C5~89- 222CT
Th£ FUNGIFILE
Newsletter of the Triangle Area itishroan Clib
D.0. Box 2504, Chapel HilL N.C. 27514
Vol ure 2 Ninter 1
January-February 1S83
Mark Your Calendar
T.A.M.C. meetings will be held on the second Monday of each month.
January 10: Slide show on mushrooms by member George Pyne. George leads Spring
Wildf lower Walks for the Eno River Association, and is a well known
nature photographer in the Triangle Area. Meeting at 7:00 pm at the
North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill (see map).
February 14: "The Myxomycetes: Caught Between the Kingdoms," talk on the slime molds
by Ken Whitney, Ph.D. candidate at UNC Biology Dept. Ken will also display
various species of slime molds. Meeting at 7:00 pm in Room 215, Coker Hall,
UNC-CH (see map).
March 14: Dr. Barbara Beaman, plant ecologist, will speak on ecological habitats:
where can you expect to find which mushrooms? Meeting on Duke campus in Durham,
The Club Needs You
We need members who are interested in helping to manage the club. Dianne Berg
is our new program coordinator, and Jay Jaffe (Chapel Hill) and Billie Sessoms
(Durham) have volunteered to be on the phone squad. (The phone squad will get in touch
with members when time is short - to organize impromptu forays, for example.) We still
need more phone squad people, as well as steering committee members (in lieu of
officers at the present time) to help with the nitty gritty of club management and to
write the bylaws. Articles and sketches for the newsletter are always welcome. And
although spring seems very far away, we will need people to help organize forays.
There is a huge amount of work, however rewarding, for two people to do; spread
around, it will be much more manageable, and will most likely be done more effectively.
We have a talented membership - let's get together! Contact Bill (Chapel Hill:
942-6387) or Joan (Durham: 383-7154, or 684-6610 after 4:30 pm & leave message).
November 15 Meeting by Sam 3aron
Around 30 people turned out for the meeting, x^hich was held in Coker Hall on the
UNG campus. Joan Zeller, one of the two members of the Steering Committee (the other
is Bill Burk) , reported on club membership, the state of the treasury, and future
programs. Forty-one individuals and 15 families (updated as of 12-26-82) have taken
out memberships. Joan asked for help with the newsletter and planning of programs,
and suggested the desirability of a phone squad that might be able to arrange forays on
short notice. People were also asked to bring cookies or other refreshments to
Details will be announced. in the next newsletter.
page 2
future meetings. Among other items of business brought up were these: the possi-
bility of getting mushroom experts from outside our area to present lectures and/
or lead forays; the matter of whether we should incorporate and seek tax-exempt
status (two separate questions), and if so how to go about so doing; our possible
affiliation with the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) as a club or
via individual memberships; the possibility of our participation in the Chapel
Hill Parks and Recreation Commission's nature instruction programs; and whether
there would be enough interest in putting on a "Fungus Fair" at some future time.
Clearly, the Steering Committee has developed a considerable agenda, but it will
need help from the rest of us.
After an intermission, with refreshments and an opportunity to get acquainted,
Bill Burk presented an informative and interesting discussion of the five mushroom
books listed in the last number of The Fungif ile . The strengths and weaknesses of
these guides, and their comparative merits, were discussed. Following the talk,
those present had a chance to examine the books (as well as some rare old tomes
from the UNC Botany Library) , and to order whichever books they wished to have
at a discount provided by the club.
December 13 Meeting
Over 30 members and friends of the club gathered at the home
of Leila Dillon for a potluck dinner. The food was plentiful and
delicious, highlighted by two mushroom dishes - a dip by Willie
Koch (see reoipe p. 5 ) and a noodle Lactarius casserole by Wally
Kaufman .
After dinner the satiated crowd settled down to watch a
slide-tape show produced under the direction of Willie. The show
was a good general introduction to mushrooming, designed to gener-
ate interest in learning more. It did, however, contain some
controversial statements which led to a lively discussion - a
tribute to Willie's leadership and our members' knowledge and
willingness to share.
Thanks to Leila for allowing her home to be invaded by an unpredictable
number of fungophiles, and to Willie for his presentation (and for his offer for
the show to be available to future members).
Newsletter Exchange
Our club is exchanging newsletters with other mushroom
clubs around the U.S. and Canada (so far with the New Jersey
Mycological Association, the Ohio Mushroom Society, the Mycol-
ogical Society of San Francisco, Inc., and the Mycological
Society of Toronto). 3y keeping in touch with what they are
doing, we get ideas for things we can do, as well as ideas for
our newsletter, and some interesting reading. The newsletters
will be available at meetings, to read there or to borrow.
Look for them there.
Member Wins Photography Honors
Congratulations to member Kerry Givens (whose sketches appear in The
Fungifile) for winning first and third places in the Beginners Division of
the North American Mycological Association's 1982 Photography Contest. Copies
of Kerry's slides, along with all winning slides, will be available with an
accompanying tape explaining photographic techniques used, at a meeting this
spring. Photographers, take note.
page 3
Fungophobia and Fungophilia
As mycophiles and myc ophagis ts , we represent a very small minority in this country.
The average American regards eating wild mushrooms with a mixture of suspicion and fear.
Someone recently informed me that eating mushrooms is like playing Russian roulette,
and another naive soul asked me incredulously if it were true that some mushrooms other
than those wrapped in cellophane were edible. Yet not all cultures share our fear of
fungi; in much of the world mushroom gathering is an accepted and popular practice.
Why then are we a fungophobic nation? Our fear seems to have been handed down
to us by settlers from England, where attitudes were influenced by the herbalists
writing to instruct the public on the uses of plants. The herbalists evidently took
their information on mushrooms from a selected group of Greek and Roman writings.
The tradition of mycophagy goes back through recorded history. It
is mentioned in the Talmud and in Chaldean writings. In 1000 B.C.,
since mushrooms were thought to be magical, they were collected for the
Egyptian Pharohs.
The sources for the English herbalists notwithstanding, edible
mushrooms were so highly revered by the ancient Greeks and Romans that
they were reserved for the rich and privileged, and noblemen would cook
the delicacies themselves, rather than entrusting this duty to slaves.
In fact, according to Martial, 'Gold and silver and dresses may be
trus ted to a messenger, but not boleti." (The "boletus" of the Romans is today's
Amanita caesarea . ) The fungi were cooked in special bowls called boletaria, which were
reserved for this purpose only. The "boletus" gained some measure of notoriety when it
was used as a vehicle to poison the deified Emperor Tiberius Claudius (A. caesarea
itself is an edible species), leading his successor Nero (his own innocence somewhat in
question) to refer to the mushroom as "food of the gods."
Although A. caesarea was the most favored edible, over 20 species are described in
Greek and Roman writings, among them truffles, "perica" (Ca lvatia gigantea ) , "fungi
suilli" (Boletus edulis ) , and Agaricus campestris . In spite of this, Dioscordes, a
surgeon in Nero's army who described 500 plants and their medi-
cinal uses, said of fungi, "either they are edible, or they are
poisonous, and come to be so on many occasions," especially whe
growing near rusting iron, serpent dens, or "rootes of trees
that bring foorth venomous fruits." This very statement may be
the "roote" of the English, and consequently the American, fear
of fungi.
Unfortunately, Dioscordes' statement was referred to and
repeated by most of the 16tlci and 17^ century English herbalists, who also tended to
emphasize ancient stories of mushroom poisonings (described by Euripides and Hippocrates,
among others). J. Gerard in The Herball (1597) describes "...earthie excrescences
called Mushrooms: so wherof some are very venomous and full of poison; others not so
noisome; and neither of them are good to be eaten; and most of them do suffocate and
strangle the eater." And according to J. Evelyn in Acetaria . A Discourse of Sa llets
(1699): "However so highly contended for by many, as the very principal and top of all
the rest," but "generally reported to have something malignant and
noxious in them." Thus, although few, if any, of the herbalists
wrote from first hand experience, relying rather on centuries ' old
opinions, myths, and prejudices, it came to be commonly believed that
mushrooms (other than the cultivated variety which had recently been
introduced) were dangerous and to be avoided.
The 17t^ century English settlers brought their prejudices with
them, to this land where wild mushrooms were a staple food for many
Native American peoples. It is thought that the Southwest Zu'tii
Indians taught the white pioneers to dry and eat puff balls, but there
seem to be few recorded instances of the settlers taking advantage of the Indians'
knowledge of edible fungi, although they took their advice on other food matters. (Other
Native Americans with traditions of mycophagy were the Plains Indians, Calif ornian
tribes, the Hopis, and in the East, the Woodlands Indians. The Iroquois, who valued
page 4
mushrooms as much as meat, were known to have eaten Agaric i , puff balls, and
morels.) Fungophobia was not universal among non-native Americans, but it was much
more the rule than the exception.
The general fear of eating wild mushrooms was so deeply ingrained that many
refused to abandon it even during times of food shortage. The devastation accompanying
the Civil War forced many Southerners to give in merely to survive, but as the South
recovered and starvation became less of a motivating factor, the practice all but
disappeared. North Carolinian Moses Ashley Curtis tried unsuccessfully to promote
mycophagy during this time.
The period after the Civil War was an important time for myco-
phagy in this country for several reasons. Charles Mcllvaine, real-
izing the dearth of accurate and available knowledge on edibility,
undertook the usually rewarding, but sometimes unpleasant, task of
personally -testing over 700 species of fungi. His years of labors
resulted in 1900 in the publication of the first American guide book
for the lay person, One Thousand American Fungi (still available as
a Dover reprint, but unfortunately soon going out-of-print).
The late 1800's saw the beginning of an influx of immigrants
with strong national traditions of mycophagy - the Chinese and Japanese to the
West Coast, and eastern and southern Europeans to the East. These people brought
with them their love and knowledge of edible mushrooms, which probably accounts
for much of the interest in mycophagy to this day. Collecting and eating wild
mushrooms was and is an important part of these cultures.
In Russia, for instance, small talk, rather than
concerning the weather, consists of the progress of the
mushroom season. There are even Russian surnames derived
from mushroom names (one surname, Griboyedev, means
"Mushroom-eater"). The traditional Lithuanian Christ-
mas cookie is baked in the shape of a mushroom and
frosted to look like Boletus edulis . And one of our
a^jaai 'iM^aM mMMWuJI members who lived for many years in Europe reports that
in Prague, no matter how early in the morning you get up to collect mushrooms, you
will inevitably meet a family returning home with full baskets. (Incidentally,
even these immigrants brought with them their prejudices, being suspicious of
mushrooms other than those on which they were raised. It is said you can tell a
person's nationality according to which mushrooms he picks or abandons.)
The first amateur mushroom association in the country, the Boston Mycological
Club, was formed in 1895 to educate the public and arouse interest in wild
mushrooms. Today there are over 40 such clubs (T.A.M.C. being the newest), evi-
dence that enthusiasm is spreading. The renewed interest in natural and wild
foods, increasing awareness of our environment and our dependence on it, as well
as more cosmopolitan attitudes and sophisticated tastes may someday lead us to
wish there were fewer mycophagists in this country.' jz
Wild Foods Newsletter
Those of you with a curiosity or culinary interest that goes beyond mushrooms
will probably enjoy a fascinating newsletter called Coltsfoot, published in apprec-
iation of wild plants by West Virginia naturalist and fellow fungophile Bill Roody .
Bill's articles, which cover all aspects of wild foods (including mushrooms), are
entertaining and beautifully written, and there is much input from the readership.
Subscriptions to the bimonthly newsletter are $8.00 a year, and are available by
writing Box 529, Elkins, W.V. 26241. (Thanks to Bill for announcing and plugging
our club in his last issue.)
Mushroom Workshops
Bill Roody will be conducting 2 weekend workshops this summer as part of
Augusta Heritage Arts Workshops at Elkins, W.V. - one on mushroom identification,
and the other on mushroom lore and cookery. For information, write Augusta, Davis &
Elkins College, Elkins, W.V. 26241, or contact member Joan Zeller.
page 5
Moses Ashley Curtis, North Carolina Minister and Mycologist
North Carolinians have provided the world of
mycology a rich lineage. With due respect of this
heritage biographical sketches of Tar Heel mycologists
will be featured in this and future issues of The
Fungif ile.
The Reverend Moses Ashley Curtis (1808-1872) was
born in Stockton, Mass. At the age of 22 Curtis
arrived at Wilmington, NC, as a tutor to the family
of Governor Dudley. Although Curtis was ordained a
minister in. the Episcopal Church, his avocation was
botany. Studies of the "higher" plants preceded his
mycological research to which he devoted much of his
later years. Curtis extensively collected the fungi
of the fields and forests of North Carolina. His
book, "Botany; containing a catalogue of the indigenous
and naturalized plants of the state," published in 1867,
contains a listing of 2,392 species of fungi that he
reported for this state.
Curtis' cultivated an interest in mycophagy with the hope that mushrooms
might better serve as a source of sustenance, especially during the Civil War.
Unfortunately, Curtis' s ambition of publishing a book, "Mycophagia Americana;
or eatable mushrooms of North America," to "popularize the use of mushrooms as
an article of food" never came to fruition. His son, Charles J. , had even drawn
and colored many of the species for this book. Curtis' s manuscript for this book
(& considerable correspondence) and his son's
illustrations are now deposited -at the UNC-CH
Southern Historical Collection.
Curtis died at his home in Hillsborough,
NC. bb
Willie Koch's Mushroom Dip (Lacto-Veg'etarian)
Notes: Make 1 day to 2 weeks in advance
Preparation time is 2 1/2 to 3 hours
1) Finely chop 3 lbs. of cleaned mushrooms
in a wooden bowl.
