deutschlands und der angrenzenden Laender

Marasmiellus nigripes
Marasmius rotula
Marasmius siccus
Phellinus gilvus
Pluteus cervinus
Polyporus varius

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Image of Russula foetentula from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Russula foetentula
Russula xerampelina (note: I think that this was actually Russula purpurata - - Leon Shernoff)
Schizophyllum commune
Scleroderma areolatum
Sebacina incrustans

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Photo of Stereum ostrea by John Denk

Stereum ostrea
Trametes hirsuta
Trametes versicolor
Trichaptum sp.
Xylaria hypoxylon

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Following the foray, Leon Shernoff did further evaluation of some specimens and added these comments:

Photo of Russula rugosulopuncta var. CH1 by John Denk

There was a Russula with a very convoluted cap and grossly tuberculate-striate margin that John Denk photographed last year and which we collected this Monday at St. Mihiel. There were three collections of it at Greene Valley. It doesn't key out; I'm provisionally calling it Russula CH1 rugosulopuncta. (I've started giving my "numbered" names descriptive epithets, too; otherwise, even with just a few, I totally lose track of which is which) Especially interesting was a collection of smallish, gracile, flat-topped Russulas which *really* didn't key out in Ray Fatto's key (it's possible to pretend that the big, wrinkly-bumpy ones sort of do; but there's nothing even vaguely close to these smaller ones) which I think are younger specimens of the same thing: the colors, taste, gills with very shallow cross-veins, spore color and peeling match, and they have the same macrochemical reactions: brownish with FeSO4, pileus pi ment dissolving and running with KOH, and the *edge* of the gills amyloid (go figure!). So it looks like we have a nice age range now for this species.

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The other mystery Russulas were something close to Russula brunneola, something almost like Russula borealis, and the blackening ones, which I'm calling Russula densifolia.

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We found three Amanitas, section Amidella, which seem to all be the same thing. They, too, had a strange macrochemical reaction, the pileipellis staining dark greyish green (the "Russula xerampelina reaction") with FeSO4. I wonder what Rod will make of that.

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The greenish, very slimy mushrooms on wood turn out to be Pholiota graveolens (very close to P. spumosa, but with a spicy odor that is close to anise for me).

We also found two small puffballs with a mold growing on them. The mold had started to turn from white to turquoise by the time we got things sorted, and there were opinions that it was staining. The mold turned deep emerald green overnight, so I think it was just ripening its spores at an express rate (I could be wrong on this). The national Hypomyces key at http://nt.ars-grin.gov/taxadescriptions/hypomyces/ doesn't list any Hypomyces with puffball hosts, so I think we'll just get told that it's a Penicillium.

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The coralloid tremella is Tremella reticulata. I didn't recognize it at first, because it was so small. The terrestrial daedalioid polypore is almost certainly Abortiporus biennis. There was a bronze-colored Inocybe that I haven't identified but I think is the same as the one from Kankakee three weeks ago; and there was another brown-spored mushroom that is probably an unusually large and robust Inocybe but that's about as far as I'll go.

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Oh! And there was a very small rounded bolete, with a tan cap with minute darker brown scales or fibrils. It had yellow pores and a red stalk. Everything stained blue quickly, darkening to black, and the context stained red (darkening to maroon) with KOH. It had a strong smell that was variously described as sweet or the smell of drying latex paint. I was unable to identify this mushroom.

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This should bring us up to around 40 species...

A note from our foray chairman

Every year, we try to join the Wisconsin Mycological Society on one of their forays, usually at Kettle Moraine State Forest (South), the closest major forest to Illinois. This year, we are being invited again for a joint venture there.

From the Chicagoland area, take I-94 north to Wisconsin route 20 and west to Beaumont. Once past Waterford, take route 83 north into Mukwonago. From there, take county highway NN west to Eagle.

If you want, you can take IL route 12 into Wisconsin and then follow Wisconsin route 67 into Eagle.

From Eagle, take highway 59 west past county highway N to county highway S (just past an auto reclamation center). Take highway S south to the railroad crossing. Park on the side of the road, by the railroad tracks.

On Finding a Mushroom... By Wesley Dingman

One day I picked a mushroom
that was growing in my yard.
I showed it to my mother
and she scolded me so hard

for touching things I did not know
that might have made me ill.
But my interest was not restrained
and would not leave me still.

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So I searched my local library
and there I found some books
which told me all about the fungi
that grow most anywhere one looks.

Some grow on soil, on food or feet,
while others favor rotting trees.
Some are deadly, not to eat,
but others help in making cheese.

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I also learned this vital fact
the tiny fungi known as mold
help digest dead plants and animals
to feed new life that springs from old.
And did you know that some make drugs which help us fight infection?
While others are used to make our breads and wines perfection.

And here's one more delightful fact,
some 'shrooms yield brilliant dyes,
which brightly color all your yarns
with many hues to please your eyes.

So now my mother joins me
and we each other teach
the fungi's colors, shapes and sizes
as we learn the names of each.

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Smokey Marinated Mushrooms

A little time on the grill adds a fresh twist to marinated mushrooms

1 pound large firm mushrooms such as crimini
1 cup balsamic vinegar
4 tbs. Olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
1 tbs. Kosher salt
1 tsp ground pepper

2 to 3 green onions, sliced (added at the end )

Clean mushrooms well and pat dry. Mix remaining ingredients well and pour over mushrooms. Marinate 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

With slotted spoon, drain mushrooms reserving marinade. Place on medium-hot grill over indirect heat; smoky wood chips are a nice addition but optional. Remove from heat once mushrooms begin to brown. Transfer to a cookie sheet and place in 3750 oven 8-10 minutes. Cool and return to marinade. Add green onions and additional salt and pepper to taste. These will last at least 1 week in refrigerator and improve with age. These are best served at room temperature.

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Telephone Network

Would you like to join our telephone network?
Please let us know what you think…….

Forays can be an “iffy” proposition. Mother Nature may not send us enough rain to make a foray practical. Conflicts or more promising locations may arise. With this in mind we are seeking ways to establish a telephone network whereby members can contact each other should the need arise to cancel or relocate a planned foray. If you would like to be a part of the group please let us know. If enough positive feedback is received we will establish a plan and let you know “who calls who”. If you are relatively certain you will never attend a foray, we would like to know that too.

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If you would like to be included in our calling chain please contact your Foray Chairman, John Komosa, or the newsletter editor, Ralph Rucinski. Street addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers for both of them are listed on the first page of your newsletter.

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Next IMA Meeting Monday, August 13, 2001 7:30 PM

(Please note change of date:
this is the second Monday)
Our guest speaker will be Walt Sundberg, of the University of Illinois at Carbondale. He will be speaking on “Armchair Mycology”; mycological activities that you can pursue at home during the winter or other times when the collecting isn’t so good.

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July and August Forays

Sun. July 29, 10:00 AM Notice of change of location for the next foray. The Indiana Dunes foray originally scheduled for July 29th has been moved to the main entrance of Kankakee State Park on the same date. It was felt that due to dry conditions at this point in time, Kankakee would meet with more success. Of course, this should bring cloud bursts to the Dunes area. Map and details page 3
Sat. Aug 18, 9:00 AM Greene Valley Forest Preserve, map and details page 8
Sat. Sept. 1, 9:00 AM Bemis Woods, map and details page 10

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Foray Reports

1. Sunday, May 6, 2001 Little Red Schoolhouse Foray

Report submitted by John Komosa

Eight IMA members met at the main entrance to the Little Red Schoolhouse at 9 AM. The leader had scouted out an alternate site that turned out to be picked clean on Saturday and done in by the warm temperatures. He quickly found 5 morels (a bad omen, considered by many old and grizzled shroomers, when you find some as soon as you put your foot into the woods!?)

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But we, modern weekend warriors, don't believe in old wives’ tales and bad omens.... we drove to the spot and fanned out with enthusiasm reflected in our steps! We hunted the higher areas and the bottom of the gorge of the stream that ran through there with the same results! Nada, nichts, zero, goose egg! Too dry and not enough of dying elms.

And then there is that old bad omen of finding some too quickly..…

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All in all we found 3 more morels: 2 very small and dried out and 1 big fresh luscious yellow that fell out of somebody else's basket the day before in a spot where we counted dozens of cut stems!

Photo of Coprinus by Bob Svidron

So the total count was: 6 Morchella esculenta and 2 blacks(?). In addition Leon Shernoff identified Polyporus squamosus, Polyporus varius, Urnula craterium, Ganoderma applanatum, a tiny Coprinus group (yes, those are car keys next to them), and Phellinus sp.

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We did not lose anybody this time, although some of us had to ask for directions back to the cars. The cherry topping, on this Sunday, turned out to be a good old fashioned Chicago style hot dog and Polish sausage with great fries and pineapple shake at a local hot dog stand enjoyed by the whole group!

So the 2001 Little Red Schoolhouse morel foray had an appetizing ending!

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2. May 18 and 19, 2001 Wisconsin Dells Morel Weekend Getaway

Report submitted by Leon Shernoff

A dozen (more or less) IMA members luxuriated in a weekend mushroom vacation, through the hospitality of club member Alan Lawrence, who generously let us stay in his two rental cottages on Lake Redstone at cost. The dedicated foragers managed four forays over a two-day period, and cooked up a big batch of edibles at the potluck on Saturday night. The champion forager was Mary Lou Banaczek, who found about 35 morels at Hemlock County Park on Saturday, and didn't let any of us forget it. Resting on her laurels, she and Steve were content to spend the rest of the afternoon pulling fish out of the lake, much to the fascination of the four children, who didn't seem to have ever seen this before. There were three family groups: La Monte, Eve, Harriet, Skyler, and Madeleine Yarroll; Steve and Mary Lou Banaczek; and Cathy Lambrecht, Cathy's mom, and Cathy's niece Elizabeth. The kids (ages 3-11) livened things up a great deal.

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Photo of Mycena leaiana by Ann Lawrence

Most of the IMA-ers arrived late Friday night, which made the hairpins in the Wisconsin hills all the more exciting. Breakfasts worked out really well: we had all brought different sorts of stuff and shared, so we all got to choose from a nice variety of food. Saturday morning, we then went over to the Lawrences' for the coffee necessary to get us into the woods after our late arrival the night before. The Lawrences have built a beautiful home on a ridge that overlooks the little town in one direction, forest and farmland in the other. They also have a nice set of bluffs (in the "forest" direction) where we collected after coffee. The intensively vertical landscape made foraying a fairly athletic endeavor, but we emerged with three morels and a small pile of interesting other species. Two species that turned out to be common throughout the weekend were the strange polypore Bjerkandera adusta, which has a smoky-gray pore surface, and the bright orange (with scarlet gill edges) Mycena leaiana, and we found them both at Redstone Heights.

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Photo of Discina perlata by Ann Lawrence

Next, we piled into the cars for a foray at nearby Hemlock County Park, where we collected the bulk of our morels and some Angel Wings (Pleurocybella porrigens). We also found a huge fruiting of Discina perlata, a intensively wrinkled brown cup fungus known as Pig's Ears, fruiting under the pines. After this, it was lunch at a local eatery, and off to Mirror Lake for the third foray of the day! Some of us, like myself, were too pooped by then and opted for a nap. The Banaczeks, as I mentioned, opted for a less ambulatory mode of foraging, and showed the kids where fish come from. The people at Mirror Lake, on the other hand, found oyster mushrooms, so both groups considered it time well spent.

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That evening was our big potluck dinner, with brats grilled outside, batter-fried morels, salad, a taco soup that Cathy brought up the fixings for from Chicago, morels with toasted cashews and gefilte fish, fried fish from the lake... there was a desert, too, but somehow it's all gotten blurred together in my mind. And while we cooked in the Lawrences' wonderful kitchen (only slightly larger than my living room), we had the actual dinner downstairs in their English Pub. You've heard about American millionnaires who bring over a European castle, stone by stone? Well, the Lawrences have brought over an English pub, not wall by wall, but every individual piece inside the walls. You'll just have to experience it. It was kind of unfair, though: while I and Igor and Mary Lou and Cathy were upstairs cooking, Al was downstairs tending bar for everyone else.

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After Sunday breakfast, we all headed for home, stopping for a foray on the way at Devil's Lake, behind the east bluff. Here we found thousands of chrorophyll-less plants that looked like spiky yellow candles under the pines, and a waxy cap to match them: Hygrocybe marginata (=Hygrophorus marginatus), whose gills stay bright orange long after its cap has faded. We also found a spiky brown crust fungus that probably belongs in Hydnochaete or Hymenochaete, but no further identification was possible. Unfortunately, no edibles. The tremendous fruiting of those yellow plants means that there must be a tremendous underground mycelial network for them to feed off of, but whatever fungus that is, it must fruit at another time. I myself was much impressed by the huge pile (hill? mountain?) of glacial boulders that forms one end of the lake.

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Besides the families mentioned above, foray participants were Rael Bassan, Leon Shernoff, Igor Schyb, who came up on Saturday, and Anne and Alan Lawrence. The species we found were as follows:

Redstone Heights:

Image of Inocybe calospora from Jean Louis Émile Boudier (1904 - 1909) Icones mycologicae ou iconographie des champignons de France, principalement Discomycètes

Morchella esculenta, Mycena leaiana, two of the dark Inocybes. Flammulina velutipes, Gymnopus dryophilus (=Collybia dryophila), a cute white Marasmius, Mycena alcalina, Bjerkandera adusta, Coprinus micaceus, and Trametes conchifer

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Hemlock County Park:

Photo of Bjerkandera adusta by Ann Lawrence

Morchella esculenta, Pleurocybella porrigens, Clavicorona pyxidata, Apiosporina morbosa, Bjerkandera adusta, a Psathyrella sp., Trichaptum abietinum, Discina perlata, and a Pluteus sp.

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Mirror Lake:

Pleurotus ostreatus, Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, a bright orange rust (Uredinales) on pine, Favolus alveolaris, a Phellinus on beech, Chlorociboria aeruginascens, Trichaptum sp., Coprinus cf. niveus, Apiosporina morbosa, Ganoderma applanatum, Schizophyllum commune, Lenzites sp.

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Devil's Lake:

Mycena leaiana, a Brown-spored agaric., Ganoderma applanatum, Fuligo septica, Entoloma, Hygrocybe marginata marginata, a white crust fungus, Inonotus obliquus, a brown Hydnochaete, Trichaptum abietinum, Trichaptum biforme, Chlorociboria aeruginascens, and Lycoperdon pyriforme

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Next Meeting

The August club meeting will be held on August 13, 2001, in the Biological Science Learning Center (BSLC) at the University of Chicago. The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM in room number 115. The BSLC is on 57th St. half a block West of Ellis Avenue. It looks like a long gray brick with windows, with its narrow end pointing at the street. (See below for a bigger map)

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Parking Directions:

The best parking (20 spots) is on the West side of 933 E. 56th street, directly behind the BSLC. This is normally metered parking, but is free after 4 pm. Do not park in the unmetered delivery zone on the other side of 933 or you will be towed (and you can't walk through from there, anyway). There are another 20 spots on Ellis just North of 56th St., in the Young Y parking lot. Again, this is metered parking that is free after 4 pm. Should this run out, there is a big multilevel parking garage half a block farther north, at Ellis and 55th. This is also free after 4.

A board meeting is also planned soon after the general meeting—exact date and time to be announced.

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Summer Fungi in Illinois, the tasty, the colorful, and the rare

...by Leon Shernoff

Well, here I go again. I'm starting to feel like those sports writers who try to tell you what teams are going to win at the beginning of the season. But instead of doing it by conference, I get to do it by genus, and then pick my front-runner species.

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The Tasty

Image of Cantharellus cibarius from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Cantharellus

Well, the genus Cantharellus has to be mentioned, if only because you'll all yell at me if I don't. But while the perennial favorite is Cantharellus cibarius, all is not so clear in Illinois. There are equally perennial complaints about the bugginess, small size, and uninteresting flavor of the chanterelles collected in the Chicago area (I don't know about downstate. Let us know, southern IMAers!). There may be a reason for this: scuttlebutt from the pros is that our local "chanterelle" may be a different (and so-far unnamed) species from the "classic" chanterelle.

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Photo of Cantharellus CH1 by John Denk

Our local chanterelle is paler on the sides than on the top, is quite thick in proportion to its height, is more or less flat on top (it never really curls up into the vase shape of the classic chanterelle), and is usually between 1-2" tall. The "real" chanterelle is usually bug-free, at least 2" tall, and much much tastier. A real live professional mycologist is off somewhere (I forget who, and where) working on all of this with DNA. As soon as the news breaks, you'll be reading about it in this newsletter.

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By far the tastiest Cantharellus that I have found in the temperate East is Cantharellus minor, which looks like a normal chanterelle but is usually less than an inch high. Cantharellus lateritius looks like a normal chanterelle but has smooth sides; like our "local chanterelle", I have found its flavor to be unexciting. Craterellus odoratus is a thin-fleshed smooth-sided species growing in fused clusters. Although it is a Craterellus, it is chanterelle-colored. It is a Southern species, and may be found downstate. If you find it, please dry it for the Field Museum; it's a fairly unusual fungus. N. S. Weber & A. H. Smith (1985) say that it develops an unpleasant flavor in maturity, but you may want to taste a little, in the interests of science.

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And, actually, if you can, please log all your chanterelle finds for the museum: they've got a big project going on how pollution affects fungal populations, so they're plotting chanterelle concentrations East and West of Gary, Indiana (kind of like shooting fish in a barrel, don't you think?). So they can use any chanterelle collection data you can give them in their study.

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Gyroporus

Gyroporus is a genus that not many people seem to know out here, but you all should, especially if you like good eating. Identification is easy and reliable, and the taste is terrific. Gyroporus mushrooms are smallish boletes that have a hollow (or chambered) stem and a yellow spore deposit. No other bolete has either of those two features, so either one of them is sufficient for an identification. The young stem sometimes has crosswalls that divide its interior into a series of hollow chambers (Fig. 2, right image), but this counts too. The stems of all other boletes are completely solid (insect tunnels don't count!).

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Photo of Gyroporus castaneus by John Denk

The flagship species is G. castaneus (Fig. 2 & 3), which has a warm brown (chestnutty) stem and cap, and a white pore surface that gradually turns yellow from the spores. They are about dandelion-sized (occasionally bigger and husky) and can be found scattered throughout the summer woods. Their flavor does not need to be concentrated by drying (like some other boletes), and the stem is just as good as the cap. Just saute them and enjoy. The insects like them too, though! Usually they come up through the stem, so you may be able to save your finds by cutting away the infested portion. This should be done in the field, as the critters can make substantial progress while you're on your way home!

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There are two other Gyroporus species you might find; they are larger and less common. G. purpurinus has a dark purple cap and stem; G. cyanescens is tan all over and quickly bruises navy blue. Both of these have a white pore surface that turns yellow from the spores. They are also said to be quite tasty, but how tasty is not so firmly established since they are not as common. Try them and write in to the newsletter letting us know. Dry them and let us know how this changes the flavor. Or better yet, dry them and mail them to me so I can test them for you!

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The Colorful

Photo of Pycnoporus cinnabarinus by John Denk

Pycnoporus

I used to think of polypores as Fall mushrooms, because that's when you usually see them (that is, when you walk through the woods cursing them because they're all over the place and you're looking for edibles). But most of them grow during the summer, so at this time of the year you can catch them in the act. While they're growing, they're usually much softer and more flexible (even velvety) than you expect in a polypore, and their colors are much brighter. We think of turkeytails as colorful, but this is often after they've been sitting out for a season or two. Come upon them when they're fresh and growing, and they can be really stunning.
One of the most colorful genus of polypores is Pycnoporus, whose species are all bright red. They come out as soft, bright red lumps that engulf small twigs and leaves as they expand, and dry into light, hard lumps that work well in dried flower arrangements. Pictured is P. cinnabarinus, which is found throughout the state and quickly fades on the top surface when it is exposed to sunlight and rain. P. sanguineus, whose color is more durable, is a southern species and again something that the downstaters can keep their eyes open for. Neither one of them is something you'd want to eat.

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The Rare

Xerula megalospora and Xerula rugosoceps, at an IMA foray

Xerula

Okay, this genus also encompasses the tasty. But it also contains the rarest mushroom that the club has found in recent years. Xerulas are found in broadleaf forests, have a wrinkled or puckered brownish cap that is sticky when wet and darkest in the center, white gills, and a rooting base (visible in the left-hand specimen (Fig. 5); you have to dig carefully in order to get it). The species can be distinguished in the field by cap color, stem color, and size. The two mushrooms on the left in the picture are our second-most common Xerula, X. megalospora. It has a greyish-brown puckered cap and white stem, and it is our smallest Xerula at 2-2 1/2" across and 3-6" high. It often has an odor of geraniums. On the right is X. rugosoceps, one of the rarest fungi known. It has a yellowish-brown cap and a brown stem. Instead of being puckered, its cap has a series of broad, forking, radiating ridges that join up to a smaller ridge that runs around the rim of the cap. It's hard to generalize about its size because only four of them have ever been found (plus this one!), but the one in the picture is just about 3" across and 5" high. As you can see, it's a little huskier, too. If you find this, please dry it (putting it on a paper plate, putting the paper plate on a lampshade and leaving the lamp on overnight usually works well, but there's nothing wrong with a food drier if you have one) and bring it to a meeting or mail it to the Field Museum, because we'll want to have it. The one in the picture was found at the club's Bussey Woods foray last summer, and is now in the herbarium at the Field Museum.

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Photo of Xerula furfuracea by John Denk

Luckily, though, the good edible one in the genus is both the largest and the most common. It has a brownish-brown cap that is puckered rather than ridged, and a brown stem that is iridescent - - tilt it and different parts of it will be shiny at different times. It can get a foot high and almost 6" across. This is Xerula furfuracea (This mushroom is going to be listed in most field guides under its older name, Oudemansiella radicata. It has since been transferred out of that genus. There still are Oudemansiellas in the U.S.; but they grow on wood, usually in clusters, and have a ring. They're kind of like Flammulinas with a ring, and I personally expect to see them get lumped together at some point. But that's another story.) It is known as the Beech Rooter in the Audubon Guide (and other field guides). This is a delicious mushroom. Browned lightly in a little butter, the cap tastes like lobster. If it's wet enough to be sticky on top, then you will have to cook the water out of it for a while before it will consent to brown (and you will want to cook the water out of it, unless you really like gummy food), but it's worth the care. This is one mushroom you don't want to boil first! The stem is really tough, hard, and inedible. But it does a nice job of holding the big cap up.

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X. megalospora is probably edible, too - - it has probably been eaten as X. furfuracea by people who didn't know the difference. X. rugosoceps is probably edible, too, but I and the Field Museum would really appreciate it if you dried it and sent it in instead. It would be kind of like eating a Spotted Owl. There is another rare Xerula that you may find: X. rubrobrunnescens, which has a reddish-brown cap, a reddish brown stalk, and gills that are edged with (you guessed it!) reddish brown. It stains reddish brown, too, when fresh. In case you hadn't guessed it, rubrobrunnescens means "turning reddish brown". This one we would also appreciate you drying instead of eating...

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And those are my picks for the summer season!

Saturday, Apr 28, 2001 Kankakee foray report

Photo of Verpa conica by John Denk

Submitted by John Komosa

A dozen or so of IMA members met at the main entrance to the Kankakee State Park at 9 am. We were joined by guests from Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota. - a total of 21 of us - most dressed in triple layers of clothing, for it was chilly. But once the hunt heated up, people started shedding. When we drove to the pre-selected location, we noticed that there were other vehicles parked there already. Our suspicions were confirmed when we started through the woods that we were "preempted" by the local hunters, finding one morel but 3 or 4 cut stems in the ground. Searching farther off the trail gave better results as we looked under every dead tree we could find. We took some nice pictures, enjoyed the beautiful spring wild flowers, fresh air, good sweat, and picked 373 morels: mostly young gray and older yellow Morchella esculenta, one M. semilibera, and one Verpa conica.

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In addition, Pat, Leon, and others identified: Polyporus squamosus, Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, Inonotus obliquus, Coprinus micaceus, Galerina sp, Psathyrella sp, Entoloma sp, Astraeus hygrometricus, Aleurodiscus oakesii, and Apiosporina morbosa. We retired at 12:00 to tally our morels and do a head count, discovering that we were short several people! So after liquid refreshments and snacks, some left for home, some went to other locations to continue the hunt, and the rest of us started to organize a three-pronged search party. Fortunately just then, the last "lost" one returned with a big bag full of morels (60). So the 2001 Kankakee morel hunt story had a happy ending after all!

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Greene Valley Forest Preserve Foray

Saturday, August 18, 2001 9:00 AM

Take Rt. 53 south or north to 75th Street west to Greene Road.
Go south to the parking area on right hand side by the Sanitary land fill.

(Map coming soon)

Wild Mushroom Pizza

This subtle blend of wild mushroom flavors makes a great pizza.
3 Tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Garlic, minced
3/4 cup Portobello mushrooms, chopped
3/4 cup Shitake mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup Porcini mushrooms, sliced
1 Pizza crust (bread machine, refrigerated, etc.)
2 cups Mozzarella, sliced
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
2 cups Fontina cheese, grated

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Add the garlic and
mushrooms and cook until just soft. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 425°. Top the crust with the mozzarella. Top with the tomato slices. Spoon on the mushrooms. Sprinkle on the Fontina.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese begins to lightly brown.

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An Introduction to the Edible & Poisonous Mushrooms of Michigan

September 28-30, 2001
Kettunen Center/ Tustin, MI

The Kettunen Center is a complete conference facility owned and operated by the Michigan 4-H Foundation. Features include: modern meeting rooms and accomodations, recreational facilities and superb dining. The Kettunen Center is located on 160 acres of natural terrain in Tustin, MI not far from Cadillac.

Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University will be sponsoring a two and one-half day workshop entitled “Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of Michigan”. The faculty is impressive including such notables as Dr. Tom Volk, Dr. Johann Bruhn (of humongous fungus fame), Taylor Lockwood, and University of Chicago Professor Emeritus Dr. John Rippon. Nancy and Ralph Rucinski attended two years ago and although somewhat pricey (tuition for one person is $160, couple $300), found it to be well worth the trip. For more information contact:
Kettunen Center (231-829-3421); MSU-E, Ralph Duffek (906-482-5830);
or Michigan Technological University, Forestry Department/ Dana Richter (906-487-2149 )

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Busse Woods/ Kankakee, July 14, 2001, Foray Report

Photo of Cyathus striatus by John Denk

Submitted by Ralph Rucinski

John Denk, Leon Shernoff, and Ralph Rucinski took advantage of the beautiful, albeit dry, weather and met at Busse Woods. A little rain would have made it a banner day as small chanterelles were there by the hundreds. Most were insect infested and only about a half inch in diameter. We quickly realized that the conditions were pretty hopeless and (adventurous souls that we are) headed for Kankakee State Park. It was well worth the trip. Within about a half an hour we located nine species including the absolutely delicious chestnut bolete (Gyroporus castaneus). If you have never been to one of these summer forays you really should make a point to attend. Leon and our other experienced members freely provide a wealth of knowledge and with the low attendance you pretty much have their undivided attention. It’s a great learning experience.
Specimens found at Kankakee included Cyathus striatus, Crucibulum laeve, Gyroporus castaneus, Sarcoscypha coccinea, Sarcoscypha occidentalis, Psathyrella ssp (one near candolleana, one definitely not), a tiny white flaky Lepiota sp, Leccinum sp, Marasmius sp. Specimens found at Busse Woods were our local chanterelle, Polyporus varius, and another (?) species of Psathyrella.

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Newly designed “T” shirts go on sale

Fifteen bucks (plus $2.44 postage) will have one of these beauties headed your way. Available sizes include M and L. Mail your checks to president, Cathy Lambrecht.

Bemis Woods Foray - - Saturday, September 1, 2001

Leader: John Komosa

The Bemis Woods entrance is on the west side of Wolf Road between 31st Street on the north and Ogden Avenue on the south. The entrance is 0.3 miles south of 31st street.

Directions: From I-294, exit at Ogden Avenue and go east to Wolf Road. Go north past the Salt Creek. The entrance is just north of Salt Creek.

(Map coming soon)

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Next IMA Meeting June 11, 2001

this is NOT our usual “first Monday”

Image of Pleurotus dryinus from A. M. Hussey (1847 - 1855) Illustrations of British mycology

Guest Speaker: Andy Miller of the Field Museum
“Sex in the Fungi: Oysters and False Oysters”

Summer Forays

Sat., June 9 10:00 AM Tinley Creek Woods (southern suburbs) See page 3 for directions.
Sun., June 24 10:00 AM Beck Lake - (far northern suburbs) See page 3 for directions.
July 5 to July 8 NAMA ‘01 in Minnesota.
Sat., July 14 10:00 AM Bussy Woods - (northwest suburbs).
Sun, July 29 10:00 AM Indiana Dunes (Indiana).

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May 7 Club meeting provides info on morel hot spots:

Photo of Morchella esculenta by Greg Starrett

At our May 7 meeting club members Greg Starrett, John Komosa, Alan Laurence and Jim Lamb bared their souls and most guarded morel secrets. They provided club members with a wealth of information related to these oftentimes difficult-to-find prizes.

Did you know?

Morels are often found near elms. The best elm is one that is half dead.
Yellow morels may be found under any hardwoods.
Half frees are often associated with ash trees. Look in mossy areas.
Black morels— look for tamaracks.
Half frees are very good in soups.
Once a dying elm loses all of its bark the morels move elsewhere.
You cannot duplicate a large find of morels within the same year in any given location.
Concerning preservation:
Small morels: If drying, do not wash first. Place in an electric food dryer and dry hard as a rock for 24 hours. Store in sealed jars.
Large morels: Cut and parboil for 4 minutes. Dry on paper. Freeze in plastic bags. Suck the air out of the corner of the bag before sealing.
Kids find more morels—follow their lead and get low to the ground in your search.

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Morels are at best unpredictable. Perhaps this is the very reason they hold our interest year after year.

North Chicago Morel Foray

Report submitted by Eileen Schutte and John Komosa

Photo of Puffball by John Denk

Twenty something was the number at the North Chicago Morel Foray on Saturday, May 12. There were 24 forayers who found 22 species of mushrooms and 21 prized yellow morels (Morchella esculenta). The morels were still in edible condition but most were somewhat past their prime indicating the end of the season was fast approaching. All in all it was a pretty good ending considering the dry weather and the hot days which can put a quick end to the season.

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The surprise find of the day was a half-grown gray kitten found curled up at the base of an oak tree. It was quite tame and found a savior in Leon Shernoff who adopted it and took it home to friendlier surroundings. Leon notes that

it was spotted huddled under a tree by Peter Margulis (and well-camouflaged he was, too, with his dark-gray coat! No wonder Peter found so many more morels than me!), coaxed out of hiding by Leon Shernoff, dubbed “Puffball” by John Denk, and photographed (trying to hide in my elbow while I try to identify the picnic table of mushrooms off to one side) by Dennis Bukala. Connie Fischbein identified the cat as a “Russian Blue”, about 6 months old, and a male. A team effort, and one that we’re all happy with!

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We were pleased to have reporter Josh Schonwald join us on the foray. Hopefully we gave him the straight scoop on why, when, and where we look for morels every spring.
A total of 22 species were found including 21 morels. Peter Margulis and Scott Gross found morels for the first time ever on this foray.

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Directions to Tinley Creek Woods

Map for Tinley Creek foray

From the North, take Hwy. 294 south. Get off on 95th St. going East.
Turn right (south) on Harlem Ave (Rt. 43) and go to 151st (about 7 miles).
Take a right (west) for 1/2 mile to the parking entrance on the right (north) side of 151st.

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From there we will walk through some beautiful wild flower and prairie type of fields to a burned out area where we should find plenty of early summer species.

Directions to Beck Lake Foray site

Map for Beck Lake foray

Beck Lake is located near Glenview just west of Hwy 294 on Central Ave.

From the South - exit 294 at Dempster (Rt14) west to Rand Rd
Turn right (northwest) to Central St
Turn right (east) on Central to Beck Lake entrance.

From the North - exit 294 at Golf Rd (Rt58) exit, which exits onto E. River Rd.
Turn right (north) to Central Rd.
Cross Central to Beck Lake entrance.

Telluride Mushroom Conference

The 21st Annual Telluride Mushroom Conference will be held August 23-26, 2001, in Telluride, Colorado. The Telluride Conference is designed for persons interested in mushroom identification, edible, poisonous and psychoactive mushrooms, and mushroom cultivation.

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Dr. Rick Doblin, President of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, will address a plenary session of the Conference on Psilocybin Research: From Cowpies to Clinical Trials. Gary Lincoff, author of the Audubon Field Guide to North American Mushrooms will conduct a course on Mushroom Identification; Paul Stamets, author of Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, on Mushroom Cultivation; Andrew Weil, author of Eating Well for Optimum Health, on Mushrooms and Health; John Corbin, cultivation specialist, on Growing Mushrooms on Straw; Linnea Gillman, Past President of the Colorado Mycological Society, on Rocky Mountain Mushrooms; and Emanuel Salzman, Co-editor of Mushroom Poisoning, on Poisonous Mushrooms.

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Telluride is an historic Colorado mining town on the western slope of the Rocky Mountain Continental Divide. Daily forays will be led into the nearby forests generally productive of a wide variety of wild mushrooms, particularly edibles.

For further information, contact Fungophile: P.O. Box 480503, Denver, CO 80248-0503.
Phone 303-296-9359
Fax 303-296-9359
e-mail lodomyco@uswest.net

Stash That Catch:

John Rahart’s article in the September/October 1999 Mycophile, "Preserving Harvested Mushrooms", has proven to be as valuable as any cookbook in our possession. Seven methods of preservation are discussed along with the uses and advantages and disadvantages of each procedure.

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Many of you probably already clipped and saved this little gem. If you did not and feel this information would be of some benefit to you, contact NAMA’s Executive Secretary, Joe Miller. He will provide you with replacement copies of the Mycophile free upon request. Past issues of McIlvainea are $4.00 (postage included). Joe’s contact information is as follows:
Joe Miller, Executive Secretary
North American Mycological Association
10 Lynn Brooke Place
Charleston, WV 25312-9521
ExecutiveSec@namyco.org

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Next IMA meeting, Monday, June 11, 7:30 PM, Moravian Club House

The Moravian Club House, 2140 South Wesley is in Berwyn (between Oak Park Avenue and East Avenue) parallel to Cermak Road.

Dinner Bell for those who can make it: Czech Plaza Restaurant, 7016 Cermak Road, Berwyn, Il 708.795.6555 (Walking distance to the Moravian Club House) — join fellow members at 6 PM.

Dutch Treat!

Sex in Mushrooms and Separating Species in Oysters and False Oysters

One way to figure out different mushroom species is to perform mating studies. Andy Miller, graduate student at the Field Museum, will present research results with Lentinellus (False Oyster Mushrooms). He sorted out the species of the bear mushroom (L. ursinus) and the wolf mushroom (L. vulpinus) for eastern North America by using morphology, mating studies, and culture studies.
Andy will also give an overview of the genus Lentinellus and discuss how to separate it from the edible oyster mushrooms.