2) Put mushrooms, along with 2/3 lb.
butter (2 1/2 sticks) in 2-3 qt.
size pot. Simmer.
3) Add other ingredients:
a. parsley (3 Tbs. dried or 9 Tbs. fresh)
b. soy sauce (2 Tbs.)
c. black pepper (50 "grinds" or 3/4 tsp.)
d. salt (1/2 to 3/4 tsp.)
4) Simmer for 1 1/2 hrs. until all water
has evaporated from mushrooms. Be
sure to cook 1 1/2 hrs., as it takes
this long for flavors to mix.
5) Cool & refrigerate, ideally for at
least one day.
6) To serve, heat first and keep warm
during serving period.
7) Serve with nearly tasteless crackers.
Mushroom drawings by Charles J.
Curtis. From the Moses Ashley
Curtis Papers, //199, in the
Southern Historical Collection,
Library of the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
My coph.il ate ly : A Stamp of Approval for Mushrooms
page 6
IHIIIIIMH^l
The hobby of collecting stamps, philately, can become quite specialized.
Mycophilately , I am not sure who is responsible for coining this term, is con-
cerned with collecting stamps of mushrooms.
Larry Stickney of the Mycological Society
of San Francisco, Inc. , has featured art-
icles on mycophilately in that Society's
newsletter, My c en a News , and it is from
this source, in great part, that some
interesting information on this topic
is shared with you.
In 1958 Czechoslovakia and Romania
were the first countries to issue stamps
of mushrooms. Since then, 24 countries
have issued 159 stamps depicting 95
different species of fungi. The
fact that so many countries have
issued mushroom stamps indicates
the value mushrooms have in their
cultures. Among other countries
that have produced such stamps
are: Australia, Bulgaria,
Finland, Germany, Japan,
Mongolia, Poland, and Russia.
Unfortunately, there is still
insufficient interest for spawn-
ing a mushroom stamp in North America.
The king of mushrooms, Boletus edulis , is the most frequently shown species
being depicted on nine stamps! The morel, puffballs, stinkhoms, chanterelle,
Coprinus , Amanitas , Agarici, and Lactarii are other kinds of fungi included on
stamps .
Bill Long, this country's only commercial mycophilatelist , displayed at the
last annual meeting of the North American Mycological Association in East
Stroudsburg, Penn. , a stunning exhibit of mushroom stamps. If any member is
interested in collecting these stamps, write to Bill at: Star Route, Afton,
Mich. 49 705, and include a 20q stamp
bb
TRIANGLE AREA MUSHROOM CLUB
Membership List
12/24/82
Asaro, Frank
Rt0 2, Box 146 A
Apex
NC
27502
362-541 2
Baron, Sam & Virginia
5 Marilyn Lane
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
929-6454
B e aman , B ar bara
1803-B James St„
Durham
NC
27707
489-1527
Beauchamp, Carole A.
A 1,1, *n S 1 T~l _3
144 Pinecrest Rd.
Durham
NC
27705
489-1604
Berg, Dianne V.
Rt. 1 , Box 122
Pitts boro
NC
27312
933-9628
Bogaty, Jeanette & Herman
Laurel Hill Rd. Ext.
/-Tl _ "I TT« "I 1
Chapel Hill
NC
On r* A ) 1
27514
942-4425
Bond, John
Biology Dept. , Appal-
achian State Univ.
Boone
NC
oO/nO
28608
704-262-3025
Burk , Bill
Couch Library, Coker
Hall 010-A, UNC
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
942-6387
Galingaert, Agna
711 Churchill Dr.
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
929-3908
Ghanlett, Eliska
622 Greenwood Rd0
Chapel Hill
NC
on c A ) 1
27514
942-5553
Delzell, Elizabeth & David
32 Wedgewood Rd.
Chapel Hill
NC
2751^
Demarest, Jeffery R.
35 Perkins Dr.
Chapel Hill
T\TO
NC
27514
942-6741
Erickson, Harold
1011 Dacian Ave„
Durham
NC
27701
688-2231
Fischer, Newton D.
610 Burnett-Womack Bldg.
229-H, UNC
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
966-3341
Frantz , Vonda
Botany Dept., Coker
Hall 010-A, UNC
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
968-9458
Gerstbacher, Emily
33 Colonial Arms
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
942-5659
Givens , Kerry T.
381 5 Hillgrand Dr.
Durham
NC
27705
383-6045
Gould, Christopher & Odile
2832 Stuart Dr.
Durham
NC
27707
493-1194
Grocholo, Marge & Chet
Rt. ?, Box 601, Old
iiys ura riu. .
unapei h.111
JNLi
on It
2/514
00 O ^ -1 r\r\
9 Jj-6100
Gutman, Laura
2403 Wrightwood Ave.
Durham
NC
27705
489-593°
Haynes, Ed & Elaine
3447 Hope Valley Rd.
Durham
NC
/—s f~j r~-t r\ n
27707
J 1 0 O r*i n /^i 0
493-7703
Helmer, Stephen
Rt. 5, 31 8A Bowden Rd.
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
967-4546
Hill, Gale
Rt. 2, Box 437-A,
Cole Mill Rd.
Durham
NC
27705
383-1083
T T _ _ _ t jr • i i
Houck, Keith
Rt. 4, Box 99 A 42
Pitts boro
NC
27312
542-5752
Jaf f e , Jay A .
11 Dogwood Dr.
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
967-9521
Jones, Curtis & Betty
2459 Wayfarer Ct.
Chapel Hill
NC
on r* «t ) 1
27514
929-9265
Jones , Ed
Rt. 2, Box 437-A
Cole Mill Rd.
Durham
NC
27705
383-1083
Kaufman, Wallace
Rt. 1 , Box 54 B
Pitts boro
NC
27312
542-4072
Killian, James, Betsy, & Alex
P.O. Box 108
Rougemont
NC
27572
471 -21 76
Koch, Willie
Botany Dept., Coker
Hall 010-A, UNC
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
962-6939
Lewis , Sara M0
Total Loss Farm,
320 W. King St.
Hillsborough
NC
on on O
27278
732-8054
London, Gertrude
1199 Cypress Rd.
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
929-6783
Lovejoy, Jennifer
1416 No Duke St.
Durham
NC
27701
682-1085
Mathis , Ann K. & James
P.O. Box 220
Grimes land
NC
27837
758-0901
McConnell, Owen, Pat, & Jim
2808 Butner St.
Durham
NC
27704
477-5178
McLellan, George & Elizabeth
405 Colony Woods Dr.
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
967-3738
Miller, Bonnie
611 Craige, UNC
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
933-7123
Noble, Martha
35 Perkins Dr.
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
942-6741
Novotny, Alan
Rt. 1, #184-U2
Hillsborough NC
27278
732-3958
Ovelmen, Janice Levitt
813 Louise Circle
Durham
NC
27705
383-7311
Pease, Robert G.
2114 Woodland Ave.
Burlington
NC
27215
584-7469
roiner, j accrues u.
210 W, Lavender Ave.
Durham
NC
27704
477-5837
Pyne, George G. , Sr.
806 Vickers Ave.
Durham
NC
27701
688-1662
Ransom, David H. , II
109 Ellerbee St.
Durham
NC
27704
471-2800
Regan, John ¥.
Rt. 1, Box 171 B
Durham
NC
27705
493-2065
Schenck, Randy
Rt. 1, Box 54 R
Pittsboro
NC
27312
542-2804
Sessoms, Billie V.
802 Duluth St.
Durham
NC
27705
383-5853
lUOd,-L J-iUoa r dXIll f
190 U Vi-na- 1 +
Hillsborough
NG
9797S
779 Rncli
GIlcLXLJc, lt;LL
1 ,j v.al iiuoo r cLXlll ■
790 1a? Tf i no- +
Hillsborough NG
C.( C( o
719 Ancjii
OllciliclUj 1UJI1 OC riliilc
^O/i. "Rnl i n Pr-oofr- Dr
^}VJ*-r JJ<JJ__LI1 OICCi\ US. t
OdX-L. UUXvJ
IMP
VI Li
97^1 D
Q9Q—H79
y^y~jj( c
O L-cLIlXo ZicWoiVl , uXciliU-XcL
1 clu DS- UctLL O u ■
Durham
NC
9770^
too- ^yjj
fcJ l/dliXC V t AX-LCXil
P+ 7 "Rnv 1
States ville
NC
70L-R79-7Q79
S t p*nh ^ti^ nn T*"i an
^O^ GTavton Rrl
_) \J J-CLj UUJ.1 llU. t
Chapel Hill
NC
y"f C~ jyJ Cxi
Q t oT.r q v4* loan "R
119(11 p-nrlal ea D"r
lie ulcIlU.dJ.c X/X ■
Chapel Hill
NC
Q1l9_9Q09
Thomas, Colin G,
408 Morgan Greek Rd.
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
942-4865
Utiger, Sally B0
101 Foxridge Rd.
Chapel Hill
NC
2751^
942-7437
Ward, James L,
Rt. 1, Box 230-H
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
929-7666
Zeller, Joan
700 Morreene Rd. ,
Apt. G-ll
Durham
NC
27705
383-715^
Davis -Gardner , Ange la &
312 Oakwood Ave .
Ra leigh
NC
27601
833-0551
Charles
N - C 3 of a nica I
Co iter Wall
5 „ .
fe R 0 ,Nl
Coke R
HALL
'Set fo D^.rl.
1 , 5t«i„f
7NC-C
Co^1- /id)) room ZiS"
Scjh * U
page 7
The Club and Coral Fungi by Ronald H. Petersen
There is nothing more attractive and fascinating than the discovery of a
brightly colored coral erupting from the forest floor in mid-summer. They range
from pale ivory to brilliant yellow, crimson, salmon or purple, from slender and
gracile to bulky and stout, from innocuous to smelly, with odors from aromatic to
stinking.
Coupled with the corals are the clubs, usually simple, baseball bat-shaped
fruitbodies occurring either singly or in bouquets. Both clubs and corals lack
gills, teeth or pores, but their spore-bearing organs (basidia) are produced on
all surfaces around the club or each branch. This separates them from the leather
fungi, fruitbodies of which are flattened, with spores formed on one surface but
not both.
As seems to be the case with most fungi, the folks out west eat corals far
more often and enthusiastically than we easterners. Most corals are harmless to
tasty, with one or two causing gastric distress, but nothing very serious. One
species, with salmon-colored branches and yellow tips, has been reported to be
poisonous to humans and cattle, but some of these citations come from areas in
which the species, Ramaria formosa, does not grow, making the picture vague at
best. One of my favortites, Clavulina cristata, combines sweet and nutty flavors
and is an excellent edible. For the most part, the clubs are too small to be
attractive for the table. Too many must be picked to make the harvest practical.
Traditionally, all the clubs and corals were placed in one genus, Clavaria.
W.C. Coker (The Clavarias of the United States and Canada, U.N.C. Press, 1923)
for example, treated them in this way. His keys and descriptions are based on
obvious characters observable to the naked eye, so his book is a good one on
which to get a start. Some years later, E.J.H. Corner (A monograph of Clavaria
and allied genera. Annals of Botany, Memoir 1: 1950: 740 p.) compiled a much more
thorough and insightful summary splitting the group into some 30 genera, largely
based on microscopic features. The book
is fine for the very serious collector,
but no others.
The Piedmont Plateau supports one of
the richest floras of corals, and Coker
used these as the basis for his book. Folks
around Chapel Hill are blessed twice,
therefore, with both the fungi and the
authority. Popular books notoriously
neglect the group, probably because names
are not yet firm, so do not think that
such publications are authoritative.
Over the years it has become possible
to plot distributions of these fungi.
Ramaria, the true corals , seems to go
wild in the wet western conifer forests.
Certain club fungus groups are very diverse
in New Zealand, conversely. Europe is
not especially rich in either type.
A number of species found in the tropics
seem to find their northern limit here in the southeastern states. Nonetheless,
worldwide classification is not stable enough to make better predictions, but
the data are already fascinating.
The clubs and corals are perplexing for most casual collectors, but for the
serious observer they open a new door to the appreciation of the fungi.
Good hunting!
CRon is Professor of Botany at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and is
an authority on the corals . )
page 8
The following people contributed to
this issue of The Fungifile: Sam Baron,
Bill Burk, Kerry Givens , Willie Koch,
Ron Petersen, and Joan Zeller. Also of
assistance were Dr. Carolyn Wallace,
Richard Shrader and Becky McCoy of the
UNC-CH Southern Historical Collection;
and Bill Long.
Triangle Area Mushroom Club
P.O. 3ox 2604
Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514
T.A.M.C. in the News
Our club was the topic of Lois Hobbs's column, Garden Variety, in The Chapel Hill
Newspaper, Sunday, November 28, 1982, p. 5C. In "New Club's Mushrooming" Lois discussed
the various activities we have held. Extra copies of the article will be available at
our next meeting on January 10th.
Brochures Available
Mycophagists might be interested in two brochures, "Canadian wild mushrooms and
nutrition," and "Gourmet cooking with Canadian dried mushrooms." "My co-Man" G. F.
Vulker, Inc. (P.O. Box 6310, Station "F", Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L9C 6L9) has kindly
provided us with extra copies of these brochures which will be distributed at the next
meeting. (The Vulker company sells preserved mushrooms and mushroom growing kits.)
0589. 22205"
THE FUNGIFILE
Newsletter of the Triangle Area ?lushroom Club
P.O. Box 2604, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514
Volume 2 Number 2 March-ADril 1983
Mark Your Calendar
Please note these dates on your calendar, as this is a bimonthly newsletter and
there will be no reminders for interim meetings. TAMC meetings will be held on the
second Monday of each month.