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Book Review by Ron Tracy : Lichens by William Purvis

Lichens by William Purvis (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000) is a short and stimulating introduction to the world of lichenology. The book's 114 pages contain many color photographs and diagrams that aid a well-written and succinct text in presenting an overview to a subject any mycological enthusiast will find interesting. This reviewer always thought of lichens as a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an alga. Purvis explains that a lichen consists "of at least two organisms: a fungus (mycobiont) and a photosynthetic partner (photobiont). The photobiont, which contains chlorophyll, may be either a green alga or belong to an entirely different kingdom--a cyanobacterium (a bacterium that contains a blue-green photosynthetic pigment)." However, lichens are named according to the fungus because the same photobionts can occur in different lichens. The use of the term "symbiotic" in referring to the components of a lichen might be incorrect because some biologists "believe that the lichen relationship is one of controlled parasitism, that the photobiont cells are victims rather than partners of the mycobiont." The introductory chapter pursues these points right down to recent DNA analysis. It is very interesting reading.

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Rather than summarizing everything in this relatively short book I will highlight some things I found interesting. This book is so well done I found it hard to not just read it straight through. I can't stress enough how good and how important the illustrations are.

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The basic chemistry of lichens is that the photobionts produce carbohydrates that the fungus absorbs as sugar alcohols or glucose. Furthermore, "cyanobacteria in lichens can also convert nitrogen from the air into ammonium oxides, which are available to the fungus for protein synthesis." However, over 700 secondary substances have been identified in lichens which gives them considerable economic and ecological importance.

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Lichens are found everywhere but in the deep seas and Purvis states that "Vegetation dominated by lichens covers around 8% of the Earth's land surface." Anybody who has been fishing in northern Canada can verify this. While lichens are not found in the "deep seas" there is lichen found below the tide line.

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I was surprised that lichens do not, according to Purvis, cause significant damage to buildings and monuments. I always assumed that lichens on old gravestones etc. were slowly dissolving the stone away. Purvis says that "architects and many other people recognize that lichens can give a desirable rustic charm to buildings, adding to local character. If you spray dilute manure on surfaces you can encourage growth of the colorful yellow Xanthoria ssp." How's that for practical information?

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Lichens and Christmas make an unlikely combination but it is likely that it was the presence of Usnea longissima, long-beard lichen, growing on spruce trees in northern Europe that led to the tradition of decorating Christmas trees with tinsel. Urban lichens can occur just about anywhere including blacktop pavements, old tires, roofs, garbage cans, etc. Forty different lichens have been found growing on old stained glass windows in Europe. Some are found only on a specific color of glass!

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A chapter entitled "Life in Extreme Environments" tracks lichens to urban areas, hot deserts, Antarctica, rocky coasts, Arctic tundra and alpine peaks. A color photograph shows an Antarctic cryptoendolith, which is a lichen that actually lives within rocks. "They survive by penetrating between colorless crystal grains of granite and marble."

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I am beginning to do what I said I would not do--summarize the entire book--so let me note that I have not touched on the chapters on "Biomonitoring," "Prospecting and Dating," "Economic Uses," and "Practical Projects." This last chapter contains the fact that "One of the more bizarre beliefs was that lichen growing on human skulls was worth its weight in gold as a cure for epilepsy."

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The retail price of Lichens is $14.95 and I think this little book is well worth it. The excellent combination of text and illustrations in this book is one of the most successful I have encountered. I can't imagine an IMA member not thoroughly enjoying this book.

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2001 NAMA Foray to be held at Central Minnesota’s St. John’s University July 5-8

Several renowned mycology experts, including our own Pat Leacock and Greg Mueller, will make presentations at this year’s annual NAMA foray. Programs range from helping beginners to the technical details of identification using microscopic characters (Andy Methven). Marsha Harbin will report on the results of her recent study of the mycorrhizal relationship of morels (who of us wouldn’t like to add that information to our arsenals) and Rosanne Healy will discuss collecting truffles in the Midwest.

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Some of the other topics include the following:

Using dyes extracted from fungi (Melanie Spock)
Making paper from fungi (Catherine Wesley)
Introduction to digital photography (John Little)
Slime molds (Dean Abel)
Cultivating mushrooms (Joe Krawczyk)
The magic of chemicals in mushroom identification (Walt Sturgeon)
…..and much more including scheduled forays.

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If interested, contact:
Anna Gerenday, e-mail geren002@umn.edu, telephone (612) 625-5759

Morel Season is here

See inside for exciting morel news including an excellent article by Leon Shernoff on p. 9 describing the succession of spring species.

Next IMA Meeting May 7the annual “Morel Meeting”

Important notice: our meeting place has changed. See page 4 for details

Upcoming Forays:

Sat., May 5 Morel Madness @ Magnolia, IL

Sun., May 6 Little Red Schoolhouse (see last newsletter for map and directions)

Sat., May 12 North side of Chicago

Sat., May 12 Wisconsin Mycological Society Foray (details below)

Fri., May 18-20 2nd annual IMA Wisconsin Dells Morel Weekend Getaway (see page 3 for details)
courtesy of Allan Lawrence, Wisconsin Myco. Society

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Wisconsin Mycological Society 2001 Annual Morel Foray, May 12

The Wisconsin Mycological Society 2001 Annual Morel Foray, May 12 at Kettle Moraine North State Forest will be led by Peter Vachuska (262-335-3339) & Chuck Soden (414-327-0487). Directions from Chicago:

Take Hwy. 94 north to Milwaukee. Then Hwy. 45 north to Kewaskum.
Turn right on Hwy. 28, then left on County S. Through New Fane. To County GGG
Take County GGG left (north) to park entrance. Meet at parking lot to Mauthe Lake State Park at 9:30 AM.

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Getting Down To Basics with Dr. Leacock:

Pat Leacock, Field Museum mycologist, will be teaching two mushroom classes in July and August for the Naturalist Certificate Program of the Morton Arboretum. Both of these classes are basic introductions to mushroom identification geared toward absolute beginners. If you don’t know the difference between an Amanita and an Agaricus and can’t tell a partial veil from a universal veil then you may want to take a class. Of the two sessions, Pat suggests the one in August at the Morton Arboretum because microscopes will be available there. For more information visit www. lactarius.com/courses/ or contact Pat at pleacock@fieldmuseum.org (312-665-7858).

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For information about NCP courses at The Field Museum, call 312-665-7400. For inforamtion about NCP courses at The Morton Arboretum, call 630-719-2468.

There will be online material for these courses so even if you don’t take a class you can visit www.lactarius.com and look through the mycology and botany material on the website. The fungi material will be posted this summer for the July and August classes. Pat recommends that the best learning resource for club members is to go to the many IMA forays and meetings and ask questions.

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The following gives a brief course description as well as pertinent date and time information:

Mushrooms and Fungi

"Mushrooming" can quickly become a captivating, life-long hobby. You will learn the basic biology of fungi, their roles in the environment, characteristics of major groups, and how to identify a mushroom to genus. Important identification skills include how to collect fungi, make spore prints, and use field guides and keys. Also, you will learn about local poisonous fungi and their key identification characteristics. Class includes two forays into local natural areas: Swallow Cliff Woods in Palos Hills, and Busse Woods off Arlington Heights Road and Higgins Road. Dress for the weather. A materials list will be sent with confirmation.

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Naturalist Certificate Enrichment

Meets at the Field Museum: 2 Wednesdays, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., July 18 and 25.
Meets at the Site: 2 Saturdays, 9:00 - 1:00 p.m., July 21 and 28.
(4 sessions, 12 credit hours) -- $130 ($110 members)

A similar class will be offered at The Morton Arboretum:

Meets at the Morton Arboretum for all sessions:
2 Tuesdays, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., August 7 and 14.
Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 - 1:00 p.m., August 11 and 12.
(4 sessions, 12 credit hours) -- $130 ($110 members)

Culinary Notes from Catherine Lambrecht.…

Recently, I attended a lecture on foods as aphrodisiacs. Naturally, oysters were mentioned. Did you know oysters have a high quantity of zinc that increases sperm production? Somehow the science isn't as fun as the imagination!

We know the effects finding a clutch of morels or other desirable pot-able mushrooms have on our bodies. Our heart rate increases, the salivary glands get active and sometimes we jump up and down in a ritual dance our ancestors would certainly understand ... some of us shout for joy! Some days the mushrooms just aren't there for the picking but the walk and fresh air prepare our bodies for the joys just round the corner.

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At this lecture, I met Joan Reardon whose book Oysters - A Culinary Celebration with 185 recipes was just published. The following recipe is adapted from her book:

Mushroom Ragout

(Serves 4)
12 shucked oysters
2 pounds assorted mushrooms (cremini, chanterelle, porcini, button, morel, etc.)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced celery
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup wine
1/4 cup Madeira
2 cups chicken stock
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

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1. Drain oysters and set aside.

2. Prepare the mushrooms by brushing the mushrooms as needed. If your morels have sand, try dropping them onto a counter to loosen and pop out the sand.

3. Melt 1-tablespoon butter in a saucepan and sauté the mushrooms until brown.

4. In another large saucepan [at the same time, I assume: webmaster], melt the remaining butter, and sweat the onions, celery and garlic.

5. Add the Madeira and wine and reduce by three-quarters. Add stock, thyme and mushrooms; reduce until the broth has a concentrated flavor. Add oysters and heat until the edges curl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2nd Annual IMA Wisconsin Dells Morel Weekend Getaway

Why? “Because it’s there!”…(no, that was Mt. Everest?!) Because (even though nobody is promising us MANY morels), it is nonetheless a very green and beautiful terrain, a quiet and hospitable place to get away. Finding morels and/or other species will be a BONUS! We (IMA) can make it a traditional Annual thing!!

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When? Arrival Friday evening, May 18. Depart Sunday afternoon, May 20, 2001.

Where? Where? Cottages on Lake Redstone (30 minutes west of Wisconsin Dells). “Bird Branch” sleeps 5—1 double, 2 bunk beds, 1 hide-a-bed couch. “Tree House” sleeps 9—3 doubles, 2 singles, 1 hide-a-bed couch.

Who? IMA members on first-come-first-served basis !!!... So send or give your check made out to IMA to Jim Lamb.

How much? $15 per member for two nights (such a deal!!).

More... go to Internet site: www.sandcounty.com for pictures and details.

What else? You may choose to stay elsewhere and join us during the day for the forays and camaraderie. It is understood that meals, souvenirs, etc are at your own expense. Forays, social and educational activities have not yet been formalized and/or scheduled. Taking into consideration that this is more of a leisurely affair, maybe we should leave them to EVOLVE as we go...

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Maps and directions will be available at IMA’s May meeting and/or by contacting John Komosa at 630-257-0934 (after 7PM).

Missouri Mycological Society Annual Fall Foray:

The Missouri Mycological Society will host its 11th Annual Fall Foray near Puxico, Missouri, September 13-16, Thursday night to Sunday afternoon. Programs are planned all weekend for beginner and advanced mushroomers alike including field trips, lectures, workshops and a wild mushroom cook-and-taste session. This is a superb opportunity to learn a lot about fungi in a short time by great teachers in an ecologically fascinating region of Missouri.

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Headquarters will be at Camp Latonka, a Girl Scout camp on Lake Wappapello, where gourmet meals will be served, mushrooms displayed, the conference held and where most participants will lodge.
As teachers and guides, we are honored and happy to have mycologists Dr. Walt Sundberg (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale), Dr. Andrew Methven (Eastern Illinois University) and Jay Justice (president of the Arkansas Mycological Society).

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The locations in Missouri’s Bootheel in which we have chosen to forage, are superb and diverse ecological habitats. Northern species mix with Southern, swamps with oak hickory forests.

Registration fee includes four meals—breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and a Sunday morning brunch. Julie Ridlon of Chanterelle Catering plans a French theme with dishes such as crepes, beignets, and chicken blanquette, many with wild, if not exotic, mushrooms.
Many attendees will be staying at Camp Latonka in rustic screened-in cabins with sagging mattresses. If you want luxury, consider one of motels surrounding Lake Wappapello.

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Attendance is limited. Registration fee is $80 for MoMS members or other NAMA affiliated clubs, $95 for nonmembers; children 5 years and under are free; ages 6 through 12—$35. Students, $50. Minors must be accompanied by a guardian.

Deadline for registration is September 1. A registration form is available from Brad Bomanz, 909 Woodside Village Lane, Ballwin, MO 63022.

Next IMA meeting, Monday, May 7, 7:30 PM, North Park Village Nature Center

North Park Village Nature Center
5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago, IL

The North Park Village Nature Center is located just off the Edens Expressway (I-94). You will exit at Peterson and travel east to Pulaski. Go south on Pulaski until you reach the North Park Village complex which will be on the east side of the street. Once you have entered the complex, go all the way to the back (this is a large complex of buildings, with the Nature Center way in the interior of the block) to reach the Nature Center.

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Foray Etiquette

From the Mycological Society of Toronto Newsletter, MYCELIUM, 22(3), July-Sep, 1995

1. Let the Foray Leader know you are a member of the group. Introduce any members of your family or guests and make sure the leader has their names.

2. If you plan to leave early, let the leader know or leave a note on their car. Don't let your leader think you are lost!

3. Find out what time the leader plans to stop for lunch and where. If you know the area and strike out on your own, then make a point of being back at the meeting place on time.

4. If someone is offering you a ride, be sure to specify where you will be picked up and be there ahead of time. Don't panic if your driver is held up in traffic and is a few minutes late. It is customary to give the driver something toward the cost of gas. If you are the driver, do not leave the foray site before making sure none of your passengers are stranded.

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5. If you find any exceptionally good specimens or some that are rare or unusual, wrap them carefully in wax paper and give them to a member who can have them identified and recorded by a professional mycologist.

6. You should not start picking until the foray leader has arrived. In fact, you should not pick at the foray location for at least a week before the foray.

7. Do not pick more than you can use and never pick every mushroom in an area. If pickings are particularly good at a location and you wish to gather more for storage, do so later in the day or at another time.

Collecting Procedures

Modified from IMA newsletter of August, 1994

1. Collect the entire mushroom, including the base of the stem (may be buried in the ground). Collect specimens of different stages: button to mature.

2. When collecting edible species, save one or two representative mushrooms for documentation. Use the rest, but leave some in the woods for reproduction.

3. Wrap the collections in wax paper or wax paper bags. Do not use plastic bags. Plastic bags trap moisture causing the mushrooms to sweat and decompose. Paper bags sag and mushrooms get crushed. [Actually, this is dead wrong: paper bags can be inflated, stay stiff, and work quite nicely. Of course, if you pile heavy mushrooms on top of them, they'll get crushed, but the same is true of waxed paper! - webmaster] Do not mix more than one kind of mushroom in a bag. Place wrapped Amanitas upright in the basket to prevent their stalks from bending. Very small mushrooms can be placed temporarily in vials, tins, or tackle box compartments to keep them from drying out.

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4. Use a low flat basket or box to carry collections. Piling collections one on top of another will crush small or fragile specimens.

5. Make collecting notes and keep them with the specimens (take photographs if you are so inclined). Collections for the herbarium will be accepted only if they have notes and a field label with specific locality, date, and collector.

6. Bring fresh specimens to an IMA meeting or the Field Museum as soon as possible after collecting.Handle them carefully after collecting: do not leave them in a hot car; keep them in a cool, dry place to allow them to “breathe” (this is a good time for making a spore print), or refrigerate them if needed. If necessary, dry them well (food dehydrators work best) and then bring them later to a meeting.

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Making a Spore Print

Individual spores are too small to be seen with the naked eye, but you can make a spore print that will show the color of the spores in mass. This color is an important identifying characteristic for many mushrooms, especially the gilled fungi and boletes. Spore print color is not always the same as the gill color. To make a spore print, cut the stem off the mushroom and place the cap gill-side or pore-side down on a piece of white paper (not newspaper). Morels, coral fungi, and similar fungi can be laid on their sides. If desired, use half sheet of black paper and half of white, taped together side-by-side. If the mushroom cap is small or a bit dry you can moisten the top surface with a drop of water. Cover the cap(s) with a cup, bowl, or jar or wrap in wax paper. If the mushroom is at the right stage – not too young, not too old or deteriorated – the spores will slowly collect on the paper. A spore print will be visible in 1 to 12 hours. Do not refrigerate mushrooms before making a spore print, this usually stops spore production. Do not spray the spore print with a fixative unless you are using it as artwork. Glass microscope slides can be used for spore prints of very small mushrooms. Spore prints to be used for culturing or DNA studies can be made on aluminum foil (and stored in the freezer).

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Contribute to Research on Fungi of the Chicago Region

Please support IMA member mycologists Greg Mueller and Pat Leacock by providing specimens for their local research program and the Field Museum Herbarium. They are interested in fungi collected from the greater Chicago area, including northern Indiana, but are grateful for those beyond as well. Specimens complete with notes and collection data (see collection procedures) can be brought in to Greg or Pat weekdays during museum hours or dropped off after hours with the guard posted inside the west entrance. This flexibility allows you to drop off samples on your way home from a foray or on your way to work. Please call ahead or leave a voice mail message for Greg or Pat so they can expect you or know to pick up your specimens. Some years ago, an IMA member found a fungus at Indiana Dunes, which Greg had not yet observed in this region. Unfortunately, no more samples of this fungus were found. If they had been able to verify the find with a specimen (and science loves documentation) an IMA member’s name would have graced its discovery. IMA member samples, which are placed in the herbarium, have the collectors name attached. Years from now a researcher will be reviewing your contribution --- another gift which keeps on giving!

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The First Morel

(excerpts from a previous newsletter article by Leon Shernoff)

This is not an article on where to find morels (no one can tell you that!) but rather on which ones you should look for in Illinois, and (most importantly) what order they fruit in. Knowing what’s fruiting lets you know where you are in the season; there’s no other way, since the progression of species throughout the Spring depends on the weather and the climate, not on dates.

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Narrowing it down a little more, the first easily-spotted-and-recognized Ascomycetes to fruit in the Spring are in the Sarcoscypha (Scarlet Cup) and Urnula (Black Tulip, Devil's Cup) genera. You can find various species of these beautiful cup fungi in most field guides. However, if you’re finding fresh, bright Scarlet Cups and really dark, not-yet-opened Black Tulips, then it’s too early for morels (in fact, it’s too early for virtually anything). Go away and come back tomorrow (or next week). Or just enjoy seeing these early mushrooms.