March 10 (Thursday) : NOTE: This is a special meeting, previously unannounced in the
newsletter. Larry Stickney, active member and past president of the San
Francisco Mycological Society, will speak about his Land's End mushroom walks
which have introduced so many mushroom beginners to the world of fungi. Meeting
at 7:00 pm at the home of Billie Sessoms, 802 Duluth St., Durham (see map).
March 14: Dr. Barbara Beaman, plant ecologist, will speak on "Fungal Habitats in the
Piedmont: Locating Your Favorite Mushrooms," During the business meeting, we
will vote on whether or not to become associated with NAMA (see below) .
Meeting at 7:00 pm in room 418, Jones Bldg. , Duke West Campus, Durham (see map).
April 11: Kerry Givens, all around young naturalist/medical student who has filled
his free time with the pursuit of the esoteric and unnoticed aspects of the
natural world, will present a program of his slides, including "Mushrooms I
Have Known." We will also present a tape/slide show of the winning pictures
from the North American Mycological Association's 1982 Photography Contest
(which includes 2 of Kerry's pictures). Meeting at 7:00 pm in room 143, Jones
Bldg- , Duke West Campus, Durham (see map).
May 9: Claudia Staniszewski will demonstrate various techniques for microscopic
study of mushrooms. Meeting in the Biological Sciences Building, Duke West
Campus, Durham (see map).
NAMA Association
At the March 14 meeting, we will be voting on whether to become associated with
the North American Mycological Association. NAMA serves to unify and bring together
amateur mycologists both figuratively (through the bimonthly newsletter The Mycophile ,
and the yearly journal Mcllvainea) , and literally (at it's annual foray).
According to the letter from NAMA, the following conditions are involved with
becoming an Associated Society: "The society will pay NAMA an annual fee of $25.00
for which The Mycophile and Mcllvainea will be sent to a delegate named by the society.
Individual members of the society will pay standard dues [$10.00] for active
membership in NAMA. (Editor's note: under associated status, it is not necessary
for individuals to join NAMA.) The society shall submit a list of members, name a
reporter to The Mycophile, a member to the NAMA Mycophagy Committee, and a delegate
page 10
...[to represent the society at annual trustee meetings ]... to report the actions and
intentions of the local associated society. The society gets national publicity for
its programs. Schools, contests, library materials, etc., are reserved for dues paying
NAMA members." (Local societies can also apply to NAMA for Affiliated Status. In this
case, each member must join NAMA, at a reduced rate of $5.00 a year, and gets full
membership privileges. Advantages to the affiliated society are similar to that of
associated status, except that the society is represented by a voting trustee, instead
of a delegate to the board, and has access to NAMA's slide shows at reduced rates. We
do not recommend becoming affiliated at this time.) By becoming associated with NAMA,
we would become an official part of the national structure and support this worthwhile
organization.
Foray Coordinators Needed
Drawings by C.J. Curtis.
From the Moses Ashley Cur
tis Papers, #199, in the
Southern Historical Col-
lection, Library of the
University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Warmer weather is approaching, and it's time to start organizing
field trips. To do this, we need volunteers - ideally, several
people to organize individual forays, and a Field Trip Coordinator
to coordinate the organizers. At this time, all positions are open I
To volunteer, you need not be an expert at identifying mushrooms;
we will rely on the diverse knowledge of our members, and on our
field guides, although whenever possible we will have guest leaders.
The responsibilities of the individual trip organizers would be to:
1) select an appropriate site, 2) obtain any necessary permission
to hunt, 3) prepare directions and/or map to be published in the
newsletter, and 4) serve as the contact person for questions, or to
take, reservations if it becomes necessary to limit the number of
participants. The Field Trip Coordinator would try to schedule one
or two (or more) forays a month over the collecting season.
You may remember that John Bond has invited us to hunt for
morels in Boone this spring. Because of the capriciousness of the
morel season, we have decided to postpone the trip until mushrooms
are more abundant so that the trip might be more rewarding. For
long distance trips like this, we will also need coordinators. In
addition to the responsibilities already listed, the person would
need to obtain information on accomodations , although the actual arrangements
can be made by individuals, (In fact, if anyone is willing to organize a
Boone morel trip, there is probably enough interest to make it a success.)
Forays are obviously an important function of the club. Remember, we are
a new organization. There are no "same old people" to rely on to organize
these trips. If we are to become the active club everyone seems to want, vre.
need active members, so please volunteer. Happy Hunting!
January Meeting
by Jennifer Love joy
At the January meeting, we were privileged to have George Pyne share some of his
beautiful photographs and speak to us on some of the mushroom species he has found
locally. A long-time leader of the Eno River spring wildf lower hikes, George prefaced
his talk by showing an Eno River calendar devoted to North Carolina mycologist Moses
Ashley Curtis (featured in our January-February newsletter) beautifully illustrated
by Curtis's son Charles. The slide show which followed was fascinating not only for
the stunning photography but also because of the way George interspersed photographs
of some of the different locations in Durham where he had found the mushrooms. This
brought home the fact that one does not have to go out in the wilderness to find good
mushroom hunting. Many of the interesting species can be found along the streets we
travel every day. Many thanks to George for his interesting talk (and also to member
Owen McConnell for helping to identify some of the species). Members should keep in
mind George's upcoming wildf lower walks weekend afternoons at the Eno River State Park,
page 11
February Meeting by Billie Sessoms
About 20 people met at Coker Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill to hear Ken Whitney's talk on
Myxomycetes (the slime molds). Ken described and showed slides on the various fruit-
bodies of the slime molds and explained their habitats. Members then had an oppor-
tunity to view some interesting specimens Ken had brought for demonstration.
Joan Zeller reported on topics of future meetings and discussed how TAMC might
join the North American Mycological Association. Member Allein Stanley, also a
trustee of NAMA, described some of the benefits and activities of NAMA membership.
Joan asked that members submit designs for a club logo. Bill Burk announced that
Larry Stickney from the Mycological Society of San Francisco will talk about his
famous walk at Land's End, California (see Calendar). Also, Bill announced that the
American Rock Garden Society invited the club to present an exhibit at their
meeting in Asheville, June 1984 . If any member is interested in coordinating a
morel foray in Boone, or is interested in speaking at meetings, please contact Bill
or Joan. Members were reminded that volunteers are needed for supplying refreshments
at meetings .
New Members , Corrections , and Changes
Welcome to the following people who joined TAMC since the membership list was
published in the last news letter:
Baird, Donna Day
1413 Nelson Hwy.
Durham
NC
27707
544-2635
Coffin, David & Viola
1023 Sycamore
Durham
NC
27707
489-1624
Dillon, Leila
104 Virginia Dr.
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
929-4002
Galloway, Karen G.
2008 La Dora Ct.
High Point
NC
27260
454-4804
Gutmann, Catherine A.
24 H Stratford Hills
Apts .
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
967-2990
Howard, Tom
12700 Six Forks Rd.
Raleigh
NC
27609
596-3724
McAllaster, Carolyn
228 Monmouth Ave.
Durham
NC
27701
682-6858
Moore, Ken
104 Williams St.
Carrboro
NC
27510
967-4559
Oliver, Bill
1304 Brucemont Dr.
Garner
NC
27529
772-3978
Pact, Ginny
Rt. 2 Box 547
Durham
NC
27705
383-8797
Peabody, Robert
RD //4, Box 281
East on
PA
18042
215-
-749-2510
Rakoff, Sherrie
206 Hillsborough Rd.
Carrboro
NC
27510
933-8607
Steele, Diana
1207 Mason Farm Rd.
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
929-8922
Taylor, Anita
2116 Wilson St.
Durham
NC
27705
286-1852
Zelinski, Frances
Alvah ' s Lane
Cutchogue
NY
11935
516
-734-6853
Please note the
following changes of the membership list:
Gerstbacher, Emily
738 1/2 E. Franklin
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
942-
-4704
Grochola, Chet & Marge
Rte. 7 Box 601 Old
Lystra Rd.
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
9 33-
-6100
Miller, Bonnie
609 Craige Dorm, UNC
Chapel Kill
NC
27514
933-
-3670
Calling All Artists
Anyone with artistic leanings is invited to submit designs for a TAMC logo.
The designs should be simple and easy to reproduce (such as on T-shirts), possibly
incorporating the letters "TAMC" and a common local species (i.e. , Cantharellus
cibarius) , or stylized mushroom. Appropriate drawings will be used in The Fungifile.
Please submit by May 9. Let's give them something to recognize us by!
Special Thanks
Two non-members have devoted a considerable amount of their time to our club
recently. Many thanks to Jim Fitzwilliam, who put in much time (and frustration)
helping to order and track down our elusive books, and to Randy Lambe, who was
indispensable in generating a computerized membership /mailing list.
page 12
Morchella esculenta
by Bill Burk
(Morchella--from the Italian, morella; esculenta from Latin, esculentus, meaning edible)
What better harbinger of the mycological collecting season in the spring is there
than the highly esteemed morel, Morchella esculenta ? It is known by various names:
common morel, morel, mountain fish, pinecone mushroom, sponge mushroom, and yellow morel.
Its culinary status has equals with few other fungi, notwithstanding the fame of truffles
Boletus edulis , and the chanterelles.
The pale yellow-brown, hollow top (or head) is shaped like a
pine cone and is composed of ridges and pits. Another feature of
this species, a characteristic of most of the true morels, is that
the base of its head is attached to the top of the hollow stem, not
hanging in a skirt-like manner as in the false morels and one true
morel, M. semilibra .
MM
-» \§m jf?i fir*
. it
Since beginners might mistake several dangerous species of the
false morels (Gyromitras , especially G. esculenta , Helve lias* , and
the Verpas , notably V. bohemica ) for the common morel, and other
true morels, one must be aware of these fungi. Species of false
morels which can be confused with the true morels have a wrinkled
head instead of distinct pits and ridges, and the head hangs from
the top of the stalk. Gyromitra esculenta can cause a very dis-
tressful poisoning and even fatality in some individuals. Some
mycophagists tolerate the species after boiling them, but this is
not safe for everyone. In the Newsletter (vol. 2, no. 4, 1982) of
the Michigan Mushroom Hunters Club, it is reported that "many
Michigan residents consume G. esculenta after boiling, sometimes
with tragic consequences." One of the culpable, toxic substances
in the false morels is monomethy Ihydrazine , a component of
rocket fuel!
Morels are not very abundant in North Carolina . Their col-
lecting time falls between April 7 and May 1, depending on the
region of the state. In the Pittsboro area, member Wally
Kaufman reported collections in a second growth of relatively young yellow poplars
and in northern Chatham County in larger poplars and gum along with a few pines.
Specimens ranging in size from 2-4" high and up to 3/4" thick were found from April 7-20,
A rather serendipitous find of morels on April 18, 1981, was enjoyed by members
Pat and Owen McConnell, while they were camping at the Joyce Kilmer-S lickrock Wild-
erness Area in Graham County. Owen relates: "Arriving at Horse Cove campground...,
we prepared to pitch our tent in an 'improved1 site constructed of a bed of gravel,
enclosed in a concrete frame. Pushing up through the gravel,
exactly where the tent should be placed, were three fresh Morchella esculenta . The
campground had just opened for the season, and we were probably the first party to
use this campsite, We began to search the surrounding area and discovered 46 morels
within the campground. They grew primarily near the trunks of yellow poplar which
were two to three feet in diameter at the base." Owen also reported that a Cherokee
woman who had been gathering morels at Cheoah Point of Lake Santeetlah, found the
growing area to be under yellow poplars and old apple trees.
In the western part of the state, in the Boone vicinity, member John Bond finds
fruitings from April 11 to May 1, especially in old apple orchards with dying trees,
along banks of streams, and even under pines on the Appalachian State University
campus .
At the other spectrum of morel collecting, is Michigan, well-known for its
prolific morel growth. In fact, in Boyne City, MI, the National Mushroom Festival
and Hunting Championship is held yearly for the morel. During a 90 minute period,
contestants scour the woodlands for the morel. A recent winner found 445 fruit-
bodies, but the all-time champion found over 900.'
In preparing the edible morels for the table, collectors should heed several
caveats. Always cook your specimens; never eat them raw. Clean and prepare your
specimens: cut them lengthwise to check for decay or insects and wash them to
* Some species reportedly have caused poisonings in individuals.
page 13
remove sand and debris from Che pits and stems. Don't combine alcohol with a morel meal.
One of the best sources for recipes is Betty Ivanovich's Morel Mushroom Cookbook f$3.75,
including postage) which provides some exciting eating experiences with morels. If you
should not be fortunate enough to find your cache of morels this spring, cheer up, as
there are several North American vendors of morels, including: Betty Ivanovich (7626
Auburn Rd . , Utica, MI 48087) who offers dried morels from Michigan, Switzerland, and
India; and also "Myco-Man" G .F . Vulker, Inc. (P.O. Box 6310, Station "F", Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada L9C 6L9).
According to the US Federal Drug Administration, one must
be especially cautious of various imports of canned morels,
particularly those of Cie Franco of France and of Lankor
International, Inc., of Switzerland. Apparently these
companies labelled the cans as morels, which in fact con-
tained Gyromitra esculenta . The March 1981 issue of the
FDA Consumer (p. 33) further reported two alerts: "in 1977
when four people in New York City got sick after eating
these mushrooms in a dish called Veal Morel;" then in 1980,
the Denver District collected other imports which were anal-
yzed and found to also contain G. esculenta . In fact, one
brand, sold as 'Vlyco Round Morels Extra Gyromitras au Naturel
Morels", clearly indicated that Gyromitras were also included.
Therefore, when buying canned mushrooms, especially morels, be
sure of your product.
In addition to reading descriptions of morels in the var-
ious mushroom field guides, members might be interested in
two booklets: 1) "May is morel month in Michigan," by Ingrid
Bartelli. 21 pp., with color photos. Available for 25c; order
as Extension Bulletin E-6l4 from: Publications Office, Exten-
sion-Research Information, 1 Morrill Hall, Michigan State Univ-
ersity, E. Lansing, MI 48824. 2) "Morels; a gourmet's delight,"
by David Malloch. 10 pp, with black-and-white photos. We are
not sure if this publication is still in print, but copies have
been obtained in the past, as Publication 1581, from Information
Division, Canada Dept. of Agriculture. Ottawa, KlA 0C7, Canada.
Other morel items that may be of interest to members are:
1) Morel note cards, by Dorothy M. Beebee. A set of. 8, prepaid
for $3.75, can be obtained from Dorothy at 9387 Rio Vista Rd . ,
Forestville, CA 95436. (The illustrations of morels and false
morels in this issue of The Fungif ile are reproduced at a
reduced magnification from some of Dorothy's cards, with her
kind permission.) 2) 'The Morels," a color chart, 22" X 30",
depicting 10 species of true and false morels. For one chart,
mailed in a crush-proof tube, send $4.95 ($3.95 plus $1.00
postage) to: The Mushroom Cave, Inc., Box 894, Battle Creek,
MI 49016. yfa.
Morel Hunter ' s Delight
1 lb. morels ■ 3 T. vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour Salt and pepper to taste
3 T. unsalted margarine
Mix flour, salt and pepper. Cut morels lengthwise, roll them in flour mixture.
Heat the oil and margarine in frying pan, add morels and fry till browned.
Serve them hot alone or as an addition.
It makes 4 servings.
Reprinted from Morel Mushroom Cookbook, with the kind permission of Betty Ivanovich.
page 14
Happenings
As available, we will publish news of mycological and related events which may be
of interest to our members. If you know of any events which should be included here,
let us know. (There are mushroom happenings all over the country, especially during
late summer and early fall, and we can't publish everything. So if you are planning on
travelling and may be interested in attending workshops, meetings, or events sponsored
by other clubs, check with us.)
April 15-17, 1983. Reidsville, NC : annual WILD FOODS WEEKEND ■
"Small groups will learn how to safely identify, collect and
cook wild foods. The climax of the event is the Wild Feast -
a vast smorgasbord of traditional and creative dishes featuring
natural ingredients." Write: NC Wild Foods Weekend, P.O. Box
396, Elon College, NC 27244. (From 'Wildlife in NC , " Feb. '83)
June 19-August 14, 1983. University of Montana Biological Station
at Yellow Bay, Flathead Lake, MT : MYCOLOGY, a course for grad-
uate and undergraduate students with field work in Montana and
Canada, taught by Professor Orson Miller (of Virginia Poly-
technic Institute). Write: Director, Univ. of Montana
Biological Station, Bigfork, MT 59911.
June 25- July 1, 1983. Black Mountain, NC : BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT.
Family vacation sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation.
Separate programs geared toward adults, teens, and children are
offered. "Spend your days investigating the wildf lowers and
mushrooms, butterflies and birds of the Southern Appa lachians ,
or try your hand at sketching, reading a map and compass and
much more. Field trips along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway,
folk arts programs spontaneous night walks and mountain sing-
a longs round out your six days of fun and discovery with enough variety to please every-
one. " Fee is $130 for adults, $70 for teen and youth programs, accomodations extra.
Write: NWF, 1412 16 St. NW, Washington DC 20036.
July 11-August 12, 1983. Highlands, NC: Course in SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FLESHY FUNGI, taught
by Dr. Ron Petersen of the Univ. of Tennessee. "Almost daily field trips on the Blue
Ridge and adjacent mountains during the height of the fungus season and extensive exper-
ience with identification techniques. Designed for a wide spectrum of students from
beginners to graduate students." Write: Highlands Biological Station, P.O. Drawer 580,
Highlands, NC 28741. (From Mycological Society of America Newsletter, Dec. 1982).
July 22-24, 1983. Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, WV: WILD MUSHROOM IDENTIFICATION.
July 29-31, 1983. Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, WV: WILD MUSHROOM LORE AND COOKERY.
Both of these courses, part of the Augusta Heritage Arts Workshops, are taught by Bill
Roody, "free lance naturalist" and editor and publisher of Coltsfoot (see Bill's book
review p. 15). For rave reviews of last year's course, contact Joan. Fees, $40 per
course, approx. $30-40 room & board per weekend (exact fee not available at this time).
(Davis & Elkins College offers Augusta Heritage Arts Workshops every summer, "a program
dedicated to preserving the values, music and sense of craft" of the earliest West
Virginia Appalachian settlements. Besides classes in music, dancing, and crafts, classes
have been offered in Herbs, Woodlore, and, of course, Mushrooms. The atmosphere is in-
formal, warm, and friendly.) Write: Augusta, Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, WV 26241.
Anyone interested in these programs, especially the Mushroom Workshops , please contact
Joan (383-7154, 684-6610).
August 19-23, 1983. Granby, CO: North American Mycological Association FORAY.
The highlight of the mushroom season for many mycophiles is this annual gathering of
mushroom hunters. Many forays to various habitats are scheduled throughout the days,
and specimens are brought back to be identified by experts and displayed for study.
Lectures on several topics are also offered, and opportunities for learning and fellow-
ship are vast. This year's fee is not yet available. (Last year's fee was $90, including
room and board.) NAMA members only (one of the best reasons to join.) Contact Bill or
Joan, or write: NAMA, 4245 Redinger Rd . , Portsmouth, OH 45662.
page
October 3-24, 1983. A MUSHROOM STUDY TOUR OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA , led by
Gary Lincoff, Andrew Weil, and Emanuel Salzman. Lectures, forays, visits to herbaria,
centers of mushroom cultivation, and academies of traditional medicine, as well as
sight-seeing and other leisure activities are scheduled as the group travels through the
PRC and Hong Kong. Write: Dr. Emanuel Salzman, %Fungophile, PO Box 5503, Denver, CO
80217-5503.
Summer, 1983: Raquette Lake, NY, in the Adirondack Forest Preserve: FIELD MYCOLOGY, 2 week
course taught by Dr. T. J. Baroni, emphasizing identification of macrofungi. Write:
T. J. Baroni, Dept. Biol. Sci., P.O. Box 2000, SUNY-College at Cortland , Cortland, NY
13045.
Book Review by Bill Roody
A Field Guide to Mushrooms and Their Relatives by Booth
Courtenay and Harold H. Burdsall, Jr. 1982, Van Nostrand
Reinhold, New York, NY. 144 pp. hardcover, $18.95.
ISBN 0-442-23117-2.
I usually get pretty excited about the appearance of a
new mushroom book, but my elation was short-lived after a
closer examination of this one. It covers approximately
350 species, which is only "fair to middlin'" these days.
The somewhat over-simplified identification "key" is a
15-page section of illustrations of typical forms of the
genera included. The gilled mushrooms are first divided
according to spore color and then, as with the non-gilled
species, separated by prominent visible features. From
this point the user is directed to a section of descrip-
tions and color photos in hopes of matching a mushroom in
question. This is the heart of the guide and is also the
source of its shortcomings.
There are over 400 photos, but many are small and too
often poorly reproduced. For some, the colors are either under- or oversaturated.
Some photos are too reduced to accurately portray the mushroom. (Editor's note:
Figure 296 is upside down.) The capsule descriptions are intended to omit needless
repetition of extraneous characteristics and include only those features necessary to
distinguish one species from another; this seems like a good idea, but the abbreviated
format also excludes other pertinent information, especially regarding look-alikes
and edibility. For instance, there are only 6 terms used to describe edibility for all
350 species. "Not Recommended" could mean "easily confused with dangerous similar
species" (which are not given), or "too tough or tasteless," or "too thin or delicate,"
or "having an unpleasant smell or taste." Other useful and interesting facts are
also excluded.
Experienced collectors will find yet another set of popular names with which to
deal. Some of these are quite descriptive, but do we really need a dozen different
names for one mushroom? This is all the more reason to learn and use botanical Latin,
which fortunately is also cited.
The one redeeming quality of A Field Guide to Mushrooms and Their Relatives is
the inclusion of some species not described or illustrated in other popular field
guides. This fact alone will appease the fraternal order of fungal fanatics, but
the neophyte would do better to invest in other more informative, better illustrated,
and less expensive works.
From Coltsfoot July/August 1982 (P.O. Box 529, Elkins, WV 26241)
page 16
Oh, You Know What I Mean
One of the big problems with mushroomology is being able to understand what
the technical words mean. Just as soon as you think, you have a handle on a term,
some other dude uses the word in a different way and wonders why you can't under-
stand him. And there are the uptown type that are fond of using $3.50, six
syllable words when the good old five and dime variety works equally well. They
are fond of saying "squamulose pileus" instead of "scaley cap" or "astipitate
carpophores" when they mean "puff balls".
Doc Morton was leaning against the cracker barrel the other day down at the
Jot-' em Down Store (anybody out there remember that place?) and was thinking
along these lines. Look what he came up with when he tried to find out what
cartilaginous (having to do with the quality of a stem) meant:
Firm and tough and readily bent (Ainsworth and Bisby's Dictionary of the
Fungi)
Rigid, firm and brittle, breaking with a snap. Not tough and pliant.
A. H.( Smith's Mushrooms in T.teir Natural Habitats.
Firm and tough. (V. 0. Graham's Mushrooms of the Great Lakes)
Firm and tough, gristly. (Krieger's Mushroom Handbook)
Not fleshy; thin and hollow, tough or fragile. (Arora's Mushrooms
Demystified)
Of the texture of cartilage. (Overholt's Polyporaceae of U.S. etc.)
At this point Doc gave up in a huff and went out to kill a chicken for
a piece of cartilage mumbling: "This is all very nice and comes from a group of
very brilliant men. However, they date back from the very beginning of time
and that may be the problem! These definitions could apply to anything from the
physical attributes of a female to an outer space rocket." Doc ought to know
about rockets now that he is living down there in Florida. Professor Toadstool
said he would check out the other.
Reprinted from the Ohio Spore Print (Jan. -Feb. 1983 issue)
Newsletter Exchange
We are pleased to have added the following clubs
to our Newsletter Exchange: Boston Mycological Club,
Connecticut Valley Mycological Society, Los
Angeles Mycological Society, Michigan Mushroom
Hunters Club, and New Orlean's Mycological Society.
Special Book Offer
Mushrooms of Western North America, by Robert
T. Orr & Dorothy B. Orr , list price $12.95, is being
offered for the special price of $7.65, plus $2.50
postage and handling, until June 9, 1983, from
The University of California Press, 2223 Fulton St.,
Berkeley, CA 94720. (Order as item #847. You must
use a special order form, available from TAMC.)
802 Do joU 5+
J* RaU^ ©Tak< I§T fD Cole Ml ^. ^ , -f0r„ r^A"f
f r6* Wis iow^ . /fa tc / / eot :
,1/^ Ut (Ex'if 113)* \nKis-so) South
to
To RWe'gfi
QUKE W^S! Cfirtpus
/lay ? Bfo/wicJf J?J^
0 C^a/W //.7i
page 18
The following people contributed to this
issue of Tne Fungifile: Dorothy M. Beebee, John
Bond, Bill Burk, Kerry Givens , Betty Ivanovich,
Wally Kaufman, Jennifer Lovejoy, Pat & Owen
McConnell, Sherrie Rakoff, Rhonda Rogers, Bill
Roody, Billie Sessoms, and Joan Zeller.
Triangle Area Mushroom Club
P. 0.~Box 2604
Chapel Hill, EC 27514
PLEASE CHECK MAILING LABEL FOR ACCURACY AMD NOTIFY US OF ANY CHANGES
A&ARICUS
THE FUNGIFILE
Newsletter of the Triangle Area Mushroom Club
P.O. Box 2604 Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514
Volume 2 Number 3
May/June 1983
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
-
Please note these dates on your calendar, as this is a bimonthly newsletter and
there will be no reminders for interim events. TAMC meetings will usually be held
on the second Monday of each month.
Meetings :
May 9: "Introduction to Microscopic Features of Fungi." Barbara Beaman and Claudia
Staniszewski will present a lecture followed by lab demonstrations with prepared
slides and sections cut from fresh specimens supplied by members. Bring mush-
rooms to identify and for the demonstration. Meeting at 7 : 30 pm in room 0084,
Biological Sciences Building, Duke West Campus, Durham (see map, p. 26).
June 6 (note: first Monday) : "Chestnut Blight." Bruce Nash, Duke Ph.D. student in
Forest Pathology & Entomology, will speak about the history of the chestnut
blight in the U.S. the discovery & use of hypovirulent strains of the fungus
for biological control, and the research at Duke on the oak host & large
surviving American chestnuts. The talk will be illustrated with slides, plate
cultures, and herbarium specimens. Cosponsored by the North Carolina Botanical
Garden. Meeting at 7:00 pm at the NCBG in Chapel Hill (see map, p. 25).
July 11: Mushroom Identification Workshop. Bring mushrooms and field guides. We
will break up into small groups and work through the keys. Meeting at 7:00 pm
at Coker Hall, UNC campus, Chapel Hill. Details in next newsletter.