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Next come the False Morels, the Gyromitras and the Verpas. Every year, people are poisoned by these mushrooms, thinking that they are morels. Knowing their taxonomy can help you to avoid this fate. All the morels - - the false, the early, the true, whatever - - are in the order Pezizales. Those of you who know that a Peziza is a cup fungus can thus guess the truth: the false morels especially are basically a cup fungus on a stick. In Verpas (and in Helvellas, which usually come out later), the “cup” has been folded back down over the top of the stalk, and in Gyromitras the “cup” is folded back so much that it is often intergrown with the stalk. True morels, on the other hand, are attached to the stalk by the edge of the cup, not the center. It’s as if, instead of growing a stem, someone separated the bottom layer of the cup from the top layer, and just inflated them like a balloon. You can see this in specimens of false and true morels by slicing them down the middle. Most field guides have discussions of this characteristic, and diagrams to show you what to look for. In the chart following, tulip poplars are sometimes just called tulip trees.

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Common Name Scientific Name Other species Special habitat

Week 1 Scarlet Cup
Black Tulip Sarcoscypha coccinea
Urnula Craterium S. occidentalis
Everywhere

Week 2 False Morels
Early Morels Gyromitra esculenta
Gyromitra infula
Verpa bohemica G. fastigiata

V. conica G. esculenta: pines

V. conica: apples

Phase 3 ½-Free Morels Morchella semilibera tulip poplars

Phase 4 Black Morels Morchella elata M. conica
M. angusticeps burnt ground, pines, tulip poplars

Phase 5 Yellow Morels
(White Morels) Morchella deliciosa M. esculenta
M. crassipes old/dying elms and apples; tulip poplars

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By way of closing, let me discuss the chart in a little bit more detail. Each of the “phases” listed in the chart lasts for about five days, except for the first one, which is about a full week. This is a schedule of the onset of each species’ fruiting, not the duration of the fruiting. As you move down the chart, you get more and more of these species fruiting at the same time. The time-table gets slowed down, of course, if the weather stays chilly, and speeds up if it gets warm quickly. Vigilant observation of what is fruiting is your only reliable guide!

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Every mushroom discussed in this article is an Ascomycete!
In case you didn’t know, the title of this article refers to the most famous mushroom carol of all: The First Morel

IMA Mushroom Raffle returns:

Club members who have a big haul of edible species can bring them in and we will raffle them off, with proceeds going to the club. This is a way of generating some extra cash for the club, finding a good home for your extra edibles, and perhaps coming home from the meeting with something nice.

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[Note: in May, a nice batch of morels from Indiana was raffled off. We didn't have time to run the raffle in June, because we were all so late getting over to the meeting from the Czech restaurant.]

Fungal Program at Chicago's Nature Center

On Thursday May 10 at 7 PM Dr. Pat Leacock will give a slide talk on what the spring and summer mushrooms are doing. Come early and visit the developing mushroom gardens. Seasonal fungaria, as well as fresh and dried specimens will be available, including slime molds. This is an all ages program, so children six and over are welcome. North Park Village Nature Center is at 5801 N. Pulaski Road. Go left at the first major fork. Call 312 744-5472 for more information or a copy of their quarterly newsletter.

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May Meeting

Attention: our May club meeting, May 7th, will NOT be held at the Field Museum. We will meeting at the North Park Village Nature Center, which is on Pulaski a loooong half-block south of Peterson. The North Park Village Nature Center is actually a fairly large community of buildings; what you want is the Nature Center itself, which is all the way back from where you enter on Pulaski. There is a guard at the entrance, and a nice big map that's about four feet high.
Info on mushroom hunting forays is further down in the newsletter.

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IMA Loses a Friend

Photo of Morchella esculenta by John Denk

In memory of Donald S. Galat (1/11/1943 -2/25/2001)
He was a man with a deep love for nature, truly could be called an outdoorsman. From early spring to late fall he could be found in the meadows and woods searching for various types of mushrooms. His speech energetically intensified when a subject would turn to mushrooms and enthusiasm was present when searching for the wild fungi. For his family he kept a detailed diary of all his forays, which included his secret mushroom patches and a complete listing of the specimens located in and around the Chicago Land Forest Preserve. Don also was an amateur photographer and was able to capture all wonders of his favorite pastime in the form of pictures and slides for all to enjoy.

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The Walrus Speaks, Part 4

By Leon Shernoff
“The time has come”, the walrus said, “to speak of many things:
“Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax; of cabbages and kings!” – Lewis Carroll

Judging by the reactions of many mushroomers, Carroll’s walrus could have been listing the species in a newly declared genus of bolete. It seems that comfortable old categories, whose members all looked pretty much the same, are being broken up in favor of strange new arrangements of things that, at first glance, seem entirely unconnected with one another. This article addresses the new taxonomy and its rationale and goes into some detail in giving examples of its recent exploits. The article is in four parts.

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Part 1 addresses the new taxonomy in general.
Part 2 looks at the kingdom of fungi as a whole, and why it is currently delimited the way that it is.
Part 3 looks at a major paper which addresses the evolutionary relationships across a wide swath of basidiomycetes, and discusses the sorts of conclusions and speculations this sort of work will support.
Part 4 discusses some other papers that have focused on smaller groups of fungi, and what we can expect from this sort of work in the future.

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Parts one and two ran in the December newsletter, part three ran in March 2001; this is part 4.
Think of me as a walrus translator.

Part 4: More walruses

Because DNA analysis raises such interesting issues, and answers questions in a way that cannot be done by arguing about the significance of morphological features, it has spawned (sorry!) many studies in the last five years. Some interesting and fairly recent articles are listed below. I've provided links to those that are available online.

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botany.duke.edu/fungi/mycolab/publications/lepiota1.html" target="_top">Jacqui Johnson and Rytas Vilgalys (1998): “Phylogenetic systematics of Lepiota sensu lato based on nuclear large subunit rDNA evidence” Mycologia 90:971-979

Francois M. Lutzoni (1997): “Phylogeny of lichen- and non-lichen-forming omphalinoid mushrooms and the utility of testing for combinability among multiple data sets,” Systematic Biology 46(3):373-406

John S. Hopple, Jr. and Rytas Vilgalys (1999): “Phylogenetic Relationships in the Mushroom Genus Coprinus and Dark-Spored Allies Based on Sequence Data From the Nuclear Gene Coding for the Large Ribosomal Subunit RNA: Divergent Domains, Outgroups and Monophyly,” Molecular Phylogenetic and Evolution 13:1-19

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Redhead, Rytas Vilgalys, Hopple, Jacqui Johnson & Jean-Marc Moncalvo (2001)

If you’re interested in more articles, check out David Hibbett's home page,

Scott Redhead's home page

and the botany.duke.edu/fungi/mycolab/agaricphylogeny_start.html" target="_top">Agaric phylogeny project at Duke University, which is where Rytas Vilgalys works. This page also has many links to other articles.

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Image of Coprinus from Jean Louis Émile Boudier (1904 - 1909) Icones mycologicae ou iconographie des champignons de France, principalement Discomycètes

I find the articles on the phylogeny of Coprinus to be the most interesting. In general, black-spored agarics that deliquesce have been placed in Coprinus, while non-deliquescing ones were placed in Psathyrella, since Coprinus and Psathyrella

... have been suggested to form a natural group due to the shared presence of a cellular cuticle, a layer of spherical cells that forms the outermost tissue in the cap or pileus of the mushroom fruit bodies (Singer, 1986). On the other hand, the Strophariaceae and the Agaricaceae possess a filamentous cuticle wherein the outermost layer of cells is formed of filamentous hyphae that are oriented in a radial manner outward from the stalk or stipe. (Hopple & Vilgalys, p.2)

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Image of Coprinus cinereus from Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (1816 - 1817) Das System der Pilze und Schwämme

Hopple & Vilgalys (1999) analyze 66 taxa of Coprinus, Psathyrella, and a few other genera, and come to the conclusion that deliquescence has little to do with evolutionary relatedness in this group. They also come to the conclusion that that the other groups are fairly taxonomically confused, which makes reassigning species difficult. Redhead et alia (2001?) is an attempt to solve this problem; I can’t wait to see what happens! Incidentally, both Hopple & Vilgalys (1999) and Johnson & Vilgalys (1998) reach the conclusion that the shaggy mane is only distantly related to the other Coprinuses (and Psathyrellas) and instead belongs in the family with Agaricus and Lepiota. That will be interesting to see, also.

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Photo of Coprinus comatus by John Denk

Scott has written the Coprinus story up for McIlvainea: (2001) Redhead, S.A. "Bully for Coprinus - a story of manure, minutiae, and molecules" so you can read more about it there.

Image of Omphalina ericetorum from A. M. Hussey (1847 - 1855) Illustrations of British mycology

The Lutzoni paper is an interesting look at the genus Omphalina. Omphalina is a genus of small wood-rotters that have yellowish coloration and a funnel-shaped cap surrounding a central depression (“omphalos” means belly-button; the Omphalinas are “in”-ies). The genus was created sort of in reaction to Mycena, which lacks yellow pigments and whose caps are always bell-shaped. If this sounds like a tenuous basis for a genus... then you’ve been paying attention.

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Anyway, some of the members of Omphalina form lichens, which only few a few basidiomycetes do (most lichens are with ascomycetous fungi). Anyway, Lutzoni tests a number of “omphalioid” (Omphalina and recent segregates like Xeromphalina, Chrysomphalina, Gerronema and Arrhenia. You know: the ones that drive you crazy if you try to use Roger Phillips’ book.) fungi and finds that the lichen-forming Omphalinas form a monophyletic group, and that otherwise there’s basically a random correlation between phylogeny and these new genera. See? It isn’t you! Now, who would’ve thought that DNA analysis would be used to show that (some) modern genera don’t make sense?

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Photo of Hygrocybe by John Denk

Personally, I’m wondering what will happen to the Hygrophoraceae (waxy caps): like the Russulaceae, they are a group of white spored mushrooms with a unique microscopic feature (especially long basidia that give their gills a silky or waxy feel) that everyone thought was, well, a little strange, but not terribly important. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them end up way the heck over in some other clade also. Maybe that research has already been done and I’m just not aware of it.

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These and other papers are filling in the gaps in the overall picture presented in the big chart from Hibbett et alia, adding detail, nuance, and corroboration. It is good to get as large a sample size as possible when using this methodology. One good example of the problems associated with sample size is the position of our lone Russula, way over away from all the other gilled mushrooms in clade 3a2. The Russula itself isn’t a problem – its solitary position has been supported by other work. But one of the mycologists who spoke at the 2000 NAMA foray talked about a DNA study of the gilled mushrooms that showed that the big evolutionary split was between the Russulaceae and all other gilled mushrooms, and that Thelephora was the missing link between them. If all the Russulaceae (Russulas and Lactarius) fall out in clade 3 and you were doing a study that only looked at the gilled mushrooms (and Thelephora!), you can see how someone might come to that conclusion: there’s a big break between the Russula in clade 3 and the main body of gilled mushrooms (this paper’s “euagarics”) in clade 4; and Thelephora sort of fits nicely in between them. However, once you see all the other fungi that are sharing clade 3 in this study, it starts looking like the Russulaceae just simply aren’t closely related to the other gilled mushrooms at all, and the search for a way to group them together is just a waste of time.

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One implication of the paper by Hibbett et al. (that generated my favorite chart) is that classification of fleshy fungi simply on the basis of the morphology of their fertile surface is dead. Or, rather, that it should be dead. We all have a lot of habits drilled into us from an “upbringing” based on the Friesian system. Even Hibbett et alia come up with sentences like (at the end of the first block quotation) “These results indicate that gilled mushrooms have been derived from morphologically diverse precursors.” Actually, they don’t. They show that gilled mushrooms have been derived from evolutionarily diverse precursors. Morphologically, each of the precursors of the gilled mushrooms (or clades of gilled mushrooms) in the chart could have been some generic polypore. So even the experts have habits to get rid of. I think that we’ll have a critical mass of genetic data fairly soon, and then it will all start making sense and the taxonomy will settle down. Scott Redhead, in answer to a question after his talk at the NAMA 2000 Foray, said “I think that the next generation of mycologists will grow up with this and it will seem natural to them, and they won’t have any problems. For the rest of us, though, it’s very difficult.”

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What we have here is a disjunction equal to that of recognizing the Cantharellaceae for the first time. For people before Fries (and probably for quite a while after!), the black trumpet and the chanterelle were completely different things. Now, we see them as perfectly naturally part of the same family. So it will be for other taxa: the shaggy mane will be something like a Lepiota, that just happens to deliquesce. Its resemblance to the other (current) Coprinus species will seem just as accidental as the resemblance of a black trumpet to a Peziza. If this seems distressing, let’s return one last time to the paenungulates.

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Now that you know that (as in the manatee) some paenungulates are aquatic, and (as with the elephant) their marginal control of body temperature gives them a biological incentive to get as big as possible, it should come as no surprise to you to learn that another member of the paenungulates is... the whale. That’s right, dear reader: in genetic and evolutionary terms, the whale is a primitive hoofed grazing animal. At the end of each of the five “finger” bones in each flipper is a vestigal hoof. But, it may please you to learn, although all the zoologists basically agree that the whales belong in the paenungulates, they have refused to actually place them there. Sometimes they cite the intensive adaptation of the whales to their new environment, but basically they just can’t deal with the idea. So cheer up, dear reader! It’s not that bad in mycology. For one thing, whales are very difficult to grow in a petri dish (or wood pile). For another, no matter how bad mushroom taxonomy may get, you’re never going to have to put a whale into the same family as an aardvark!

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But then, you’re talking to a walrus here...

2001 Spring (Morel) Foray Schedule

April 28 Sat. 9:00 AM Morel Foray, South suburbs
May 5 Sat. 9:00 AM Magnolia IL (State Morel Madness)
May 6 Sun. 9:00 AM Family Morel Outing at the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, Palos Hills (see below for details)
May 12 Sat. 9:00 AM Morel Foray, North suburbs
May 18-20 Wisconsin Morel Weekend (IMA-WMS morel Social)?

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Little Red Schoolhouse Family Morel Foray

Sunday, May 6 @ 9:00 AM
Family day, bring your kids!
Your fearless leader: John Komosa

Location: Little Red Schoolhouse is located in unincorporated Homer Township, south of Willow Springs and west of Palos Hills suburbs. It is on the west side of 104th Avenue between 95th and 107th Streets (if that is confusing, see directions below). We will meet at the main parking lot and proceed from there to local spots.
Directions:

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From the northeast (Chicago area)... Take I-55 south and get off on Rt. 45 (LaGrange/Mannheim Road). Go south on Route 45 to 95th. Turn right (west) to 104th Ave. Turn left (south) to the LRS entrance.
From the northwestern suburbs... Take I-294 south past I-55 and exit at 75th Street exit. Take a right (west) after toll-booths to Willow Springs Road. Turn left (south) to past Archer (Route 171). Now it becomes 104th Avenue. Continue south about 1/2 mile past 95th street to the LRS entrance on the right hand (west side) (or continue south on I-294, exit on 95th Street; follow directions below)
From the east (Indiana).... Take I-80/94 to I-294 north, and get off on the 95th street exit. Go west on 95th to 104th Avenue. Then left (south) for 1/2 mile to the LRS. entrance.

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NOTE 1: For those interested you can stay afterwards and visit the L.R.S., a historic one-room log cabin school and the surrounding attractions. Also, if you did not get your share of morels (and for those who might have came too late?) there are very nice walking paths south & west, and northwest of Long John Slough which produced some morels in the past.
NOTE 2: For hotdog lovers: There is a very popular SAM’s Vienna stand on Archer Ave (RT. 171) 1 block west of Willow Springs Road. We can stop there afterwards and put a few away!

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Hints for Identifying the most common early Spring fungi...

(per Leon Shernoff)

Polyporus squamosus

Photo of Polyporus squamosus by John Denk

Polyporus squamosus has a characteristic "pheasant" pattern on the cap, large size, and the smell of watermelon rind when you scratch the pore surface. When it gets very large, as in this photo, the center of the cap gets dark. As with many polypores, the base of the stalk is black.

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Flammulina velutipes

Image of Flammulina velutipes from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Flammulina velutipes is a white-spored gilled mushroom that grows in small clusters on wood. The cap is rich brown to yellow-brown at the edges, darkening to almost black at the center, and is slimy if the mushroom has sufficient moisture to spare. The stem has short black fur at the base (hence the name velutipes, velvet-foot).

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False Morels

Image of Morchella esculenta (left), Morchella semilibera (right) from Nees von Esenbeck's 1817 Das System der Pilze und Schwämme

Gyromitra and Verpa species are also known as “false morels”. The true morels have a pitted, honeycomb-like fertile surface which is sometimes compared to a sponge in appearance. Their fertile surface is continuous with the stem, and they are completely hollow (like a chocolate santa). Morchella semilibera is a morel, but the fertile surface has a little “skirt” that hangs over the juncture of stem and cap. It is the only true morel where the edge of the fertile surface is not continuous with the stalk.

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Photo of Verpa conica by John Denk

Verpas has a smooth or wrinkled fertile surface that hangs from a single point at the top of the stalk like a skirt hanging from a pole.
The only common Verpas in America are the smooth Verpa conica and the wrinkled Verpa bohemica.

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Image of Gyromitra esculenta from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Gyromitras are hollow but with contorted inner cross-walls (like a chocolate santa that swallowed another chocolate santa).
Their fertile surface is very wrinkled and they are sometimes called "brain fungi".

Urnula craterium

Image of Urnula craterium from Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck & A. C. F. Henry (1837) Das System der Pilze: part one

Urnula craterium is a black cup fungus which starts out life curled up (as in the picture) so that it looks more like a jar than a cup. The point where the fungus emerges from the ground may even be so thin and long that it looks like it has a stem. As it gets older, it gets flatter, and looks more like a normal cup fungus (that is, really, more like a rimmed plate than a cup).