Forays :
Foray season is here! The following trips were arranged by Dianne Berg,
Jacques Poirier, and Billie Sessoms. Thanks for all their work.'
April 30: Max & Isabel Sanfield's land in Person Co; mixed conifers & deciduous
trees. Meet at 11 am in the parking lot of the NC Museum of Life & Science
in Durham (433 Murray Ave: take Duke St./Roxboro exit off of 1-85 gear North-
gate Shopping Center & go north; turn right on to Murray Ave. at 2 light).
Contact person is Jacques Poirier (note: if you signed up for this foray at the
April meeting but will be unable to attend, please let Jacques know).
May 14: Janet & Mike Resnik's land in Chatham Co; miles of horse trails through
hardwoods (high land) & pines (low land); lots of horse droppings! Texaco 10 am.
May 22: Sanfield land in Person Co; same arrangements as April 30. 1_1 am.
June 5: Jayce & Alice Hobbs's land in Chatham Co; beech, poplar, & low wet places.
Texaco Station, 10 am.
page 20
June 25: Dianne Berg's land in Chatham Co. Dianne has invited us to stay for a pot-
luck picnic after the foray, so bring a pot-luck dish as well as lunch. Texaco
Station 10 am.
July 10: Jordan Lake; details in next newsletter.
July 23: Brown Mountain in Person County; details in next newsletter.
August 7: Details in next newsletter.
August 27: Details in next newsletter.
Take-off time from the meeting place is 10 am unless otherwise specified.
Meeting place for Cha tham County trips will be the parking lot at University Mall in
Chapel Hill, near the Texaco Station (15-501 Bypass and Estes Dr.). If you would
prefer to go directly to the foray site & need further directions, contact Billie
Sessoms (Durham: 383-5853) or Dianne Berg (Chapel Hill: 933-9628) for all dates
except April 30 6c May 22 (for these, contact Jacques Poirier (Durham: 684-3502, work
or 477-5837, home)). Trips will not be cancelled for rain unless there is a deluge.
(Call contact person in the morning to find out if it is deluging.) There is no need
to sign up for forays.
Wear rain gear if appropriate and sturdy, comfortable shoes, such as (broken-
in) hiking boots. (Remember, this is snake country.) Insect repellent is usually
a good idea; so is toilet paper - these sites have no facilities. Also bring a
basket or box for collecting, wax paper for wrapping specimens (not plastic wrap or
baggies - these encourage sweating & early decay), knife, field guid^, whistle (see
Whistlestop, below), and compass if you have one. And don't forget lunch.
Places for the August dates have not yet been determined, and we can schedule
even more dates, so please let us know of other suitable sites.
Foray Etiquette
Some etiquette is important in the field, to preserve the habitat, and also to
not interfere with the enjoyment of those who come after you. Although the code
"Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints" may not literally apply to
mushroom hunters, its spirit is still appropriate. (Do be certain you have permission
to pick.) Though the main body of the fungus is the mycelium underground, which is
not destroyed by picking the mushroom, try to leave some individuals to ensure spore
dispersal. Disturb the environment as little as possible, replacing duff and leaves,
and leave discards and cuttings out of sight. Remember, the effects on the environ-
ment are magnified when groups are at large, so be extra conscious of leaving the
area as natural as you found it.
Another thing to think about when on a foray with a group is that others may
wish to see the mushroom in situ . When you come upon a particularly unusual or
striking specimen, let the others know, so that they may appreciate it in its natural
setting before you pick it. (This is especially a plea from photographers. And
please be considerate; over-anxious collectors have been known to
pluck mushrooms right out of the viewf inder .' )
Whis ties top
For quick and easy communication in the field, the Colorado
Mycological Society uses the following whistle code, which we
could adopt: One blast = Come to me.' or Come see what I've
found.' Two blasts = I am here J Three blasts = I am lost.'
Show and Tell (or Show and Ask)
Now that the mushroom season is here, please bring your specimens to
the meetings for display and for help with identification. Even if you
have already identified them, others may not know the species.
page 21
Logo Designs
The deadline for TAMC logo submissions is the May 9 meeting. Please put your
imaginations and pencils to work.
Publicity
Billie Sessoms has volunteered to handle publicity for our club,
but she needs our help. If you know of any media, such as local news-
papers or radio stations, which would publicize our events, please
send their names and addresses to her at: 802 Duluth St., Durham, N.C
27705 .
March 10 Meeting
by Emily Gerstbacher
WW
mm P"~
The March 10 meeting, held at the home of Billie Sessoms in Dur-
ham, featured a slide-talk show by Larry Stickney of Oakland, Califor-
nia. Larry, an active member of the Mycological Society of San Fran-
cisco, for years has led enthusiasts in search of mushrooms on walks
in Land's End in San Francisco. His slides, spectacular shots of
both fungi and California landmarks, accompanied a stimulating dis-
cussion of mushroom lore, highlighted with culinary suggestions for
the fruits of the find.
March 14 Meeting by Keith Houck
Dr. Barbara Beaman, a plant ecologist from Duke, spoke at the
March 14 meeting on "Fungal Habitats in the Piedmont: Locating Your Fav-
orite Mushrooms." Her talk was very informative and included a beautiful
slide show. She explained how knowing the lifestyle of a particular fungus
can aid in its identification as well as provide clues on where to search
for it. Mycorrhizal associations, symbiotic relationships between the
mycelium of the fungus and the -roots of a plant, make it possible to
anticipate where to find a mushroom by knowing which higher plants it
associates with. In addition, knowing whether a mushroom is mycorrhizal, parasitic,
or saprophytic, as well as its habitat (that is, soil, wood, or dung) is very useful
in keying it out.
In order to enable more members to participate in the decision of whether or
not to join the North American Mycological Association, it was decided to postpone
the vote, and to use mail-in ballots. See "Should We Join NAMA?" insert. Ballots
are due by the June 6 meeting.
April 11 Meeting Impressions by Catherine Gutmann
SHOW & TELL: many "oohs & aahhs " over the "show & tell" table .. .biggest scene
stealers & crowd pleasers: morels(!) brought by Gale Hill, with earth stars from
the McConnells a close second ... lovely way to start a meeting. . .really stimulates
discussion ... should do this before the formal part of every meeting .. .GOODIES TO
EAT: lovely homemade breads carefully shaped into the form of mushrooms by Odile
Gould .. .pleasing to the eye as well as to the stomach. . .blackberry jam, with origins
in Duke Gardens, an equally delightful accompaniment .. .MUSHROOMS I HAVE KNOWN: Kerry
Givens provided a very witty and entertaining monologue that more than doubled our
enjoyment of his slide presentation. . .absolutely stunning slides... a naturalist's
delight .'
page 22
Happenings
May 7, 1983. Asheville, N.C.: MUSHROOMING field trip spon-
sored by Wenoca Sierra Club. Meet at NCNB Bank at West-
gate Shopping Center in West Asheville at 9 am, or at
Pisgah Fish Camp near Brevard at US 276 and 280 at 10 am.
Bring net bag, reference book, and lunch. Leader: Helen
Reed (704) 667-1733.
July 22-24, 1983. Elkins, WV: WILD MUSHROOMS I: IDENTIFICATION.
Two days of field trips & identification sessions.
July 29-31, 1983. Elkins WV: WILD MUSHROOMS II: FOOD, LORE, MYSTICISM. Field
trips, cooking & tasting sessions. Both workshops led by Bill Roody. (See
Happenings in March/April Fungif ile . ) Cost: $40 tuition each workshop, $20 per
night room & board; motels & campsites nearby. Write: Augusta Heritage Arts
Workshop, Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, WV 26241, or contact Joan (383-7154)
for further information and applications.
August 11-14, 1983. University of Maine, Orono, ME: NORTHEAST FORAY. For further
information write: Dr. Richard Homola, Dept. of Botany & Plant Pathology,
University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469.
August 19-23, 1983. Granby, CO: North American Mycological Association 1983 FORAY
(see Happenings in March/April Fungif ile) . Registration fee: $52; accomoda-
tions (including meals) range from $84-188 per person. Write: NAMA '83/Cen-
tennial Conferences, 1215 Mapleton, Boulder, CO 80302, or contact Joan (383-7154)
or Bill (942-6387).
August 25-28, 1983. Telluride, CO: THIRD ANNUAL TELLURIDE WILD MUSHROOM CONFERENCE.
Major consideration will be given to cultivation of diverse mushroom species
(including truffles) emphasizing practical principles 5c techniques; there will
also be several lectures on psychoactive mushrooms. Registration fee: $125.
Write: Fungophile, PO Box 5503, Denver, CO 80217-5503.
September 1-16, 1983. NAMA CZECHOSLOVAKIA FORAY. Sightsee and collect mushrooms
in Copenhagen, Vienna, Bratislava, High Tatras, Beskydy Mountains, & Prague.
Fee: $1983. Write: Czechoslovakia Foray, c /o N. Bourso-Leland /Coordinator,
22 Seneca Road, Winchester, MA 01890.
October 6-9, 1983. Southwestern Virginia: JOHN CAGE & ORSON MILLER, JR. FORAY:
This unique foray, with an artistic slant, will be led by composer John Cage
(a founding member of the NY Mycological Society) and Dr. Orson Miller, Jr.,
(author of Mushrooms of North America ) , with participation by British artist
Ray Cowles and photographer Maria Casendas. Registration is limited to about 30
mushroom people & 15 arts people. Fee: $45 (apply early). Room & board: $40
per day double, $50 per day single (plus $3 per day plus 470 tax)(includes open
bar). Write: Victor Huggins, Head, Dept. of Art, Virginia Polytechnic Insti-
tute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061.
Acknowledgments
The following people contributed to this issue of The Fungif ile : Bill Burk,
Alice Cotten, Jeff Demarest, Emily Gerstbacher, Kerry Givens, Catherine Gutmann,
Ed & Elaine Haynes, Keith Houck, Bill Long, Janice Ovelmen, Bob Peabody, Sherrie
Rakoff, AlletTT'Stanley , Maurice Toler, Margaret M. Whitmire, and Joan Zeller.
page 23
Chinese Wood Ears in North Carolina by Ed and Elaine Haynes
Among the special joys of Chinese (and, to a lesser extent, Japanese) food are
the mushrooms. The East Asian mushrooms are well known to, consumed by, and cele-
brated by almost every mycophagist, either in restaurants or at home. Unfortunately,
most of the special mushrooms are available - at rather high prices - only from
local gourmet shops. While the classic matsutake (Armillaria matsutake ) can be found
on the West Coast and shiitake (Lentinus edodes ) and enokitake (Flammulina velutipes )
can be grown - with widely varying degrees of success - at home, other mushrooms of
Oriental cuisine have to find their way onto the table by means of cans or as pale,
dried skeletons of the original mushroom.
However, at this time of year (or whenever North Carolina is "blessed" with
warm, damp weather), it is possible to find Chinese wood ear mushrooms - known
also, variously, as cloud ear (somewhat incorrectly), tree ear, brown fungus,
or tree fungus. While we in North Carolina cannot collect the "real thing",
Auricularia poly tricha , a closely related, and equally
edible species A. auricula , is fairly common
(Miller, Mushrooms of North America, no. 380,
p. 320; or, Lincoff, The Audubon Society Field
Guide to North American Mushrooms, plate 617,
p. 380). These mycophagic delights might
better be referred to by their Chinese name
Mo-er (to the Japanese, as Kikurage, inele-
gantly translated as "wood jellyfish"). (In
this article, Mo-er will refer to both A. poly-
trichia and A . auricula . )
Found on living or dead deciduous or coni-
ferous wood (and often in disturbing proximity
to well-travelled roads), A. auricula can be
collected in large quantities when the Piedmont weather is damp. However, they must
be collected when found, as a few hours of direct sun will wither them into nothing-
ness; it is possible to save your find for a few days, immersed in water in the
refrigerator. On this last Easter Sunday, we easily collected two to three quarts of
Mo-er from a single fallen tree in Orange County. When the wood ear is found, as is
common, on a fallen log, it is possible to "adopt" a portion (please!) of the log into
your family, watering your "wood ear tree" when the recipe demands.
Of course, this leaves the problem of what to do with the delightful things.
Many recipes are available in commercial cookbooks which use these mushrooms in their
dried state; the Chinese Szechuan regional cuisine is especially rich in this regard,
but also noteworthy are Japanese dishes such as Amadai Kenchin-yaki ("stuffed red
tilefish"). Since Mo-er is of more value for texture than for taste, few recipes are
available which feature the mushroom, especially in its fresh form. Elaborate recipes,
which require modifications for fresh rather than dried Mo-er, are in most Chinese
cookbooks, but we have enjoyed a quick and easy one:
Clean mushrooms under running water. Soak 20-30 minutes in a mixture of
half-and-half light soy sauce (Kikkoman will do) and either sake, sherry
or water. Add a pinch of sugar. Drain after soaking and dredge in cornstarch
or (less "ethnically") bread crumbs. Deep fry in oil at 350° until the mush-
rooms are lightly browned and come to the surface. The flavor improves as the
mushrooms cool.
The Mo-er will absorb the flavor of the seasoning and has an unusual texture, "gooey-
crunchy." Interestingly, the closest similarity is to jellyfish, recalling the name
in Japanese.
Those on a restricted sodium diet should beware of this particular recipe,
however. The soy sauce and its sodium seem to concentrate in the Auricularia
auricula .