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Polyporus arcularius

Photo of Polyporus arcularius by John Denk

Polyporus arcularius is much smaller than P. squamosus, about silver-dollar size, often coming straight up from the top of a log on a well-developed central stalk. It is toasty colors (golden to dark brown) and has little white hairs fringing the rim of the cap. The pores are large and angular. The stalk is never black, as in squamosus.

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Photo of Favolus alveolaris by John Denk

Polyporus arcularius is most likely to be mistaken for Favolus alveolaris which also has angular pores and an attractive brown cap, and Polyporus varius, which is about the same size and also centrally stalked. However, neither of these have the fringe of little hairs; alveolaris has a lateral, stubby stem instead of a central one, and its pores are much larger. Polyporus varius is whiter, tougher , and has a stem that is black at the base.

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...the Bonus mushroom!**

Caulorhiza hygrophoroides is our “find” for the season. It is a white-spored gilled mushroom with a “root” (hence the name Caulorhiza, stem-root). The cap is deep pink to almost brown, and feels a little soapy or waxy (hence the name hygrophoroides, meaning resembling a hygrophorus or waxy cap). The gills are also pink, but a paler shade than the cap. It is usually just an inch or two across, and up to 6” high. Please do not pick it except, perhaps, one mature specimen to verify the root but do take pictures of it for the IMA web site.

**In the future, we hope to include these “cheat sheets” to help you prepare for what you might find on upcoming forays. The “bonus mushroom” is something relatively rare that would be a great prize scientifically.

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The information contained in this newsletter regarding identification of wild mushrooms is not intended to function as a guide for their edibility. Neither the editor, contributing authors, cited sources nor the IMA accepts responsibility for those who decide to consume wild mushrooms based on information described herein.

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Notes from our President...

Membership Directory

Please use your directory in the spirit it was intended: to contact fellow members for forays and help with identification. It is not a marketing tool. If you want to advertise to members via our newsletter, then please contact us for rates.

Morel Mania May 5th

Spring has sprung, then sprang (why can't it just snow in January?) but soon it will be morel season.
Saturday May 5th is Morel Mania in Magnolia, Illinois. As always, IMA will be present to sell t-shirts, books and distribute membership information. If you are coming to Magnolia, then please plan on helping at the IMA booth for a few hours. The more the merrier and a lighter load on everyone would be nice, so please contact Catherine Lambrecht to advise if you can help or if you need a ride to Magnolia.
At this event, the Illinois State Morel Mushroom Hunting Championship will be conducted. For the past two years, IMA member Darrel Cox has been the champion. If you want to participate, then check: Morel Mania or e-mail: morel@ocslink.com for more information.

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Lake Katherine Nature Preserve, Palos Heights, IL - April 28th

We have been invited to promote the joys of IMA at their Arbor Day Celebration. Please volunteer to man our display - don't be deterred by your level of expertise, we just want enthusiasm to intrigue people into the joys of mushrooming. Please contact Catherine Lambrecht for more information

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Pheasant Morel Bisque

Use as many morels as you can spare, a couple of big handfulls of dried is fine or a pound of fresh.
4 cups of pheasant stock, preferably homemade
2 cups of half and half
2 cups of milk
1 large onion
6 tablespoons of butter
6 tablespoons of flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Dash of sherry (the good stuff, not cooking sherry)

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Chop the onion and the morels and simmer for 20 minutes in the stock. If the morels are dried, it's not necessary to soak them first. They'll rehydrate in the stock. (chicken stock may be substituted).
In a heavy dutch oven or large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir for at least five minutes. You want to cook out the flour taste. It's good if it browns a little, but be careful not to burn it.
Slowly add the milk and half and half, stirring constantly. Let it come almost to a boil. When it thickens, add the stock and some of the cut up pheasant (or chicken) meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the sherry and parsley.

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This recipe was shared by Janet Opdyke of the Michigan Mushroom Hunters Club.
She states that she adapted it from Morel Bisque in Larry Lonik's book “The Curious Morel”

Dear Fellow Mycophiles:

A few words from your foray director (I like the title coordinator better - it sounds a little less authoritative?!)
The reason why the spring (morel) forays are scheduled on Sat, and so early in the day is because we don’t want to be last (or even 2nd) to other independent morel hunters.
It would be good to schedule a weekday morel foray (preferably Thur-Fri) to pick the ones that grew since the previous weekend, and before the weekend warriors hit the woods! But I don’t get home from work until 5-7 PM and can’t lead a foray. If there are any volunteers to share their good morel spots (ok now don’t be bashful) and are willing to lead, step forward and we’ll schedule it.
If you have suggestions for future foray locations feel free to contact me.

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Upcoming Meetings:

Photo of Morchella esculenta by Greg Starrett

April 2: Leon Shernoff has prepared a slide program entitled “Rare and Unusual Fungi”. Leon promises some really cool slides. 7:30 PM at the Field Museum
May 7: Our Annual Morel Meeting. Some of our most experienced morel hunters share their tricks and talk about their experiences.

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Congratulations Eileen!

At our March meeting Catherine Lambrecht presented outgoing President, Eileen Shutte with a beautiful driftwood sculpture depicting (what else) mushrooms for her service to the club. As a new member, Eileen has always made me feel at home in addition to being very helpful in my pursuit of Mycology. She is a credit to our group. Ed.

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The Walrus Speaks, Part 3

By Leon Shernoff
“The time has come”, the walrus said, “to speak of many things:
“Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax; of cabbages and kings!” – Lewis Carroll

Judging by the reactions of many mushroomers, Carroll’s walrus could have been listing the species in a newly declared genus of bolete. It seems that comfortable old categories, whose members all looked pretty much the same, are being broken up in favor of strange new arrangements of things that, at first glance, seem entirely unconnected with one another. This article addresses the new taxonomy and its rationale and goes into some detail in giving examples of its recent exploits. The article is in four parts.

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Part 1 addresses the new taxonomy in general.
Part 2 looks at the kingdom of fungi as a whole, and why it is currently delimited the way that it is.
Part 3 looks at a major paper which addresses the evolutionary relationships across a wide swath of basidiomycetes, and discusses the sorts of conclusions and speculations this sort of work will support.
Part 4 discusses some other papers that have focused on smaller groups of fungi, and what we can expect from this sort of work in the future.

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Parts one and two ran in the December newsletter; this is part three.
Think of me as a walrus translator.

3. The Problems of Mushroom Taxonomy – new approaches

Classic mushroom taxonomy – that is, the system invented by Elias Magnus Fries in the 1820s for the gilled mushrooms, and by Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1801 for everything else – contains many polyphyletic taxa, that is, lots of groups of things that aren’t really related to one another. The classic mushroom taxonomy is fooled by both convergent and divergent evolution.

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Photo of Cantharellus cibarius by John Denk

A lot of this is the mushrooms’ fault: they have very few characteristics (compared, say, to mammals), so it’s easy for several of them to just happen to be similar by accident. Take, for example, the chanterelles. Linnaeus’ system classified fungi rigidly according to their type of fertile surface; so he place the chanterelle in the genus Merulius because of its wrinkled but not definitely gilled fertile surface)

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Photo of Phlebia tremellosa by John Denk

This seems very strange to us, but only because we’ve grown up in a world where Merulius is a group of semi-resupinate, gelatinous things now placed in Phlebia.

Photo of Craterellus fallax by John Denk

And similarly, he placed the black trumpet (our Craterellus fallax) in Peziza. This is an even bigger stretch, in terms of phylogeny, as the rest of the Pezizas are ascomycetes, but they didn’t know about asci and basidia back then.

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Image of Urnula craterium from Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck & A. C. F. Henry (1837) Das System der Pilze: part one

It makes perfect sense for the time: there are plenty of dark-colored cup fungi, and one of them, Urnula craterium is even black and sticks up off the ground in a vase sort of shape. The black trumpet must have seemed a close relative to it.

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Well, Persoon invented the genus Craterellus in 1801 for the black trumpet; and Fries, in 1831, resurrected Adanson's genus Cantharellus and stuck both mushrooms into it. As far as I know, he didn’t give any reasons for this, so we don’t know what his reasoning was. Did he somehow value vase-shaped growth habit and edibility over gross morphology? Maybe he and Persoon realized that the fertile surface of the black trumpet is on the outside of the vase, instead of the inside, as with the cup fungi. We can cheer him on for somehow intuiting that they belonged in the same big group (genera were much broader categories back then); but it must have given the more traditional mushroom-hunters of the time quite a shock. They would have all had to get new field guides!

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Photo of Favolus alveolaris by John Denk

It’s nice to see getting Fries getting this one right, but we have to recognize that it’s partly by chance. As I said above, with so few characters per fungus, it’s inevitable that some fungi should turn out similar-looking without actually being related. And so it was: At the very same time that he put all the Cantharellaceae into Cantharellus for the first time, he also included the polypore Favolus alveolaris. We, nowadays, interpret the fertile surface of F. alveolaris as pores that are unusually wide and angular; Fries apparently interpreted the fertile surface as a network of gill-like ridges, like the chanterelle’s. This is all by way of letting you know that sudden traumatic changes in classification are nothing new to the field of mycology; and that a lot of the sudden traumatic changes one sees nowadays are cleaning up godawful messes that were created a long time ago.

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Image of Collybia racemosa from Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (1816 - 1817) Das System der Pilze und Schwämme

In some cases, the ancient mycologists proved incapable of even recognizing different parts as belonging to the same fungus. Take for example the genera Sclerotium and Rhizomorpha. Now, you probably thought that sclerotia and rhizomorphs were part of fungi, not fungi in their own right. But that’s because you’re living in the 20th century. Sclerotium and Rhizomorpha are ancient genera recognized by both Fries and Persoon, and the fungi that we now know that they are a part of were thought to be parasitizing them. For instance, the historically important fungus Collybia racemosa appears twice in Nees von Esenbeck’s wonderful Das System der Pilze und Schwämme of 1817, once to identify the “parasitic” fungus as Collybia racemosa, and once to identify the “host” fungus as Sclerotium lacunosum.

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The situation was just as bad for Rhizomorpha. John Ramsbottom, in his 1953 book Mushrooms and Toadstools, lists 13 “species” of Rhizomorpha that all turned out to be rhizomorphs of the honey mushroom, and also gives the example of Rhizomorpha medullaris, described by Sir James Edward Smith in 1818, which turned out to be the roots of a willow tree. (p.156) The faulty premises of the previous centuries have left contemporary mycologists with a lot of garbage to clean up.

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Okay, so what do we do differently? Well, we use the microscope a lot more. In fact, it was Léveillé’s microscopic studies in “Mémoire sur le genere Sclerotium” that finally convinced everybody that they were just part of the fungus to which they were attached (Léveillé also discovered the basidium and cystidium, and is responsible for them getting the taxonomic respect they now enjoy – a fearsome man with a microscope!). Contemporary descriptions of fungi include all sorts of internal microscopic details (often, over 200 characters) that make them infinitely more useful (for exact determinations) than the old-style descriptions of maybe 10-20 characters that could all be seen with the naked eye. But that’s not always enough. The next level is DNA analysis. This has two advantages: first, it can distinguish between taxa that are almost identical to the eye; second, it can provide a measurement of evolutionary distance that is independent of fruiting body morphology. For instance, if you want to know whether a puffball or a jelly fungus is more closely related to a shaggy mane, you would have to go on intuition without DNA (or, you have to make what is sometimes called a “qualitative measurement” of the evolutionary distance).

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Photo of Armillaria gallica by John Denk

But with DNA testing, you can come up with a “quantitative measurement”, a number expressing the number of DNA base pairs the three taxa have in common. The first use of DNA enables us to separate visually similar species complexes. Most of you know that we now have defined about a dozen “honey mushrooms” (only three are common in our area) and about half a dozen “chicken mushrooms” (two are common in our area). I hope to spend another (shorter!) article talking about them, especially as I think some of the discoveries impact edibility. But I am going to spend the rest of the article talking about the second kind of research, which gives us a way of measuring the relatedness of many different kinds of fungi at once, and addressing the kingdom as a whole.

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I’m going to use an article by David S. Hibbett, Elizabeth M. Pine, Ewald Langer, Gitta Langer, and Michael J. Donoghue called “Evolution of gilled mushrooms and puffballs inferred from ribosomal DNA sequences”. The meat of their work was summarized in a chart. I present a simplified version of it alongside this text. This abbreviated version omits a lot of information-bearing symbols and some of the taxa.

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There are five big groups of taxa, or clades. They are numbered in the order that they break off from a presumed primeval ancestor, with #1 being the earliest diverging. Note that this doesn’t mean that the early-diverging clades “should” be more “primitive”. They’ve had just as much time to evolve as any of the other mushrooms in the chart. What it does mean is that the early-diverging clades should be (and do seem to be) more heterogeneous, as their member have had more time to evolve away from each other. It’s not clear that Meripilus giganteus, Panus rudis, and Albatrellus syringae should really be considered part of clade 5 (below); they’re more like independent off-shoots on the way from clade 4 (I have over-simplified their diagram in sticking them all together). They’ve created a term, “euagaric” (or pure, ideal agarics) for the clade containing the majority of the gilled mushrooms.

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The thesis of the paper is that gastroid fruiting bodies evolved more than once over the evolutionary history of the fungi, that is, whether the Gasteromycetes of our favorite field guide is actually a polyphyletic taxon. They were especially interested in the evolution of gasteromycetes from gilled mushrooms, and their data is a little strange for that, as they’ve sample the non-gilled hymenomycetes (and the Polyporaceae in particular) much more intensively than they have the gilled mushrooms. Well, there’s no need for us to complain about that, as their wider coverage gives us material that is more generally interesting. You can see from the chart that they found four separate occasions upon which gasteromycetes evolved: twice in the euagarics (the puffballs and the birds-nest fungi); the Scleroderma in Boletes; and the three gastroid taxa that make up the first half of clade 1.

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They also point out that gilled mushrooms also evolved several time during the history of the fungi: besides the euagarics in clade 4 and Russula in clade 3, the tough, lateral-stemmed white-spored genera (Lentinus, Panus, and their segregates, marked with L and P in the margin of the chart) seem to have all evolved separately, at different times. “From what?” you might ask. Well, the surviving hymenomycetes from clade 1 are all club and coral fungi. Clade 2 has the “gilled polypore” Gloeophyllum sepiarium and the tooth fungus Hydnum repandum; otherwise its members are all club/coral fungi and taxa with a “thellephoroid” hymenium: flat, somewhat wrinkled, but lacking in “true gills”. Clades 3 (especially 3b) and 5 are mostly tough Polyporaceae, so (if one really needs to make broad generalizations) it looks like that “habit” of growth is the “main trend” of fungal development from that point on, and the relatively tender-fleshed agarics and boletes of clade 4 are something of a fluke, or at least a sideline. The authors also felt that their data didn’t give them any indication as to which of these growth habits came first, either in the euagarics or the Boletales:

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The sister group of the euagarics in all [well-formed] trees is the Boletales clade (Boletus, Paxillus, and Scleroderma), but... [the details of this are] not resolved with confidence, and the evolutionary precursor of the gills of euagarics therefore remains unclear. Even if monophyly of the euagarics plus the Boletales was strongly supported, however, the... [“essential”] morphology of the Boletales is unresolved. In our study, the Boletales were represented by poroid, gilled, and puffball forms. This is consistent with the findings of Bruns and colleagues, who also have shown that the Boletales includes false truffles and resupinate forms. The closest relatives of the other lineages of gilled mushrooms [(those labeled L and P in the chart)] in our analysis are various nongilled Hymenomycetes. For example, the gilled mushroom Lentinus tigrinus is nested in a clade of polypores whereas the closest relatives of the gilled mushrooms Lentinellus omphalodes and L. ursinus are a coral fungus and a toothed fungus. These results indicate that gilled mushrooms have been derived from morphologically diverse precursors. (p.12003)

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So, the main motivation for Hibbett et. alia was to see whether gastroid fleshy fungi had (a) evolved several times independently and (b) from gilled mushrooms (these turned out to be separate claims). The other purpose of the paper was to determine whether evolution had ever gone the other way, that is whether gilled mushrooms have ever evolved from gasteromycetes.
As you can see, the gastroid taxa all occupy the terminal positions on their tree – there is no sign that a non-gastroid fungus ever evolved from a gastroid one. This last part is not quite clear to me: after all, the only thing the chart really can claim is that such-and-such taxa had a common ancestor; as to the identity or characteristics of that ancestor... who knows?

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Anyway, for the purposes of this paper (that is, my paper), the important thing isn’t the success or failure of their theses, but that they’ve given us this nice tree to play with and draw conclusions from. What sort of games can we play? Well, let’s see. First of all, we can examine several predictions that were made a while ago concerning evolutionary relationships addressed by this chart:

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Photo of Bondarzewia berkeleyi by John Denk

1) Rolf Singer's (1986) The Agaricales in Modern Taxonomy is the standard overall reference work for the taxonomy (especially the “higher” taxonomic groups: families and orders) of the gilled fungi. Singer was so convinced of a close relationship between Bondarzewia and the Russulaceae that he included Bondarzewia in the book as a “gilled” mushroom. Whether you want to say he was correct or not depends on what sort of standard you want to hold him to, but they are certainly more closely related to each other than either one is to the euagarics.

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Image of Russula sanguinea from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

2) On a related note, Singer (and many others) turns out to have been correct that there is a definite separation between the Russulaceae and the rest of the gilled mushrooms (the euagarics, anyway); but I don’t think that anyone realized just how profound that separation would turn out to be.

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Photo of Albatrellus CH1 by John Denk

3) R. L. Gilbertson & Leif Ryvarden's (1986) North American Polypores has the same sort of status in its field that Singer’s does. In it, they advance the hypothesis that Albatrellus is closely related to Hydnum: both genera are terrestrial, mycorrhizal fungi of about the same size and coloration; their spores and internal hyphae are almost identical. Were it not for the difference in the morphology of their fertile surface, Gilbertson and Ryvarden claim, it would be impossible to tell members of the two genera apart.