As we try other recipes, we'll report.
i
page 24
Michael Gerald McCarthy; North Carolina Botanist , Biologist, and Mycologist
by Bill Burk
Michael Gerald McCarthy* was born in 1858, in Ottawa,
Illinois. Early in his life, probably between 1867-1870, he
contracted a severe case of meningitis which left him totally
deaf. Some time after this he left home, never returning nor
making further contacts. His formal education included a
degree from Gallaudet College where he studied botany. After
graduation he made an extensive collecting trip through Ala-
bama, Georgia, North & South Carolina. During this time
McCarthy made contact with the Agricultural Experiment Station
in Raleigh. In 1888, he was appointed botanist to the Station,
but was fired "without cause" in 1897. However, according to
information in his publications, he later served as Botanist
and Biologist to the N.C. State Board of Agriculture.
Among McCarthy's scientific studies, besides mushrooms,
were: diseases of apple trees, poisonous plants of North
Carolina, seed testing, malaria, typhoid, the Hessian fly,
water supplies, and how to secure a pure milk supply.
Of particular concern to McCarthy was the fact that the wild mushrooms, while
being nutritious and abundantly supplied by nature, were going to waste. He offered
to identify specimens for the citizens of the state, and to help promote a knowledge
of the state's common species he wrote the article, "Edible and poisonous mushrooms,"
(The Bulletin - North Carolina State Board of Agriculture, Volume 26, No. 1, pp. [3]-
24, 1905). This paper describes 106 species of North Carolina mushrooms "which are
of the first importance, either because of their food value or their poisonous nature."
Three black-and-white plates illustrate many of the species described in the text.
(The unsigned drawings in this newsletter are from McCarthy's article.)
McCarthy left Raleigh in 1908 to retire in Maine. He died in Skowhegan, Me., in
September 1915.
* According to Mrs. Whitmire the spelling of the family name, McCarthy, was
changed to MacCarthy, after 1900.
(Special thanks are given to Mrs. Margaret M. Whitmire, granddaughter of M. Gerald
McCarthy, for supplying the McCarthy photo and for much of the biographical data in
this article; and to Maurice Toler, University Archivist at NCSU-Raleigh Library for
also supplying biographical information. Alice Cotten, librarian, N.C. Collection,
Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill, informed me of Mrs. Whitmire 's research on McCarthy.)
Morel Watch
How was your morel hunting this year? Conditions appear to
be ideal for fruiting in our area. Lucky members who have report-
ed finds include: Bill Burk, Catherine Gutmann, Gale Hill, Keith
Houck, and Kerry Givens. Please help us compile a local profile.
No, we're not asking you to reveal your secret spots, but let us
know in as much detail as you are willing to divulge, the habitat
(near streams, under poplar, beech, etc., on or off the trail),
map coordinates, as well as the dates, species of morels found,
weather, what was in bloom — in other words, any pertinent informa-
tion that you can remember. We'll publish the results if response
warrants it.
Morels in Culture
Several strains of morel fruitbodies have been successfully grown by a team of
mycologists at Michigan State University, using Ron Ower's culturing secrets. Further
work on growing morels commercially is planned. (Thanks to Allein Stanley for alert-
ing us to this news from Discover, vol. 4, no. 4, pg. 16, 1983.)
page 25
Mushrooms in Print
by Bill Burk
The following publications may be of interest to club members.
Mycological Pamphlets:
Exploring for mushrooms , by Virginia S. Eifert. 7th printing (revised).
Springfield, Illinois State Museum, 1982. 47 pp. (Story of Illinois series, 3)
Available from: Illinois State Museum Society, Spring and Edwards Streets, Spring-
field, IL 62706. ($1.15, includes postage and handling).
Over 150,000 copies of this popular booklet on mushrooms
have been distributed. Again mushroom hunters have access to
yet another revision of this publication. Preliminary sections
include: the story of mushrooms, the poisonous mushrooms, and
mushrooms as food. The body of the text consists of descrip-
tions and information on common species, along with black-and-
white illustrations.
Mushrooms and Other Related Fungi, by Lois H. Tiffany,
George Knaphus & Robert F. Nyvall. Ames, Cooperative Extension
Service, Iowa State University, 1981. "12" pp., 30 figures (29
in color) . (Extension Publication 129 - North Central Region)
Available from: Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State Uni-
versity, Ames, IA 50011.
This interesting pamphlet includes introductory material
on mushrooms and other fleshy fungi and where to look for them,
color photos of commonly encountered species comprise the core of this pamphlet.
The last page is a mushroom calendar, providing by graphs, the approximate dates of
the appearance of the fungi covered in the text.
Descriptions and
Mycophilately :
Mycophilatelia, editor-in-chief, Giorgio Magliavacca. Available from: Giorgio
Magliavacca, P. 0. Box 250, 27100 Pavia, Italy. $3.00/yr. for 2 issues.
This new journal includes articles, both in English and Italian, on biograph-
ical sketches of mycologists on stamps, information on new mushroom stamps,
and other mycophilatelic features. The January/February issue of our club's
Fungifile , which featured mushroom stamps, is mentioned in the news column.
(Thanks to Bill Long for the complimentary copy of the first issue.)
Pilze auf Brief marken, by Egon and Johanna Arnold. Availability information
is unknown at this time. For information write the
authors at: Kneippstrasse 10, D-6744 Kandel/Pf alz , West
Germany .
This book features xerographic reproductions of stamps
^ nH^i'taMiltfC^^^^lt^r anc* Postmar^'s with a mushroom motif. Arrangement is
alphabetical by country of issuance. (Thanks to Bob
Peabody for providing TAMC with a copy of this book.)
N C Botanical
to ^-Jfi£15
9
J.
r
b
™ € e ti n (
page 26
Triangle Area Mushroom Club
P. 0. Box 2604
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
IS THIS ADDRESS CORRECT?
Newsletter of the Triangle Area Mushroom Club
PO. Box 2604, Chapel Hill, N.C 27515
Volume 2 Number 4
July /August 1983
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Please note these dates on your calendar, as this is a bimonthly newsletter
and there will be no reminders for interim events. Please note that the next
issue of The Fungif ile (Sept/Oct) will probably not be sent out until after the
September meeting. Also note there will be no August meeting.
July 11: Mushroom Identification Workshop. We will break up into small groups and
work through the keys. Bring mushrooms, spore prints, and field guides. (To
store specimens until the meeting, wrap in waxed paper (not plastic wrap) and
refrigerate. To make spore print, cut cap off of fresh specimen (before refrig-
erating) and place gills down on a white paper, cover, & leave several hours
or overnight. If you only have one specimen of a species, cut a portion of the
cap for spores. It sometimes helps to include a bottle cap of water for humid-
ity under the cover.) Meeting at 7 pm room 311 Coker Hall, UNC, Chapel Hill.
August: no meeting
September 12: Presentation on Septobasidium. Dr. John N. Couch, Kenan Professor
Emeritus at UNC-Chapel Hill, will talk on this fascinating group of fungi that
live in a symbiotic relationship with scale insects. Meeting at 7 pm room 215
Coker Hall, UNC, Chapel Hill.
Take off time for meeting place is 10 am. ("Texaco Station" is at the corner
of Estes Dr. & 15-501 Bypass at University Mall in Chapel Hill. Meet in mall park-
ing lot just behind the station.) If you would prefer to meet us at foray site,
call contact person for directions. Contact person for September 18 foray is Sherrie
Rakoff (Chapel Hill: 933-8607); for all other trips listed here, call Dianne Berg
(Chapel Hill: 933-9628) or Billie Sessoms (Durham: 383-5853). Trips will be held
rain or shine. (In case of deluge, however, trip may be cancelled; call contact
person to check.)
Wear rain gear if appropriate and sturdy, comfortable shoes. Bring a basket
or box for collecting, waxed paper or bags, knife, field guide, whistle; insect
repellent, toilet paper, & compass are also recommended. And don't forget lunch.
Meetings :
Forays :
July 10:Chatham Co., land of Jace & Alice Phalan-Hobbs . 10 am. Texaco Station.
This was the site of a very prolific foray on June 10. Come see the bamboo
forest \
page 28
July 24: (note change in date) Brown Mountain in Person Co. 10 am. Meet in parking
lot across the street from the NC Museum of Life & Science in Durham (433 Murray
Ave: take Duke St./Roxboro exit off of 1-85 near Northgate Shopping Center & go
north; turn right on to Murray at 2nd light.).
August 7: Baldwin Mill, Chatham Co., land of Lois Ann & Grimsley Hobbs; 10 am.
Texaco Sation.
September 10: Jordan Lake, pending final permission. 10 am. Texaco Station.
September 18: Booth HillsCha tham Co. 10 am. Texaco Sation.
Mushroom Toxicity Lecture
Kerry Givens will talk on "Mycetismus" on July 28 at 11 am in room M422 of
Duke Hospital South, as part of the Summer Mycology course. All interested persons
are invited.
Steering Committee Member Needed
Beginning this September Bill Burk is stepping down from the TAMC Steering
Committee which helps organize and direct the activities of the club. Joan needs to
know of another member who would be willing to devote time and energy to this role
in order for the club to carry on at its present level.
The Ballots are In.' by Jeff Demarest
The ballots on whether TAMC should join the North American Mycological Associ-
ation (NAMA) have been counted. With about a third of the potential ballots cast
by the time the polls closed on June 6, there were 13 votes for affiliation, 7%
for association, and 2% for "do not join ..". Therefore, beginning in January
(or whenever the paperwork is completed), TAMC will become affiliated with NAMA.
Dues for TAMC will be increased accordingly to $11.00 for individuals and $13.00
for families. The increases reflect full NAMA membership for all TAMC members at
half the regular NAMA dues. NAMA membership entitles each individual and family to
receive the bimonthly newsletter, The Mycophile, and yearly journal, Mcllvainea ,
eligibility to participate in national forays and workshops, and the availability of
many educational services. The club benefits by having national representation and
voting privileges, and reduced rates on films. (A subscription to The Fungifile
will be available to those who do not wish to join NAMA, but who would still like to
be informed of TAMC events.)
Further details will be worked out with NAMA and will appear in The Fungifile
in the fall.
May 9 Meeting
by Jacques Poirier
As Barbara Beama
n pointed out in the initial lecture portion of this meeting,
the classification of fungi is based on
microscopic anatomical features rather
than the gross features which enable us
(or some of us) to recognize genera and
species during forays. She emphasized
that the differences between ascomycetes
(which include morels) and basidiomycetes
(which include gilled mushrooms, boletes,
and puffballs) is based on the manner in
which the spores are produced. In the
L.V.M.
page 29
former, they are produced inside structures called asci which are separated by
sterile structures called paraphyses, whereas in the latter they are produced a top
structures called basidia separated by sterile structures called cystidia. With
their vocabularies enriched, attending members turned to the second part of the
meeting. In the laboratory which served as a meeting place, Claudia Staniszewski
and Barbara had carefully prepared sections of fungi in about 8 micro-
scopes. Under 400X magnification, you could actually see those ras-
cals and much more.1 Page 352 of Miller now has more reality.
Refreshments were provided by Martha Noble and Jeff Demaresl
This was Martha's farewell to the club. We will miss her and hei
goodies, and wish her luck in California.
June 6 Meeting
by David Higgins
This meeting was cosponsored by TAMC and the North Caro-
lina Botanical Garden. Before the meeting began, about 20
mushrooms had been identified and displayed. Most of them
had come from the foray of the day before. Owen and Pat
McConnell and Billie Sessoms had done most of the work in-
volved, identifying and labelling them.
Bruce Nash, Forestry Ph.D. student at Duke University,
gave a talk on the Chestnut Blight. The talk was easy to
understand and quite absorbing. He discussed the history of
the blight, the work that had been done in Europe, why the
methods that worked over there didn't work in the U.S., and what
he and other researchers at Duke were doing about it. Work
centers around a controllable strain of the blight which is
infected with a virus. The virus modifies the blight fungus,
enabling the host tree to withstand the disease. The researchers
at Duke have been investigating propagating these "hypovirulent" strains of the
blight in oaks (which can serve as carriers of the disease). Theoretically, these
weakened strains would spread to nearby chestnut trees, helping them to withstand
the killer disease. Unfortunately, the hypovirulent strain must be compatible with
the uninfected strain, and the large number of different strains isolated in this
country decreases the chances of compatible strains meeting in an infected tree.
After the talk, people mingled, inspected display items provided by Bruce,
examined the identified mushrooms, and ate refreshments brought by Agna Calingaert
and George and Mary Pyne.
Geastrum fornicatum
April 30 Foray by Jacques Poirier
The April 30 foray to Maxabel Acres in Person County did not rate a AAAA
designation. The foray proper was conducted in the western half of the acreage,
sloping downwards through a rather open deciduous forest towards a rivulet which
we mistakenly thought was Deep Creek, the western boundary of the foray area. Except
in the neighborhood of the rivulet, conditions seemed too dry for fungi, although
fallen wood and stumps were plentiful. In the moist area adjoining the rivulet
were found Urnula craterium (Devil's Urn), another species of Pezizales , the ubiqui-
tous polypores Trametes versicolor (Turkey- tail) and Stereum ostrea (False Turkey-
tail), and the somewhat less common Favolus a lveolaris (Hexagonal-pored Polypore).
Only three traditionally shaped fungi were found. One was so weathered as to make
identification very difficult. The second, a Russula , gave an acrid micro-taste
test and was discarded. The third also remains unidentified.
The meager fungal returns were largely compensated by a large number of wild-
flowers and an unusual number of fruiting lichens (including British soldiers)
of interest to several photographers in the group. To this observer it appears
that all participants had an enjoyable time although none had to heat a skillet.