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Image of Hydnum repandum from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

This hypothesis is not supported by this study. (Of course, Hibbett et alia may simply have sampled the wrong Albatrellus!) What it may indicate, however, is that Albatrellus is typical of the “backbone” of the tree from clade 3 onward, the hypothetical “main line” from which clades 3-5 separated.

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Image of Cantharellus cibarius from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

4) The opinion that Hydnum and Cantharellus are closely related has long been accepted among mycologists in general (my apologies to anyone who should have been specifically credited with advancing this hypothesis). This is strongly born out by the study, although one might have wished for the use of a more typical chanterelle.

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Image of Sarcodon from Jean Louis Émile Boudier (1904 - 1909) Icones mycologicae ou iconographie des champignons de France, principalement Discomycètes

5) Likewise, most mycologists believe that the toothed genera Hydnellum (plus Phellodon and Sarcodon, not represented in this study) are closely related to Thelephora, not the other terrestrial tooth fungus Hydnum. That opinion is also supported by this study.

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Image of Sphaerobolus stellatus from Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (1816 - 1817) Das System der Pilze und Schwämme

6) It’s interesting to see Geastrum saccatum and Sphaerobolus stellatus grouped together. Sphaerobolus is one of the genera that develops a multi-layered peridium around a central glob of spores. The outer peridium splits open in a star-shaped manner, the inner peridium fills with water and pops out, ejecting the gleba.

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Image of Geastrum fimbriatum from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Geastrum also has an exterior peridium that splits (or opens, after being already split) into star-like rays in response to environmental moisture. It’s interesting to see that these two mechanisms probably evolved together.

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Image of Hericium erinaceus from Jean Louis Émile Boudier (1904 - 1909) Icones mycologicae ou iconographie des champignons de France, principalement Discomycètes

7) Two of Clavicorona pyxidata’s closest neighbors in the chart are the tooth fungi Hericium ramosum and Auriscalpium vulgare. Clavicorona pyxidata is something of a maverick among the coral fungi, being the only one that grows on rotting wood (the rest are mycorhizal) and having unusual coloration. The results of this genetic analysis suggest that it may not be an unusual Ramaria , but an upside-down Hericium. I like this idea very much.

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8) Hibbett et alia make much of the secotioid fungi as a possible evolutionary link between gilled fungi and gastroid ones. A secotioid fungus is one that resembles a “normal” mushroom that just never opened. Spores are not released on the wind as in a normal agaric, but are freed only when the outer shell of the mushroom (corresponding to the cap) breaks or rots away. Arora has a nice presentation of them in Mushrooms Demystified. Secotioid fungi are mainly associated with extreme environmental conditions (desert or high mountains) and the secotioid growth habit is thought to give the developing spores greater protection from the hostile climate. Hibbett et alia’s flagship example is Lentinus tigrinus, where

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there is a naturally occurring developmental mutant in which a recessive allele at a single locus confers a Gasteromycete-like enclosed hymenophore. Although the genetic basis of gasteromycetization in other lineages is unknown, the situation in L. tigrinus suggests that such transformations could be mediated by one or a small number of mutations in genes that have large phenotypic effects.

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Image of Tulostoma brumale from Jean Louis Émile Boudier (1904 - 1909) Icones mycologicae ou iconographie des champignons de France, principalement Discomycètes

To which I would add that the heterogeneous contents of clades like #3 suggests that a very small genetic difference seems to be enough to cause great difference in fertile surface morphology.

Anyway, since Hibbett et alia have this evolutionary hypothesis of gilled mushroom – secotioid mushroom – puffball, it’s very nice that they’ve included the “stalked puffball” Tulostoma macrocephala. The Tulostomataceae in general are also known for inhabiting inhospitable climates and may be secotioid fungi that have lost their gills but not (yet) their stalks. One can flesh out Hibbett et alia’s hypothesis as follows:

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a) A gilled mushroom develops secotioid forms, perhaps in response to changes in climate.
b) The secotioid forms then lose their gills (or pores, in the case of Gasteroboletus), becoming Tulostomatales.
c) The climate becomes temperate again, and the Tulostomatales lose their stalk, becoming “normal” puffballs.

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Or it may be that there is a split on the edge of the desert, and the desert forms stay stalked, while the temperate ones lost their stalks immediately. In any case, it's nice to see the stalked puffball on the clade chart occupying a position in between the gilled mushrooms and the puffballs, supporting this hypothesis.

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Image of Boletus parasiticus from Jean Louis Émile Boudier (1904 - 1909) Icones mycologicae ou iconographie des champignons de France, principalement Discomycètes

9) I am especially intrigued by the position of Scleroderma citrinum. It is known to be “parasitized” occasionally by Boletus parasiticus; I’m wondering whether they may simply be the same fungus, with a gene that flips it back and forth, like Lentinus tigrinus. Our separation of the Scleroderma and the bolete that grows from it may have been just as mistaken as the separation of Collybia racemosa and Sclerotium lacunosum that I mentioned above. It will be interesting to watch for further developments in this area.

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I think that this discussion has given us a good appreciation of the sorts of results and ideas that make this sort of DNA analysis interesting. I now want to move on to part 4, where I will briefly discuss a few papers that address smaller groups of gilled mushrooms, and then wrap things up.

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It’s 2001.......Let’s Get Digital,

Beginning soon, the newsletter will also be sent electronically. We would like to invite members with e-mail addresses to forgo the paper copy. With the cost of each copy approaching one dollar (printing and postage) the savings could be substantial and help fund other projects - perhaps an all day class. If you would like to get future issues by e-mail only please send your request to me, Ralph Rucinski. -Ed.

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Summer Mushroom Workshop, The Leelanau School

Dr. Andrew Methvan, professor of mycology at Eastern Illinois University, will present a mushroom workshop at the Leelanau School in Glen Arbor, Michigan. The course is entitled the “Mushrooms of Sleeping Bear Dunes” and will be held from August 5-10, 2001. My wife, Nancy and I attended this workshop in 1999 and found it to be first rate. If interested contact the Leelanau School. -Ed
Phone: 231-334-5840 Fax: 231-334-5899 e-mail: dpetty@leelanau.org www.leelanau.org

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SPRING OF '99

John Komosa reminds us that spring is just around the corner...

Here we ago again, another spring,
where everything comes back to life,
you can hear the robins sing,
between nest building strife.

The buds are swelling on the trees,
overnight the grass turns luscious green,
the cycle of the birds and the bees,
starts again the procreation machine.

Gone is the 'nag' of the cabin fever,
gone are the stuffy wintry rooms,
it's time to become an eager beaver,
and start thinking of spring mushrooms.

Time to rototill the old dormant garden,
to plant veggies and flowers and things,
before the soil dries out and hardens,
before the hot summer spreads it's wings.

The spring of '99 will be the same,
it will follow the eons of others,
it will be again a challenge and a game,
to appease all of the earth's mothers.

So let's put on our working clothes,
and get our fingernails dirty,
for before anyone of us knows,
the spring will be gone in a hurry!

John S. Komosa
04/07/1999

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Stamp Collecting Project helps Illinois Audubon Society Sanctuaries

The Illinois Audubon Society sponsors a “stamp collecting” project as a small way of supporting its Sanctuary Program. The money obtained from selling donated stamps goes into the Sanctuary Land Acquisition Fund and is designed strictly for the purchase of Illinois Audubon sanctuaries.

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What stamps should be saved?
Commemoratives, airmail stamps, high denomination definitive stamps, express mail stamps, duck stamps, and all foreign stamps.
What stamps should not be saved? Most definitives (the small square stamps), Love stamps, Christmas stamps and any stamp that is damaged (which includes the perforations around the stamp).

How should the stamps be saved?
Take the envelope and cut with a scissors that part of the envelope where the stamp was affixed allowing approximately 1/4 to 1/8 inch of paper all around the stamp’s perforations (except the top and right margins). Do not attempt to tear or peel any stamp from the paper it was stuck to since that almost certainly destroys the stamp’s value. If any part of modern stamps are damaged (which includes the perforations), they have little or no market value and should be thrown away.

Where should the stamps be mailed?
If by regular mail:
The Illinois Audubon Society
P.O. Box 2418
Danville, IL 61834-2418

If by United Parcel Service
The Illinois Audubon Society
425-B N. Gilbert Street
Danville, IL 61832

For more information contact:
Chicago-area Coordinator
Kay MacNeil
689 Golf Club Lane
Frankfort, IL 60423
(815)-496-1294

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Member Recipe of the Month:

Mushrooms in Sour Cream
------------------------
(John S. Komosa)

Any edible (wild) mushrooms can be used as long as they don’t fall apart when boiled or become ‘mushy’.

Clean, cut up into smaller pieces; boil, drain, rinse in cold water, refrigerate.

Now mix cold ‘shrooms, chopped onion, minced garlic, spoon of mustard, sour cream, spoon or two of mayo, spices, salt & pepper to taste dash of sugar.

Let stand in fridge for hrs before eating cold with rye bread or mashed potatoes.

The amount of sour cream and mayo depends on how much you count calories and amount of other ingredients on your taste.

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Photo of Morchella semilibera by John Denk

The attached John Denk photo of Morchella semilibera should whet your appetite for our first foray in April.
Pray for rain and warm weather.

Interested in a special foray in the central highlands of Mexico?

August 27 – September 2: The Tlaxcala 2001 Mushroom Excursion

Little-known Tlaxcala (“Tluss-KA-la”,) is a 1 ½ hours drive east of Mexico City. Tlaxcala’s high elevation (7,000ft.+), richly forested mountainsides, temperate climate and ideal humidity generate excellent fungi development conditions, making it home to more than 400 species, with several unique to the region.
The Tlaxcala 2001 Mushroom Tour will be an all-inclusive, 6-day event with an intense focus on foraying, fungi identification, informative
presentations and gourmet enjoyment of the edibles collected.
For more information contact:
Jon Jarvis, Gundi Jeffrey, Erik Portsmouth (Tour Organizers).
Mexican Mushroom Tours
APDO #64, Tlaxcala, Tlax.
90000 Mexico

Tel/Fax*: (2) 46-809-78
e-mail: erik@mexmush.com or visit
www.mexmush.com

*(From US or Canada, first dial access: 011-52)

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Upcoming Meetings:

March 5: Mr. Sanjay Kundliker, president of Tulsi Mushroom Farms, will speak on The Mushrooms of India.

April 2: Leon Shernoff has prepared a slide program entitled “Rare and Unusual Fungi”.

Both programs will be held at the Field Museum at 7:30 PM.

Details of our first foray will appear in your next newsletter.

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December Meeting

Monday December 4th Member slide show. We will have member slides of the last year to review.
If you have a digital camera, we expect to be able to show them over the video display in our meeting room. Advise Catherine Lambrecht in advance that you’ll be presenting your efforts.
The evening will close with NAMA prize winning slides.

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November 19th

Annual End of the Season Celebration! Cocktails, mushroom noodle soufflé and Tony Jandacek’s pickled mushrooms topped the menu at our year-end banquet at the Bohemian Crystal Restaurant. Thirty-one members swapped mushrooms stories and dined on roast duck, chicken and pork cutlets, accompanied by dumplings, sweet-sour cabbage and other delectables. The evening ended with a selection of Bohemian pastries and a raffle.
Everyone went home with a hand-made needlepoint mushroom key ring. Had you been there you could have also gone home with a bottle of white Zinfandel or Maria Saettone’s Italian cake or Cathy Lambrecht’s apple pie or an IMA sweat shirt! These were some of the prizes raffled off following the dinner.
Raffle ticket sales netted approximately $76. For the IMA treasury. All in all, it was a fund evening with good friends, good food, good conversation, and good memories to last till next year. Make a note now to attend in November, 2001.

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New Officers Elected

The election of officers was the main item of business at the November meeting. The proposed slate was elected unanimously. Heading up IMA for the next year will be Cathy Lambrecht, President, and Leon Shernoff, Program Chair. They will be working with Jim Lamb who will be returning as treasurer and Carmella Jandacek who as elected secretary. Joining the board are two new members: Ralph Rucinski who will be taking over as newsletter editor and John Komosa who will be the new foray chair. Larry Bailey will continue to serve as membership chair and Eileen Schutte will round out the board as past president.
Congratulations to the new board. They will be meeting some time between now and March to get planning underway for 2001.

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NAMA 2001 Annual Foray

July 5-8 at St. John’s University, with Dr. Steve Saupe, Chair of Biology to serve as host. This location has been host to two regional NAMA forays. Mark your calendars, more information will follow as it becomes available.

A Farewell and a Look Ahead—Eileen Schutte

"With this article, I say farewell as IMA president. It has been an honor to serve these past two years and to work with all you fungophiles that make up IMA’s membership. Your support — and especially the help of dedicated board members — have made it possible for IMA to sponsor a series of programs, forays and other activities these past two years that we can look back on with pride. You call helped make it possible for IMA to do what it has done and to be what it is.

I’ll still be around working with Denise Bukala on book and apparel sales so you haven’t seen the last of me, but it’s time to step down. I retire as president feeling certain that IMA is in good hands. With Cathy Lambrecht as president and Leon Shernoff as vice president and program chair, IMA will remain true to its commitment to enhance and promote amateur mycology in Illinois. They will be working with Jim Lamb who will again be managing our financial affairs; Carmella Jandacek, secretary; John Komosa, foray chair; Larry Bailey, membership chair; and Ralph Rucinski who will be taking over as newsletter editor. With your support, they are well qualified to take up the task of making IMA be all that it can be.

Again, my heartfelt thanks to all of you for making my jog easier during my tenure as president. It was a challenge, it was a chore, it was fun — it was all of these. As with mushrooms, it was always interesting.

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Mushroom Hunting—Tom Nauman

The headline was going to be "Fall Morels Found In Illinois". And, I must admit I was a little excited about the possibility of proving that it had happened. It was just two years ago that we first had confirmation from a qualified mycologist that morels had been discovered in Texas in November. But, this story struck much closer to home. Regular readers of this column may remember my comments at that time were that I thought fall morels in Illinois (or any midwestern state) were possible, but I hadn't been fortunate enough to witness the event yet. Was this my chance? Here's how it happened.

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The package arrived from Leonard Pease of Tower Hill. The Pease family is legendary in their morel hunting endeavors, Leonard was the 1998 National Grand Champion and has won every major morel competition except the Illinois Championship which he has barred himself from for the past two years because he had hunted the chosen sites before and didn't want an unfair advantage. Siblings Bobby and Sandy are the men's and women's champions respectively for Illinois this year. Their brother Raymond has also gathered some trophies over the years. And we understand another brother, Calvin, stays home and kicks butt on the home patches while the rest of the family is away at competitions.

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In the package was a copy of the Shelbyville Daily Union from Thursday, November 2, 2000. At the bottom of the front page was a picture of what appeared at first glance to be eight morel mushrooms. The caption said they were found by "Bun" Reynolds this week near his home in Shelbyville. Understand that the newspaper didn't actually call them morels, only that they appeared to be morels. Upon closer inspection of the picture seven of the mushrooms had characteristics of either Verpa bohemica (one of the false morels found in the spring, but not near Shelbyville) or Dictyophora duplicata (some field guides call it Phallus impudicus) or a close relative in the stinkhorn family, which are a late summer/fall mushroom). One of the mushrooms (second from the left if you've seen the picture) really did appear to be a morel.

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Image of Phallus impudicus from Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (1816 - 1817) Das System der Pilze und Schwämme

A hurried email was sent to the general manager of the newspaper asking for his help in in either proving or disproving the "morel" mushrooms in the picture. A phone call was then made to Leonard, who also thinks that fall morels, in theory, are possible. Leonard hadn't been able to inspect the actual mushrooms but agreed that at least one of the mushrooms certainly looked to be a morel. The next call went to Bun Reynolds. Bun said he no longer had the mushrooms, but he was reasonably sure they were not morels. To begin with, they had a terrible aroma. Secondly, the stem actually protruded out of the top of the cap. The picture was taken at an angle that didn't show the top of the mushroom caps. And thirdly, the mushrooms didn't have a "root structure" of their own because the grew out a sack-like structure in the ground.

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Image of Dictyophora duplicata from Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (1816 - 1817) Das System der Pilze und Schwämme

All three characteristics are compatible with the stinkhorn family of mushrooms. The stinkhorn normally has a gooey slime covering the cap that has the odor of rotting meat. Flies and beetles are attracted to the odor and help propagate the species because the slime contains the spores of the mushroom. It is very similar to the pollination process except that the spores merely fall or are brushed off the flies and beetles anywhere rather than when it is visiting another flower. The slime of the stinkhorn will rinse off in a rainstorm and the mushroom cap that is left has a pattern very similar to a morel.

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So the headline will have to wait. We still don't have proof that fall morels can grow in the Midwest. If you ever think you have proof, call me first. And the proof has to be more than "a cousin of a friend of my uncle's brother-in-law found some". I actually want to see them before they are picked.

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Incidentally, Bun Reynolds told me he didn't eat the mushrooms. I don't know if I would have either. One of the field guides I refer to say the are edible, three say they are edible in the "egg-stage" only, one of those say they are a delicacy in China when in the egg-stage, and yet another infers they are poisonous. Next month I think we'll discuss differences in field guides.

Remember, whenever you want to try eating a mushroom you're not familiar with, check it in at least two field guides. If they say it's edible, try just a nibble, wait 24 hours, and if there are no ill effects then consume larger amounts.