(A compilation of all identified foray finds will appear in a future issue.)
page 30
by Ed and Elaine Haynes
All mycologists, amateur and professional,
have certain special, favorite mushrooms, fungi
that are looked for and sought out. For most,
those mushrooms that offer particular myco-
phagic delights are the most important and most
cherished » However much we might lust after the
Cantharellus cibarius, Boletus edulis , or
Morchella esculent a, our interest cannot be de-
scribed as exceeding the gastronomic, and scarce-
ly approaches the level of deification. The
"worship" of the mushroom has, throughout history,
been restricted to but one mushroom, the common
Amanita muscaria.
From the earliest European discovery of the
ancient Indian Hindu tradition in the 18 ^
century, a topic of continuing interest and at-
tention has been the multiplicity and complexity
of the Hindu pantheon. Although most of the
gods of India could be easily identified as to
their nature and role, the most mysterious god was Soma, prominently present in the
hymns of the oldest of Hindu texts, the Rig Veda (ca. 2000-1500 B.C.). The European
confusion was compounded by a certain degree of Hindu befuddlement , as even the
earliest post-Vedic texts speak of Soma as "distant" and "substituted-f or. " It was
clear from Hindu tradition and practice, as well as from an informed reading of the
ancient texts, that Soma was linked to some sort of plant that was to be prepared
and ingested in an intricate ritual, allowing the devotee an experience of the God
Himself and access to divine knowledge. Indeed, the gods themselves were especially
attracted to Soma. Clearly, the experience was important and significant to early
Hindu culture: "We have drunk the Soma; we have become immortal; we have gone to
the light; we have found the gods. What can hatred and the malice of a mortal do
to us now, 0 immortal one. When we have drunk you, 0 drop of Soma, be good to our
heart, kind as a father to his son, thoughtful as a friend to a friend. Far-famed
Soma, stretch out our lifespan so that we may live" (Rig Veda 8.48.3-4, tr.
0f Flaherty , 1981: 134-35). Even the Vripas, those sages who transmitted the Vedas to
mankind, were inspired by Soma which, when combined with a prolonged period of
sensory deprivation, caused them to shake (vrip) and, in this inspired state, to
recite the Veda.
Shortly after the introduction of early Hinduism into India by nomadic "invad-
ers" from Central Asia (ca. 1750 B.C.), it seems that Soma was "lost" and substi-
tutes became necessary to seek the god. Until 1968 the search for the true nature
and identity of Soma was confused and many false identifications were offered
(including alcoholic concoctions and by-products of Indian hemp-ganja.) From the
mid-1960' s, R. Gordon Wasson, investment banker, amateur mycologist, and amateur
Indologist, began to consider the question of Soma. Bringing the novice's clear
eye to the subject, Wasson read the Vedic hymns to Soma: "Like a serpent he creeps
out of his skin" (R. V. 9.86.44), "By day he appears hari (the color of fire), by
night, silvery white" (R.V. 9.97.9), or "For you are, 0 Soma juices, ... the heads
of heaven, carried erect, creators of vital force" (R.V. 9.69.8). To Wasson, all
the imagery of Soma seemed to suggest a mushroom, with recurring imagery of red
color, linked with fire. As a good comparative ethnomycologist Wasson knew of
Central Asian and Siberian traditions of mushrooms being used for psychotropic
religious purposes, the most popular being Amanita muscaria which, in its Asian
but not North American varieties, produces an inebriated trance state with religious
significance to some Siberian tribes. A peculiar part of their ritual is the
page 31
ingestion of the scarce (in northern Siberia!) mushroom by one individual (or by
reindeer, who love A. muscaria) followed by the drinking by others of the urine of
the "first generation" partakers; in fact, the physiological processes serve to
concentrate the active ingredients of A. muscaria, allowing "a little to go a long
way." Returning to the Vedic Soma, Wasson found evidence (although cloaked in the
sort of language that would surround a sacred and secret practice) of a similar
physiological filtering: "Purify thyself in Indra's stomach, 0 juice! As a river
with a vessel, enable us to pass to the other side, thou who knowest; thou who
battiest as a hero, save us from disgrace!" (R.V. 9.70.10). Indeed, the importance
given in otherwise purity oriented India to the value of urine would seem to add
additional support to Wasson' s contention.
Today, among Indologists and mycologists, Wasson 's identification of the great
Vedic deity Soma with Amanita muscaria is almost unquestioned. His book, Soma:
Divine Mushroom of Immortality is of great value to scholars and amateurs alike.
Thus, while the A. muscaria that will soon be among us is a very distant and pharma-
cologically untrustworthy relative of the Soma of the Vedas, it is good to know
that at least one mushroom has achieved divinity.
Sources :
Wendy Doniger 0' Flaherty, tr. 1981. The Rig Veda: An Anthology. Harmonds-
worth: Penguin Books.
R. Gordon Wasson. 1968. Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality. New York:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. (The Rare Book Room at Duke's Perkins
Library and the Botany Library at UNC-Chapel Hill have the limited edition
of the first Dutch printing with hand colored plates.)
Earthstars: a down-to-earth medicine?
by Bill Burk
One of the most unlikely kinds of fungi, the earthstars, have been used by
various cultures throughout the world as a healing agent. Earthstars are members of
the Lycoperdales (puffballs). One group of earthstars, Geastrum, is characterized
by a round spore case beneath which radiate rays, giving the appearance of a star;
hence its name, the earthstar. In the immature stage the rays surround the develop-
ing spore case and the fungus appears as a globular ball. Earthstars are found in
the Triangle area. Look for them on sandy soil, on the ground in deciduous forests,
and even in coniferous woodlands for one species.
Especially useful in the North American Indians' pharmacopaea were the puff-
balls, including Geastrum species. These fungi were
frequently used as a styptic and therapeutic. The
Cherokee Indians placed an earthstar on the navel
of newborns until the umbilicus healed. Using
a tube of corn husk or paper Tewa Indians of
Santa Clara, California, blew the spores of
the earthstar into infected ears.
The medicinal virtues of earthstars also
have been discovered by other people of the
world. In China earthstar spores are used as
a hemostatic agent, anti-inflammatory, and
lung and throat tonic. The inhabitants of the
Kumaon Hills , Uttar Pradesh Himalayas , used the
spores of the "star fungus" on burns.
Recently published scientific papers have reported that antifungal, anti-
bacterial and anticancer compounds have been isolated from two species of other
puffballs. Whether earthstars contain such compounds needs to be studied. However,
last year an article in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology , vol. 6, pp. 361-364, 1982,
reported the results of a "clinical" study. A powder made from the fruitbodies of
Geas trum bryantii
t,
page 32
Geastrum mammosum, was tried on 25 patients with ear discharge or ache, wounds, and
umbilical sepsis. Most of the cases showed an improvement or cure.
With further research on the chemical nature of earthstars perhaps these fungi
will one day provide a compound of therapeutic use. Until that time, modern medicines
are recommended. (The drawings appearing in this issue are taken from "The North Amer-
ican Geasters," by A. P. Morgan (American Naturalist, Vol. 18, No. 10, pp. 963-970, 1884.))
Happenings :
August 11-14, 1983. University of Maine, Orono, ME: 8th ANNUAL NORTHEASTERN
MYCOLOGICAL FORAY. This popular foray will be attended by an all-star cast of
19 distinguished mycologists and special guests. Activities include several
all-day and 1/2-day forays to some of the most scenic spots in the state, intro-
ductory and survey lectures, as well as talks on photography, cultivation, toxi-
cology, and ecology. Fee is $100 (includes lodging and meals) or $80
(meals, no lodging) per person- Write: Northeastern Mycological Foray, P.O.
Box 533, Merrick, NY 11566.
September 9-11, 1983. Terra Alta, WV: STURGEON MUSHROOM WEEKEND. A search for
luminescent fungi, field trips, sessions on collecting techniques, identification,
mushroom diversity, mycophagy, & hallucinogenic fungi. Led by Walter Sturgeon,
President of the Ohio Mushroom Society. Fee: $40, includes meals & lodging.
Send name, address, phone #, & indicate whether you will have your own tent or
camping vehicle. Write: Nature Educ. Dept. , Brooks Nature Center, Ogelbay Park,
Wheeling, WV 26003. (From Capital Mushrumors , Mycological Association of
Washington, May/ June 1983.)
October 1 & 2 , 1983.
next Fungif ile.
New Jersey Mycological Society ANNUAL FUNGUS FAIR. Details in the
TAMC ; s New Zip Code
Please note that TAMC 's new zip code is 27515-2604
t
to Ckrrl, orrj
sr
-} issoi to Duriv
Cok«r J/J)
Park <o Be/ J Fow«r
pa ^ Kino \ot cf
page 33
Mushrooms in Print
The mushroom lover's cookbook, by William G. Flagg.
Croton-on-the-Hudson, NY, North River Press. Available
from Everest House, Publishers (424 Raritan Ctr. ,
Edison, NJ 08818). 1982. 143 pp. $6.95 (paperback),
plus postage & handling.
Over 110 recipes for the commercial ("store")
Agaricus mushroom are arranged under 15
headings, including: appetizers, pickled
and marinated dishes, salads, sauces &
gravies, and main dishes with meats. In-
troductory pages explain how to buy, store,
and clean fresh mushrooms and how to convert measures such as computing pounds of
fresh mushrooms to cups of mushrooms, along with other useful tips on cooking. There
is no index to the book, but a table of contents should provide adequate access to
the desired recipes. Happy cooking and eating! Review by Bill Burk.
L.V.M
Geastrum triplex
Mushroom hunters guide, by W.G. Farlow; and Common poisonous plants , by V.K. Chestnut.
South Bend, IN, "and books," 1982. 55 pp. Available from: "and books" 702 S.
Michigan, South Bend, IN 46618. $4.95 (paperback), plus postage & handling.
Attractive color figures of fungi adorn the covers of this book which is really
a republication of two previously published titles: "Some edible and poisonous fungi,"
by Farlow, first published in 1897; and "Some common poisonous plants," by Chestnut,
first published around 1900. Reproductions of the original plates of both articles
are well made.
Farlow1 s article comprises nearly 2/3 of the book. Background information on
mushrooms and discussions on various species and groups of fungi, both edible and
poisonous, are provided. Chestnut's article includes discussion on only two mushrooms
Amanita phalloides and A. muscaria. A complete contents page provides a subject
approach to the book. Review by Bill Burk.
Fungi: folklore, fiction, and fact, by W.P.K. Findlay. 1982, published by Mad River
Press, Route 2, Box 151-B, Eureka, CA 95501. 112 pp. Soft cover, $9.95.
Presented on a level suitable for pleasure reading, this small book is a medley
of mycological esoterica and lore. It touches on many curious facets of fungi, among
which are included demonic associations, ergotism, Greek and Roman mushroom lore,
hallucinogens, and opposing East-West traditional attitudes toward fungi as expressed
in literature. The two chapters which deal with hallucinogens are based mainly on the
research of Roger Heim and R. Gordon Wasson. (Wasson's article in the May 13, 1957,
issue of Life magazine on Mexican Indian ceremonial use of magic mushrooms prompted
much of the current enthusiasm for "natural hallucinogens.")
There is a brief chapter on Fungi and Sex which is not very risque but entertain-
ing nonetheless. Who would have thought that the eldest daughter of the eminent nat-
uralist Charles Darwin, in an act of Victorian propriety, would secretly collect (with
gloves) developed phallic stinkhorns, disposing of them privately in order not to
offend the morals of maids who might otherwise by chance encounter them?
On page 74 there is an amazing photograph of a youth holding a giant edible bolet
weighing over 40 pounds. The mushroom appears to be bigger than the holder.
This book will introduce the casual reader to the origins of the mushroom mystiqu
and the established mycophile will find some fresh matter to digest also. Though
expensive for its size, it is welcomed as an engaging treatment of lesser-known
aspects of the mushroom world.
W.P.K. Findlay is a past president of the British Mycological Society.
Review by Bill Roody.
page 34
The mushroom huat , by Robert Porter. 1983. E.P. Dutton, New York. 98 pp.
$11.95 (paperback); $18.95 (hardback) .
Although this book may be helpful in recognizing some mushrooms, it is not
intended to be a guide to identification. It is rather a pleasing synthesis of mush-
room art, personal reflections, and a broad range of general knowledge pertaining to
the joyful pursuit of wild mushrooms.
The author reveals a unique perspective of the mushroom world and discusses the
concepts and problems peculiar to the artistic representation of fungi. This emphasis
on careful observation will be appreciated by all who study mushrooms for whatever
reasons .
Robert Porter informally and lyrically relates his personal experiences in
finding, painting, and tasting his quarry. Edibility and cooking are frequently
discussed, but not in great length. There are no recipes.
Common poisonous and hallucinogenic species are also mentioned and illustrated.
The illustration of Hygrophorus conicus is labelled "non-poisonous',' a point on which
there seems to be some disagreement. The mildly toxic reaction experienced by a few
individuals who consume Clitocybe clavipes together with alcohol is overlooked.
In discussing Stropharia rugoso-annulata, the author attributes the eastward
migration of this Pacific Northwest native to spores transported in cedar chips used
horticulturally . This would explain why a common and conspicuous species such as
the wine-colored stropharia is missing from older eastern regional guides.
Porter's work is tangible evidence that wild mushrooms lend themselves well to
artistic expression. In addition to numerous pen-and-ink drawings, approximately
150 watercolor paintings are reproduced in full color. These beautiful renditions are
true to scale and many portray the character of the mushroom remarkably well. All
were painted from live specimens, and a few are atypical. This, along with the absence
of technical descriptions, limits the book for identification purposes. Some illustra-
tions are identified to genus only. The unnamed species of Hypomyces on page 12 is
probably H. luteovirens . A tabular key to families of common gilled mushrooms is
provided .