Please feel free to contact us with questions or comments. Especially if you have ideas or suggestions for future columns: Tom and Vicky Nauman, Morel Mania, RR1 - Box 42, Magnolia, IL 61336, Phone (309) 364-3319, Fax (309) 364-2960, email morel@ocslink.com www.ocslink.com/~morel/371200.html

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The Walrus Speaks—Leon Shernoff

“The time has come”, the walrus said, “to speak of many things:
“Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax; of cabbages and kings!” – Lewis Carroll

Judging by the reactions of many mushroomers, Carroll’s walrus could have been listing the species in a newly declared genus of bolete. It seems that comfortable old categories, whose members all looked pretty much the same, are being broken up in favor of strange new arrangements of things that, at first glance, seem entirely unconnected with one another. This article addresses the new taxonomy and its rationale and goes into some detail in giving examples of its recent exploits. The article is in four parts.

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Part 1 addresses the new taxonomy in general.
Part 2 looks at the kingdom of fungi as a whole, and why it is currently delimited the way that it is.
Part 3 looks at a major paper which addresses the evolutionary relationships across a wide swath of basidiomycetes, and discusses the sorts of conclusions and speculations this sort of work will support.
Part 4 discusses some other papers that have focused on smaller groups of fungi, and what we can expect from this sort of work in the future.

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Think of me as a walrus translator.

1. What Is Phylogeny, and What Are Its Consequences?

For the past decade, biologists have increasingly tried to classify living things in a way that reflects their evolutionary relationship, rather than just their physical appearance. This approach is called the phylogenetic approach (phylogeny being the big scientific word for evolution), and the ideal here is to create monophyletic taxa – that is, taxa (units of classification; taxon is the singular) which have the following characteristics:
1) The taxon contains only organisms having a common evolutionary ancestor.
2) The taxon contains all the descendants of that common ancestor.

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In fact, I think that we have all more or less assumed that this was the case all along. A big part of the reason that name changes and mushroom re-classifications annoy us is that we learn things more quickly and more thoroughly if they mean something; so when we learn a group of mushrooms (say, some inky caps), we assume that the group concept that includes them means something, and by default that “something” is evolutionary relatedness. When a taxon like Coprinus gets broken up and its members placed in different genera, not only do we have to learn a bunch of different names, it messes with our heads because these larger concepts that we used to learn the names are no longer valid.

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It may be some comfort to know that this is happening all over biology, not just in mycology. Take, for example, the Ungulates (the hoofed mammals). The elephant is a member of a taxon known as the paenungulates (partial, or almost, ungulates) – animals whose nails have turned into hoofs, but the individual hooves and toes have not melded together into a single (or cloven) hoof. The elephant’s hooves are visible (they look like large toenails) at the bottom of each foot. Another terrestrial partial ungulate is the hyrax. The hyrax is a furry burrowing animal that looks like a prairie dog and lives in much the same way. Its hooves are pointier than the elephants, being adapted for digging. Another taxon of paenungulates is the sea cows, the dugong and manatee. Yes, they each have little tiny hooves at the end of each toe. You can imagine the confusion this has caused.

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But once one has overcome the difficulty of accommodating such disparate organisms in a single cognitive group, similarities between them begin to emerge. Manatees are the only animals just named which lack tusks (those of the dugong and hyrax are much smaller than those of the elephant). Moreover, these tusks are enlarged incisor (front) teeth, rather than canines (the ones just to either side of the incisors) as in all other tusked mammals. They all have a long gestation period, even the hyrax (at 7-8 months, very unusual for such a small mammal). And they are all lousy at controlling their body temperature. For example, the hyrax suns like a lizard to warm up in the morning, hides in its burrow from mid-day heat, and colonies pile up at night to conserve warmth. Manatees die in droves during unusually cold winters, and actually spend much of the winter seeking out hotter water. Apparently hundreds of them will seek out the warm effluent of power plants, which (although it can’t be good for them!) has enabled them to over-winter far North of their previous range. Elephants, being as large as they are, apparently have less trouble managing their internal temperature.

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The new similarities that emerge from the new, monophyletic taxa add nuance to our understanding of these organisms and make for more interesting science. Any of the characteristics mentioned in the previous paragraph are biologically interesting, and the phylogenetic classification system isolates the population possessing them, providing a cognitive framework in which to compare these organisms with each other, and with organisms outside the taxon. For instance, since the paenungulates are thought to be a “primitive” taxon (especially the hyraxes), they could be taken as an indication that endothermy (warm-bloodedness) was actually a late development for mammals. The insights yielded by such emergent similarities are how science advances.

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The hyrax, elephant, and the sea cows look different because of divergent evolution: occupying different niches in the environment, they have each become optimized for that niche, which has led them to acquire very different physiologies from each other. This makes phylogenetic classification confusing enough all by itself. The other side of the coin is convergent evolution, where organisms with different evolutionary ancestors occupy a similar niche and end up with very similar physiology. For example, on every continent in the world, some mammal has taken on the niche of feeding on the insects that can be found in large colonies, ants and termites. These animals have all independently evolved long snouts with a long protruding tongue, covered with sticky saliva, and powerful claws and digging arms for tearing apart insect nests. In the Americas, this niche is occupied by the anteaters and armadillos; in Africa and Asia, there is the pangolin; and in Southern Africa, there is the aardvark.

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Because of their striking physical similarities, these animals were once all placed in the same taxon, the Edentata (which means “no teeth”, because (another striking physical similarity) they almost all have either no teeth, or very simple, atrophied teeth), but now the only remaining animals in the Edentata are the armadillos, anteaters, and sloths. The Edentata in the modern sense are thus confined to the Americas. The pangolins, our only scaled mammal (along with the armadillo our most heavily armored mammals – another example of convergent evolution) is now placed in its own taxon, the Pholidota (and yes, the root of that is the same as our genus Pholiota: it means scaly); their relation to other mammals is absolutely unclear. And the aardvarks, as you might have guessed, are paenungulates. The hyraxes, the elephants, the sea cows, and perhaps the aardvarks (this is in dispute, another similarity with mushroom taxonomy) constitute a single monophyletic taxon. The next time someone makes fun of mushroom taxonomy, see what they think of the paenungulates!

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Sources

Information on hyraxes was taken mostly from the Oakland Zoo’s Hyrax page, which can be found at:
http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azrockhyrax.html
The information on manatees came from
http://www.seaworld.org/manatee/habdistman.html
Information on pangolins can be found by searching the web on the term Pholidota, and information on anteaters by searching on Edentata. Smarmy consulting firms have apparently thought it cool to name themselves after these unusual animals, so searching on their common names gets you mostly e-firms.

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2. Formerly Fungi

In the quest for monophyletic taxa, the first taxon to consider is the kingdom as a whole. The last decade has seen the final purging of The Kingdom Fungi of taxa that were neither fungi nor related to them, and (more constructively) the creation of taxa in other kingdoms (or, in several cases, a whole new kingdom) to accommodate them. The organisms that I will discuss here are the Actinomycetes, Bacteria (as “Schizomycetes”), Slime Molds, Water Molds (Oomycetes), and pseudo-chytrids. It’s interesting to look at why these organisms were assigned to the taxon Fungi, because the same sorts of mistakes are responsible for some of the poorly defined genera (and higher taxa) that are now being replaced. It’s not that these guys were dumb (although it’s probably safe to say that Linnaeus couldn’t have had a worse influence on the field if he tried), but that these organisms just don’t have that many large-scale characteristics. So it’s easy to over-emphasize the ones that exist, without realizing that (a) these characteristics are fairly simple, and easy to acquire through convergent evolution, and (b) similarly, these characteristics, being quite simple, can be lost quite quickly through divergent evolution. So gross morphology (that is, the organism’s physical structure) is a poor indicator of how closely these organisms are related genetically. To sum up, the main mistakes leading to unrelated taxa being included in Fungi are
1) Lack of other taxa where these strange organisms could be accommodated.
2) Over-emphasis on gross morphology, which at the level of the kingdom was mostly
a) Mycelial growth
b) Reproduction by means of spores

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Most of reason 1 is Linnaeus’ fault: he divided everything into the Kingdom Plantae and Kingdom Animalia, along the extremely crude lines of “If it moves, it’s an animal; if it doesn’t, it’s a plant.” Fungi were part of the plant kingdom, under the taxon Thallophyta, where “thallo” means “fiber”: fungi were the “fiber plants”, and this refers to the hyphae. Thallophytes were defined as the “lower plants”, those lacking differentiation into leaves, stems, and flowers. These included fungi, actinomycetes, and bacteria (which up until fairly recently also included various kinds of algae). This rigid classification system meant that unusual organisms were just out of luck at finding a good place for themselves, and had to be classified by whatever means was closest to hand. Take, for example, the Actinomycetes.

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Okay, by now you’re all wondering what Actinomycetes are. They are bacteria with an unusual growth pattern. Sometimes, when an actinomycete divides itself in two, the new daughter cells do not separate, but remain attached to one another. These each split again, and once again remain attached, and as all the cells keep dividing, the original bacterium becomes the center of a branching network of cells that looks a lot like a mycelium. This was enough for Nägeli to decide that it was a type of fungus, and so it became so! In case you were wondering, it’s not really clear why or when the actinomycetes start forming their pseudo-mycelium. After a certain point, they all break apart and resume life as free-swimming bacteria, and it may be quite a while before one of these daughter cells starts forming a pseudo-mycelium again. It may be no more than a tactic in response to abundant food, which keeps the colony anchored in the fruitful spot. There are abundant differences between an Actinomycete pseudo-mycelium and a fungal mycelium, for instance the actinomycete cells are much smaller than fungal cells, so their pseudo-mycelium is about ten times thinner than a normal fungal mycelium; and actinomycetes, like all bacteria, have no nucleus.

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Although their name may be unfamiliar to you, actinomycetes are very familiar organisms. They are thermophillic, meaning that they thrive at, and try to produce, high temperatures. They are the organisms that make the temperature soar in compost heaps, where they are visible in their mycelial form as an extremely fine white coating on the compost. The high heat helps kill their competitors, which the actinomycetes then ingest, and of course the actinomycetes like it hot. Given their preference for temperatures in and above the 90s, it should not surprise you to find that they are also a major bacterial flora of your mouth, and were once thought to be the main organisms which cause tooth decay. But knowledge marches onward in all fields, and it turns out that actinomycetes are anaerobic (or nearly so) organisms, and mostly hang out in the pocket between the base of your teeth and your cheek. But once one of the other mouth organisms makes a hole in a tooth for them, away from all that nasty oxygen, they do really go to town and thrive in the cavity. The other situation in which they get really happy is if they get into the flesh of the jaw through a cut and establish a colony in flesh or bone, causing a disease called “lumpy jaw”, which occurs in humans and cattle. It is much more prevalent among cows than humans, and I’ve seen extremely serious articles trying to figure out why bovine actinomycetes are so much more pathogenic than human ones. I think it’s just because we have better oral hygiene.

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Once you know about actinomycetes, it becomes obvious why bacteria are the Schizomycetes (the Split Fungi) – they are either primitive Actinomycetes that either haven’t acquired the mycelial growth form, or degenerate Actinomycetes that have lost it. And one can see the importance of declaring the Actinomycetes as fungi: they form a link between the bacteria and the fungi, enabling Nägeli to construct a nice continuum of thallophytes. (It’s very strange to see these pre-Darwinian authors going on about “higher” and “lower” forms that have acquired and lost certain characteristics. One can see why Darwin’s ideas found such fertile ground.) He was dead wrong, of course, in his construction of this continuum. With the discovery of the importance of DNA and genes, it suddenly became very important whether a cell has a nucleus or not (to 19th century biologists, the nucleus was just another dot in the cell), and studies of the cell-wall composition of actinomycetes have conclusively aligned them with the bacteria. And bacteria, like fungi, now have a separate kingdom of their own. Although some bacteriologists think that it should be two, or three (reminds you of mycology taxonomists, doesn’t it?).

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Actinomycetes were considered fungi because of their pseudo-mycelium. Slime molds were considered fungi because of their spores, and well, basically there was no where else to put them.

to be continued...

November Meeting

Monday November 6th Leon Shernoff will make use of slides taken at the annual Clark Rogerson Foray in Hebron, CT. He will discuss
truffles, King boletes, and the exotic species of America's Eastern forests.

November 19th

Annual End of the Season Celebration! Let’s dine on fine cuisine, exchange mushroom stories and win a great holiday stocking stuffer in our raffle!
Cost: $15. per person for a Bohemian Feast—we can accommodate vegetarians, just let us know!
When? 4:30 in the Afternoon
Where? Bohemian Crystal, Blackhawk Drive, Westmont, IL (Map in November’s newsletter)
RSVP to Catherine Lambrecht 847/432-8255

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October 7th!

Our home grown mycophagy (mushroom tasting) program was attended by 18 members. Puffball Soup by LaMonte Yarroll, Sweat& Sour Cabbage, Pickled Puffball plus Rye Bread & Butter by Bill Lahvic; Sauteed Shiitake in olive oil, and finished with Sherry by Larry Bailey; Czech Dumplings, Eggs & Mushrooms, Breaded Puffball and Pickled Mushrooms by the Tony and Carmella Jandacek, Mushroom Risotta with Puffball Croutons by Leon Shernoff, Shiitake Mushrooms in Brown Sauce and Blueberry Cake by Catherine Lambrecht, and Tiramisu brought by Dominic Saettonne. Come next year!

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Membership Renewal!

Inside you will find information on your dues. Please attend to this matter today!

NAMA 2001 Annual Foray

July 5-8 at St. John’s University, with Dr. Steve Saupe, Chair of Biology to serve as host. This location has been host to two regional NAMA forays. Mark your calendars, more information will follow as it becomes available.

Dr. Harry Thiers

IMA member from Peoria and a nationally known mycologist died in August. We had the privilege of Dr. Thiers lecturing IMA two years ago on Boletes. The September/October 2000 issue of NAMA’s Mycophile was dominated in memorials for Dr. Thiers. In fact many of the memories were humorous and kindly rendered—certainly someone people liked to know. There is a cartoon of Dr. Thiers meeting St. Peter holding a clutch of boletes inquiring, “Anyplace where we can cook up these Boletes? They are edible, you know…”
We offer our condolences to Dr. Thier’s wife, daughter and friends.

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Upcoming Meetings

December 4: Member slide show. We will have member slides of the last year to review.
If you have a digital camera, we expect to be able to show them over the video display in our meeting room. Advise Catherine Lambrecht in advance that you’ll be presenting your efforts. Happy Hunting!

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Dusty Book Notes—An Odyssey—Ron Tracy

"Earth's Natural Internet" is the title of an article that appeared in Whole Earth magazine's Fall 1999 issue but just recently caught my attention as I was surfing the Web. The article turns out to be an interesting hybrid of New Age mysticism and scientific research and was written by Paul Stamets, author of Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. The natural internet the title refers to is, of course, the fact that "waves of mycelial networks intersect and permeate one another." Stamets notes "fungal mats are now known as the largest biological entities on the planet" and "although the mycelia, under the microscope, are seemingly undifferentiated, their ability to respond to natural disasters and sudden changes in the environment is a testament to their inherent intelligence." Mycelial intelligence takes us beyond the realm of science but I find the image of a vast mycelial network--or internet--underlying the Earth and wiring it together rather appealing.

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After this somewhat fanciful beginning the article gets down to some serious reporting about what the author terms "mycoremediation," using fungi to take of certain toxic waste problems. Stamets works with Batelle Laboratories, "a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to use science to improve environmental health" and which is "widely used by the United States and other governments in finding solutions to toxic wastes." Stamets tells about a study done at a Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance yard involving heavily contaminated soil. Three bioremediation methods and untreated controls were compared on mounds containing ten cubic yards of contaminated soil each. Another contractor involved in the study used native bacteria and engineered bacteria on its test mounds and did monthly fertilizing and tilling. Stamets's Batelle Lab group used oyster mushroom mycelia. Stamets notes that "we inoculated three mounds of soil, each contaminated with a different mixture of diesel fuel, motor oil, gasoline, and other petroleum hydrocarbons. After four weeks, the tarps were pulled back from each test pile. The first piles, employing the other techniques, were unremarkable. Then the tarp was pulled from our piles, and gasps of astonishment and laughter welled up from the observers. The hydrocarbon-laden pile was bursting with mushrooms! Oyster mushrooms up to twelve inches in diameter had formed across the pile...The mushrooms were tested and shown to be free of any petroleum products."

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Stamets writes that after the mushrooms started to rot, flies and other insects appeared which attracted birds which, in turn, apparently brought in seeds because their mounds ended up "teeming with life." The final result was "the soil was tested and shown to be nontoxic and suitable for use in WSDOT's highway landscaping."

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There are other interesting things in this relatively short article but I will close with just one other example, using Stamets's own words: "In another series of experiments with Batelle, one significant discovery involved an old-growth forest mushroom that produced an army of crystalline entities advancing in front of the growing myceliure. These three-dimensional pyramidal structures appear to attract motile bacteria such as Eseherichia coli by the thousands, and to summarily stun them. The advancing mycelium then digests the E. coli, effectively removing them from the environment."
The entire "Earth's Natural Internet" article and color pictures of those oyster mushrooms growing on the test mounds can be found at Stamets's web site, www.fungi.com.

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Foray Reports - - Bemis Woods, Saturday, September 23

The trees and bushes were dripping wet from an overnight rain but 14 hardy souls turned out for the mushroom hunt at Bemis Woods on September 23. Some 28 species were collected but edibles were hard to find. Jessie Duraska found the only prize: a large sulphur shelf.
Species identified by Tony Jandacek included the following: Laetiporus sulphureus (Sulphur shelf), Lepista nuda (Blewit), Lycoperdon perlatum (Gem-studded puffball), Lycoperdon pyriforme (Pear shaped puffball), Calvatia gigantea (Giant Puffball), Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail), Stereum ostrea (False turkey tail), Tricaptum biforme (Violet-toothed polypore), Pluteus cervinus (fawn mushroom), Agaricus bitorquis (Spring Agaricus), Ganoderma applanatum (Artist’s conk), Mycena haematopus (Bleeding mycena), Polyporus squamosus (Dryad’s saddle), Lepiota naucina (Smooth lepiota), Lepiota procera (Parasol mushroom), Bondarzewia Berkeleyi (Berkeley’s polypore), Lycogala epidendrum (Wolf’s Milk Slime), Stereum complicatum (Crowded parchment), and the following identified to genus: 2 species of Russula, 3 species of Marasmius and one each of Coprinus, Cortinarius and Collybia.

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Elizabeth A. Conkey Woods, Sunday, October 1

Giant puffballs and hens of the woods were among the prized finds at Elizabeth Conkey Woods on October 1. Leader John Denk found the biggest puffball at a stop on the way to the foray. It must have been at least 15 inches in diameter. Several others were found in Conkey Woods as well as 3 or 4 hens of the woods.
All told some 36 species of mushrooms were collected. Those identified by Leon Shernoff included the following: Agaricus capestris (meadow mushroom), Bovista pusilla, Calvatia gigatea (Giant puffball), Clavulina cristata (Crested coral), Clitocybe sp. Coprinus micaceus (Mican cap), Cortinarius alboviolaceus (Silvery-violet cort), 2 other species of Cortinarius Entoloma sp., Favolus alveolaris (hexagonal-pored polypore), Grifola fondosa (Hen of the woods), Inocybe fastigiata (Straw colored fiber head), Laccaria ochropurpurea (Purple gilled Laccaria), Laetiporus sulphureus (Sulfur shelf), Lycogala epidendrum (Wolf’s milk slime), Lycoperdon perlatum (Gem-studded pufball), Lycoperdon pyriforme (Pear shaped puffball), Marasimius sp., Merulius tremellosus (trembling Merulius), 3 Mycena species, Peziza disciot, Peziza repanda (Recurved cup), Pluteus cervinus (Fawn Mushroom), Pluteus pellitus, Pluteus sp., 3 Russula species, Stereum complicatus (Crowded parchment), Stereum ostrea (False turkey tail), Trametes versicolor (Turkey tail) and Xerula radicata (Rooted Xerula).

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Bachelor Grove, Saturday, October 14

We lucked out on the last foray of the year at Bachelor Grove on October 14. The temperature was in the amiable 70’s and leader John Komosa clued us in on the best hunting area. We found numerous flushes of honey mushrooms as well as a number of hens of the woods. Our collection of hens might have been phenomenal but unfortunately someone had gotten there before us. We met him coming out with two 5 gallon buckets full of hens and another full of honey mushrooms just as our hunt was getting underway. As with morels, it’s better if you get there first, but then that’s the luck of the hunt.
This was our best foray as far as species count since the Deer Grove foray in early September. Over 40 species were collected. Those identified by Leon Shernoff included the following: Aleuria rhnana, Amanita citrina (Citron Amanita), Amanita virosa (Destroying Angel), Armillariella mellea (Honey mushroom), Clitocybe irina, Collybia maculata (Spotted Collybia), Cortinarius alboviolaceus (Silvery-violet cort.), 2 other species of Cortinarius, Favolus alveolaris (Hexagonal-pored polypore), Galerina autumnalis (Deadly Galerina), Ganoderma applanatum (Artist’s Conk), Grifola frondosa (Hen of the Woods), Gymnopilus spectabilis (Big laughing Gym), Inocybe sp., Irpex lacteus (Milk-shite toothed polypore), Ischnoderma resinosum (Resinous polypore), Laccaria Laccata (Common Laccaria), Laccaria Ochropurpurea (Purple-gilled Laccaria), Lactarius camphoratus (Aromatic milky), Lycogala epidendrum (Wolf’s milk slime), Lycoperdon perlatum (Gem-Studded puffball), Lycoperdon pyriforme (Pear-shaped puffball), Marasmius sp., Merulius tremellosus (Trembling Merulius), 3 Mycena species, Mycena Haematipus (Bleeding Mycena), Omphalotus olearius (Jack O’Lantern), Pluteus cervinus (Fawn Mushroom), Pluteus pilatus, Pycnoporus cinnabarinus (Cinnabar-red polypore), Russula krombholzii (Blackish-red Russula), Russula rubescens, 3 other species of Russula, Scleroderma cepa, Stereun ostrea (False turkey tail), Trametes versicolor (Turkey tail) and Tyromyces chioneus (White cheese polypore).
All the above reports submitted by Eileen Schutte

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Gleanings From the Economist—Ron Tracy

OCTOBER 21, 2000 issue of The Economist has an interesting story bringing together politics and mushrooms. It seems in September the security service in Ukraine claimed a group of retired army officers had a plot to attack the Chernobyl nuclear power station and other sites in an effort to overthrow the government. But The Economist reports the secret service might have been trying too hard to make a case against the officers. "There is no evidence that they had any weapons. Their organization was well-known, not clandestine. And the maps that supposedly showed the places they were planning to seize seem to have been guides for mushroom-hunting."

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SEPT. 30, 2000 issue of The Economist reports bees are being used as carriers in fungal warfare. A rotting disease called gray mold attacks soft fruits like strawberries and the infection starts in the flowers before the fruit is formed. Another fungus called Trichoderma harzanium is the best deterrent because it "competes with the gray mold in flowers--thus eliminating it before the berries form--but causes no harm to the fruit itself." Spraying is usual way of applying the Trichoderma to a crop but Cornell University scientists have found a way that is twice as effective as spraying. "Dr. Kovach's system works by putting spores of Trichoderma into a specially designed tray. This is encased inside a plastic housing which is then fixed into the entrance of a hive. That means that the tray can be removed and replaced as easily as a tray of photocopier toner. Bees pick up the spores on their legs as they walk out of the hive, and deposit them on to flowers they visit as they search for pollen and nectar."

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NAMA Slides Shows On the Internet

Dr. Michael Beug has announced he has revised several slide programs he helped produced for NAMA. He comments, “I have just revised my slide-tape programs … available through NAMA for clubs and others to check out and view. However, I have wanted a way to make it more widely available and now have the program on the web so that doctors and interested others can access it at their convenience. It also means that as we learn more I can add to the web site without having to revise the entire slide-tape program.

Poisonous and Hallucinogenic Mushrooms
http://www.evergreen.edu/user/library/tesce/mushroom/phm/index.htm

Introduction to Mushrooms
http://www.evergreen.edu/user/library/tesce/mushroom/introm/index.htm

Introduction to Fall Mushrooms
http://www.evergreen.edu/user/library/tesce/mushroom/ifm/index.htm

Morels, Truffles and Other Spring Mushrooms
http://www.evergreen.edu/user/library/tesce/mushroom/mtsm/mtsm.htm

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Note by Leon Shernoff: I have looked at these pages, and I feel obliged to warn people NOT to try to identify mushrooms by using them. I mean, many sites (or books) carry a disclaimer that you can't really use these pictures to identify mushrooms; this site should carry that disclaimer on every page, as I consider its text fairly misleading: it frequently labels a mushroom as edible, mentions some poisonous look-alikes, but doesn't mention other poisonous look-alikes or how to truly tell them apart. It's sort of okay to do this in a talk, as there is too much information for a novice to remember all at once, so none of them will act on it; but with these pages on the web, people can actually look at them for long enough that they can memorize the text and believe that they actually know what they're doing.
These are pretty pictures with light commentary, but please don't mistake them for anything else.

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Odd and Ends

Fungi and Early Terrestrial Life

Submitted by Darrell Cox
“Researchers report the discovery of fossilized fungal hyphae and spores from the Ordovician era, with an age of approximately 460 million years ago. These fossils strongly resemble modern arbuscular mycorrhyzal fungi and indicate that Glomales-like fungi were present at a time when the land flora most likely only consisted of plants on the bryophytic level. These fungi may thus have played a crucial role in facilitating the colonization of land by plants, and the fossils support molecular estimates offungal phylogeny that place the origin of the major groups of terrestrial fungi approximately 600 million years ago.
(Science 15 Sep 00 289:1920)”

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Suggested Reading!

From Darrell Cox
You may have seen an article in Discover, Nov. issue, 2000, page 38 entitled Black Gold. It's a general interest article about truffles, mycorrhizae, truffle "culture", research and a guy working on an electronic truffle detector.

Mushworld

Submitted by Darrel Cox
MushWorld, a mushroom portal site, is open now: "This is a sample version of MushWorld which will be officially open in 2001.
Come and visit www.mushworld.com
You will find cutting edge and top-quality information on mushrooms as well as blueprint of MushWorld opening in 2001."

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Martha Stewart Is a Fungophile!

Martha Stewart enters the ranks of celebrity fungalphiles with a big splash in the November 2000 issue of her magazine, Martha Stewart Living. The magazine has two beautifully illustrated articles relating to mushrooms. The first article is in the crafts section of the magazine and is titled "Mushroom Prints." The piece explains how to make spore prints on different colors of paper and shows some nice examples including framed ones. The second article is "Foraging for Wild Mushrooms" and has several full pages of nice photographs of mushrooms and mushroom dishes. The relatively short text by Jonathan Hayes is snappy and readable although not enlightening to those already engaged in mushrooming. Here's a sample of the writing: "As you make your way through the forest, you'll frequently come across fellow pickers, sometimes solo, sometimes in pairs, and occasionally foraging as part of a larger, slowly scattering group. The camaraderie among mushroom hunters is an extraordinary thing: they'll share their food with you, help you push your car out of back-road mud, and let you have the last of their insect repellant. But should the talk turn to the subject of good places to pick mushrooms, they'll suddenly turn as cagey as a roomful of military attaches during the height of the cold car..."
The magazine is available at most magazine stands and if you don't want to buy the whole 376 page issue, just give it a look at in the store. It's not very often you will see spore prints in the mainstream media!

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Mushrooms in Sour Cream Sauce a la Rus

Years ago in Moscow, I always ordered Mushrooms with Sour Cream. It arrived in little pots with frilled paper decorating the handles. In the little pot were bubbling mushrooms lightly browned from the parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
There was also a meat variant called Game Julienne presented in the same little pots. But there was nothing better than the Mushrooms in Sour Cream.
It was no problem mastering the recipe but the cute little pots were no where to be found. Every time I met someone who represented the Machine Tool or other related Ministry, I would inquire about the little pots. Finally toward the end of my tenure, I walked into Detsky Mir, the Children’s World Toy Store, and found boxes of these wee pots for sale. I bought about 50 pots… in the Soviet times you were never reliably sure anything would be there on a second trip back. So I hoarded like everyone else!
On the rare occasion I go to a Russian restaurant in Chicago, I always ask for the Mushrooms in Sour Cream Sauce. This recipe, which I associate with Russia, was not on the menu of Russian Tea Time Café in the loop. When I cheerfully complained to the waiter, he claims it is not a Russian recipe. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I’m still dubious about his opinion and one of these days will make more inquiries.

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1 Tablespoon butter
1 Onion, cut into julienne strips
1 pound Mushrooms
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup Sour Cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
Finely chopped fresh dill
Parmesan Cheese

Melt the butter, add onions and sautee for 7-8 minutes over moderate heat until limp and golden. Set aside while you prepare the mushrooms.

Clean the mushrooms and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Sautee in the 2 tablespoons butter, when they begin releasing liquid, add the onions. Continue cooking over medium heat until the liquid is evaporated. Add the sour cream, salt and garlic, then and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Mix in the dill.

You can then sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and put the dish under the broiler to lightly brown.

Bon Appetit!

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Glossary
Mushrooms
People
Newsletter
Events

Sunday, Sept. 30 at 10:00 AM	Kettle Moraine South (Wisconsin) - joint foray IMA & WMS. See directions in the last issue. Central Wisconsin got a lot of moisture lately!
Friday, Oct. 12 at 12:00 noon	Schiller Woods (Directions & map below) Collecting for next days microscopic class.
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 9:00 AM	Bachelor Grove (see page 3 for directions and map)
Saturday, Nov. 10 at 10:00 AM	Moraine Hills State Park (see page 3 for directions and map) Help us check out this new location! The far north and westside IMAers deserve one foray in “their-neck-of-the-woods”, no??!

Sat, Sept. 15, 9:00 AM	Deer Grove, We will be picking fresh specimens for the IMA mushroom exhibit the next day (Sept. 16) at the Botanic Gardens...so come out in force, and let’s get a lot!
Sun, Sept. 30, 10:00 AM	Kettle Moraine South (Wisconsin) - joint foray IMA & WMS See page 3 for map and details.

Sun. July 29, 10:00 AM	Notice of change of location for the next foray. The Indiana Dunes foray originally scheduled for July 29th has been moved to the main entrance of Kankakee State Park on the same date. It was felt that due to dry conditions at this point in time, Kankakee would meet with more success. Of course, this should bring cloud bursts to the Dunes area. Map and details page 3
Sat. Aug 18, 9:00 AM	Greene Valley Forest Preserve, map and details page 8
Sat. Sept. 1, 9:00 AM	Bemis Woods, map and details page 10

Sat., June 9 10:00 AM	Tinley Creek Woods (southern suburbs) See page 3 for directions.
Sun., June 24 10:00 AM	Beck Lake - (far northern suburbs) See page 3 for directions.
July 5 to July 8	NAMA ‘01 in Minnesota.
Sat., July 14 10:00 AM	Bussy Woods - (northwest suburbs).
Sun, July 29 10:00 AM	Indiana Dunes (Indiana).

Sat., May 5	Morel Madness @ Magnolia, IL
Sun., May 6	Little Red Schoolhouse (see last newsletter for map and directions)
Sat., May 12	North side of Chicago
Sat., May 12	Wisconsin Mycological Society Foray (details below)
Fri., May 18-20	2nd annual IMA Wisconsin Dells Morel Weekend Getaway (see page 3 for details) courtesy of Allan Lawrence, Wisconsin Myco. Society

	Common Name	Scientific Name	Other species	Special habitat
Week 1	Scarlet Cup Black Tulip	Sarcoscypha coccinea Urnula Craterium	S. occidentalis	Everywhere
Week 2	False Morels Early Morels	Gyromitra esculenta Gyromitra infula Verpa bohemica	G. fastigiata V. conica	G. esculenta: pines V. conica: apples
Phase 3	½-Free Morels	Morchella semilibera		tulip poplars
Phase 4	Black Morels	Morchella elata	M. conica M. angusticeps	burnt ground, pines, tulip poplars
Phase 5	Yellow Morels (White Morels)	Morchella deliciosa	M. esculenta M. crassipes	old/dying elms and apples; tulip poplars

Fungus Friends: Newsletter of the Illinois Mycological AssociationNovember 2000

Next IMA Meeting

Monday, March 4th, 2002 7:30 PM

Photo of Morchella esculenta by John Denk

IMA April Meeting

Monday, April 1st, 2002 7:30 PM

Meeting Location: North Park Village Nature Center 5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago, IL

Club News:

New Officers

Annual Morel Meeting

Your Name Here

Sound Bites

Morels in California

Win a Truffle!

Italian Mushroom Club

Image of Abbé Giacomo Bresadola from Curtis Gates Lloyd (1898 - 1925) Mycological Notes

Foray News

The Botanic Gardens

NAMA Annual Foray

More forays!

Book Review

Photo of Russula compacta by Leon Shernoff

Recipe of the Month:

More recipes?

THE ILLINOIS MYCOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FORM

Image of Abbé Giacomo Bresadola from Curtis Gates Lloyd (1898 - 1925) Mycological Notes

Terrorist Attack

Upcoming Forays

Schiller Woods Foray

McCrone Research Institute Meeting Directions

Bachelor Grove Foray

Moraine Hills Foray

Moraine Hills State Park

Moraine Hills State Park: History

Moraine Hills State Park: Geological History

Moraine Hills State Park: Natural Features

Moraine Hills State Park: Boating and Fishing

Moraine Hills State Park: Biking, Hiking, Skiing

IMA Potluck Cook Off October 13th - New Date!

Bemis Woods Foray Report

Photo of Amanita flavorubescens by John Denk

Photo of Boletus campestris by John Denk

Photo of Calvatia gigantea by John Denk

Photo of Ganoderma lucidum by John Denk

Image of Helvella lacunosa from Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (1816 - 1817) Das System der Pilze und Schwämme

Photo of Laccaria ochropurpurea by Leon Shernoff

Photo of Lycoperdon echinatum by John Denk

Photo of Phellinus gilvus by John Denk

Image of Russula virescens from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Image of Scleroderma citrinum from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Photo of Thelephora palmata by John Denk

Photo of Trametes versicolor by John Denk

Deer Grove West Foray Report

Deer Grove Species: ASCOMYCOTA (6)

Photo of Aleuria aurantia by John Denk

Deer Grove Species: BASIDIOMYCOTA - - Gilled mushrooms and boletes (54)

Photo of Amanita abrupta by John Denk

Photo of Armillaria mellea by John Denk

Photo of Cortinarius JD1 by John Denk

Image of Inocybe pyriodora from Jean Louis Émile Boudier (1904 - 1909) Icones mycologicae ou iconographie des champignons de France, principalement Discomycètes

Image of Lactarius glaucescens from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Photo of Lactarius psammicola by John Denk

Image of Mycena galericulata from Gotthold Hahn (1883) Der Pilz-Sammler oder Anleitung zur Kenntnis der wichtigsten Pilze Deutschlands und der angrenzenden Laender

Photo of Pholiota albocrenulata by John Denk

Image of Russula foetentula from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Image of Strobilomyces floccopus from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Deer Grove Species: BASIDIOMYCOTA - - Polypores, teeth fungi, and crust fungi (33)

Photo of Ganoderma lucidum by John Denk

Photo of Laetiporus cincinnatus by John Denk

Photo of Laetiporus sulphureus by John Denk

Photo of Stereum ostrea by John Denk

Photo of Trametes versicolor by John Denk

Chanterelles and Coral fungi (1)

Image of Ramaria from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimat

Puffballs and other gasteromycetes (8)

Photo of Lycoperdon echinatum by John Denk

Jelly fungi (2)

Photo of Tremellodendron pallidum by John Denk

ZYGOMYCOTA (1)

Photo of Spinellus fusiger by John Denk

Fungus Friends: Newsletter of the Illinois Mycological Association
November 2000