The mushroom hunt has much to offer any enthusiast, but what it does best is
capture the essence of mushrooming: the thrills, challenges, and rewards. It is
especially recommended to all who entertained the notion of drawing or painting mush-
rooms. "Inspiring" would be an understatement. Review by Bill Roody.
Further Comments on The mushroom hunt
Paul P. Vergeer of the Mycological Society of San Francisco further comments about
edible and poisonous species mentioned in Porter's book.
This information comes from the Mycena News , vol. 33, No. 6,
1983.
"Porter reverses the 'edibility vs. poisonous'
identification staining reaction of certain Agaricus species;
yellow stainers, not red stainers, should be avoided. [With
exceptions: A. hondensis , a red stainer, is irritant to some
stomachs; and A. augustus , which stains yellow, is a choice
edible. -Editor, Mycena News ]
Armillariella mellea and Amanita vaginata should be used with
caution because some people have allergic reactions to these umbi 11. cat urn
species. Amanita citrina is not poisonous. Mycena pura and ~~
Hygrophorus conicus are suspect and are often listed as prisonous in European guides.
Cortinarius semisanguineus , listed as 'edibility unknown,' contains the same deadly
toxins as C. orellanus."
page 35
TAMC in the News
Once again, TAMC has hit the pages of a local newspaper. Lib Uzzell Griffin,
Garden Columnist for the Durham Morning Hera Id , featured the club in a wonderful
article in the June 5 edition. A large photo shows Kerry Givens delighted with his
excavation of a stinky squid stinkhorn from Billie Sessoms's front yard.
Waxed Paper Bags
Those hard to find waxed paper sandwich bags, so convenient for collecting small
to medium sized mushrooms, are available from Brame Specialty Co., 949 Washington St.,
PO Box 271, Durham, NC 27702. Price is $8.67 per box of 1000 bags. If ordering by
mail, write or call first (919-683-1331) to find freight charges to your area.
(Sandwich Bag Plain #204, item #11-00851) (Thanks to Billie Sessoms for letting us
know . )
New Members
Welcome to the following new members:
Amos, Bernard
2302 Cranford Rd.
Durham
NC
27706
684
-2517
Cronin, Eunice
Dept. of Biology,
Belmont Abbey College
Belmont
NC
28012
704
-864
-2001
Garner, Jay and Lois
3519 Racine St.
Durham
NC
27707
489
-8937
Hagler, Roger
2206 Byrd St.
Raleigh
NC
27608
787
-0388
Higgins, David
727 W. Morgan St.
Raleigh
NC
27603
828
-4759
Marsh, Stephen
852 Tryon St., Apt. #3
Raleigh
NC
27603
821
-4018
Von Behren, Leland
401 Niagra
E. Alton
IL
62024
618
-259
-8517
Warner, Steve, Mary,
Jonathan Rt. 3, Box 149
Chapel Hill
NC
27514
933
-6879
Mushrooms in the Kitchen
The following recipe appears courtesy of Jack Czarnecki of Joe's Restaurant in
Reading, Pennsylvania, which features wild mushroom dishes.
Mushroom Sauce
6 oz fresh mushrooms 4 Tbs finely chopped onion or shallots (9 shallots
3 Tbs sweet butter preferred)
3 Tbs flour or arrow root 1 cup broth made with 1 bouillon cube
4 oz cream 1 Tbs Madeira wine
Melt butter and sautee onion until light brown. Add mushrooms thinly sliced and
cook until mushrooms are of desired tenderness. Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and
butter and stir. Add broth, stir until mixture is smooth. (This is best done on
a low fire.) After cooking 2 minutes, season with salt, pepper, and wine. Add
cream and serve with chopped parsley.
Bugs Off
The Snohomish County Mycological Society, in their newsletter, The Mushrumor ,
reports that an excellent mosquito repellent is Garlic. Rub all parts of the body with
fresh garlic juice and eat lots of garlic bread. Mosquitos do not like the taste or
smell of garlic and will avoid you. So will your family and friends, but if you get
lost, in the woods you will be easy to f ind ... .Vitamin Bl is easier on your friends
and works almost as well as garlic. Take 100 USP 2 or 3 per day for about 2 days be-
fore a field trip and during the trip, while in the woods, try to sweat to increase
the repelling effects. (From The Mycophile, March/April 1983)
page 36
Acknowledgements :
Many thanks to Carolina Type for designing
our new masthead. Also thanks to the following
people who contributed to this issue of The
Fungif ile: Bill Burk, Bob Burrell, Jack Czarnecki
and Joe's Restaurant, Jeff Demarest, Jay Garner,
Kerry Givens , Ed & Elaine Haynes , Dave Higgins ,
Jacques Poirier, Rhonda Rogers, Bill Roody, and
Joan Zeller.
Geastrum striatum
Geastrum fimbriatum
Triangle Area Mushroom Club
P. 0. Box 2604
Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2604
MC C outer '/dm
PLEASE CHECK MAILING LABEL FOR ACCURACY AND NOTIFY US OF ANY CHANGES
SI
KEY TO THE RECENTLY COLLECTED SPECIES OF
AMANITA IN NORTH CAROLINA
1. Pileus some shade of red, salmon or orange 2
1. Pileus color otherwise 4
2. Bulb with sheathing volva, attached at base of stipe and enclosing
stipe for several centimeters, pileus orange to red-orange. A. caesarea
2. Sheathing volva absent; pileus salmon, orange-red or red 3
3. Pileus red, orange-red, or salmon; annulus present, or if absent, stipe
cream to light yellow; no yellow powder on stipe A. muscaria
3. Pileus scarlet-red to orange-red; annulus absent; stipe covered
with fine yellow powder A. parcivolvata
4. Pileus medium to dark brown, red-brown, or lead-grey 5
4. Pileus color otherwise 9
5. Bulb with volva extending up stipe for some distance 6
5. Bulb not as above 7
6. Annulus present, or if absent, stipe brown-grey and rather
fibrous A. spreta
6. Annulus absent; stipe cream to light grey, smooth to lightly
fibrous A. vaginata
7. Bulb enlarged and emarginate, often with one to several
longitudinal clefts A. brunnescens
7. Bulb only slightly wider than stipe, clefts absent 8
8. Volva deep yellow, becoming detached from bulb and usually
remaining in the ground as particles; annulus yellow. . . A. f lavoconia
8. Volva particles white, adhering to bulb and often appearing
ringlike, encircling the stipe app. 1-3 cm above bulb;
annulus absent A. inaurata
8. Bulb with brown-red scales and dots encircling the upper
portion; annulus cream, pink, or light tan, context turns
red on bruising A. rubescens
9. Pileus light brown to pink, generally free of warts and
patches A. rubescens
9. Pileus yellow to drab yellow 10
9. Pileus color otherwise 11
10. Pileus light to egg yellow, occasionally cream or tan; margin
strongly tuberculate-striate; bulb spherical to subspherical
with volva collar at stipe base A. gemmata
10. Pileus yellow to cream yellow; margin slightly or not at
all striate; bulb globose and abruptly truncated on top . . A. citrina
10. Pileus deep to light yellow or orange-yellow; margin slightly
to strongly striate; bulb oval to ellipsoid, slightly rooting,
with ridges and cracks circumscribing upper half. A. muscaria
11...
11.
Pileus pure white .
Pileus cream or tan
12
15
12. Bulb with volva completely sheathing lower portion of stipe,
with free margin .13
12. Bulb without sheathing volva .14
13. Volva attached at very base of stipe, annulus attached 1-2 cm
below gills .A. verna
13. Volva attached to stipe for 1 cm or more; annulus attached at
apex of stipe just below gills .............. A. magnivelaris
14. Bulb subglobose, quite abrupt, rounded below, and sometimes
with ridges and cracks on upper portion. .A. abrupt a
14. Bulb with slivers and warts circumscribing upper half,
lower half rough and deeply rooted; many pyramidal warts on
pileus A. solitaria
15. Pileus under 6 cm diameter, stipe under 6 cm in length A. nitida
15. Pileus larger than above, stipe larger than 6 cm in length . . 16
16. Bulb with volva of 2 or 3 lobes and a free collar; found in
sandy habitats A. mutabilis
16. Bulb otherwise; habitat otherwise ..... ..... 17
17. Margin of pileus slightly to strongly striate . .... 18
17. Margin of pileus not at all striate .19
18. Margin strongly striate; soft flat patches on pileus; oval bulb
with perfectly formed marginal roll A. cothurnata
18. Margin slightly to not at all striate; pyramidal warts
scattered over pileus; bulb not much larger than stipe
and with a few scales and slivers around upper portion . . a. spissa
19. Pileus covered with soft flocculence, odor of chloride of lime;
color from off-white to deep cream; stipe with soft
flocculence A. chlorinosma
19. Pileus covered with large pyramidal warts or shingle-like
scales; bulbs often connecting with other bulbs in same
clump A. strobilif ormis
KEY TO ADDITIONAL SPECIES OF AMANITA
IN NORTH CAROLINA
(From Coker, 1917)
1. Annulus absent 2
1. Annulus present 5
2. Volva forming ample sheath at base of stipe A., volvata
2. Volva not forming a sheath or elevated rings or patches 3
3. Sporophores with a margined bulb, stipe very short 4
3. Sporophores without bulb, stipe longer A. f arinosa
4. Pileus with small warts, gills broad A. pubescens
4. Pileus nearly smooth, gills narrow A_. pusilla
S3
5. Volva forming a distinct but narrow free ring at the top of an
oval bulb, odor of chlorine A. virosa
5. Volva fused with stipe only at base, pileus margin distinctly
striate, stipe with a distinct central cylinder that is lightly
stuffed or hollow 6
5. Volva not as above, or if nearly so, no odor of chlorine 9
6. Veil smoky, base bulbous, spores spherical A. porphyria
6. Veil whitish or smoky, base not bulbous, spores elliptic 7
7. Gills 7-10 mm wide, cap white to pallid pinkish-tan. A. recutita (=porphyria?)
7. Gills and cap not as above 8
8. Gills becoming flesh color; spores elliptic . A. hygroscopica
8. Gills and spores not as above 9
9. Sporophore with smell of chlorine 10
9. Sporophore without smell of chlorine 11
10. Pileus covered with ashy-brown warts . A. Atkins on i an a
10. Pileus without warts, center covered with a friable,
umber meal A. cinereoconia
11. Warts yellow, cap yellow-brown or buf fy-vinaceous .... A. f lavorubes cens
11. Warts none or grey or brownish-grey; stem hollow or lightly
stuffed; spores elliptic A. spissa
The above keys come from "The genus Amanita in North Carolina," Master of
Science thesis by Robert Ammon Braddy, NCSU Department of Botany, 1970.
Thanks to member Jay Garner for bringing it to our attention.
S4
How Poisonous are Poisonous Mushrooms? by Bob Burrell
Last year at the sorting tables of a foray I attended, I overheard someone
say that they did not want to pick up any amanitas because there was no place to
wash their hands. I have heard such expressions of fear from being poisoned at
other times. Also, when I take a taste of a russula for ID purposes without
explaining what I am doing, there are usually a few looks of horror from any
onlookers who are present. Given our Anglo-Saxon, mycophobic heritage in this
country, I suppose it is natural for people to have such reactions, but some
common sense based on a solid foundation of some chemical facts may help dispel
some of the fear concerning poisonous mushrooms.
First of all we should consider the amount of toxin present in the mushroom
and then its relative potency. Few substances in the natural world are so toxic
and present in such high concentration (and these the layman is quite unlikely to
encounter) that one need worry about getting it on your hands or even tasting a
smidgeon. Incidentally, when I taste a mushroom, I literally do just that, not
swallow it. Mushroom toxins work by being adsorbed through the intestinal tract,
not through the skin. Then the toxins need to be transported to places like the
liver or the central nervous system to hurt you. If you have just picked a few
Amanita virosa for the sorting tables, you needn't worry about sitting down and
eating a sandwich with your bare fingers because the lethal am an it in toxins are
simply not present in that great amount in the fungal tissue.
It is commonly accepted that A. phalloides is our most toxic mushroom. In
work done by NAMA Toxicology-mushroomer , Don Simons, it was found that the lethal
amanitins were present in only 3-5 parts per thousand and indeed, some specimens
of A. virosa and A. verna had no detectable levels. In other words one ounce of
fresh death angel might have less than a fifth of a gram of toxin, an amount
meaningless unless we know something about how potent the toxin is. Relative
toxicity is often expressed as an estimation of the least amount of poison that
would cause death, or the minimum lethal dose (MLD) . A better method is to express
the dose in a statistical way to minimize the fact that individual people will
vary in their susceptibility to a poison. Such an expression is calculated on
how much toxin would be needed to kill half of the people, if each person ate the
same amount. That amount per person would be called the lethal dose 50% or LD^q.
Expressed in weight of toxin per weight of individual ingesting the toxin, the
LD50 for amanitoxins comes out to be in the neighborhood of about one 2 ounce
mushroom for a 150 pound man = 0,1 mg/kg). It would take 10-15 small
Galerina autumnalis to equal this same dose. In other words if you ate this much
of one of these two mushrooms, you would have a 50-50 chance of succumbing. Much
less would be needed of course to make you sick, but this would still be appre-
ciably more than what trace amounts might stick to your fingers when handling
A. phalloides . Even so, I do not recommend tasting such species although I wouldn't
hesitate to do so (BUT underline that word "taste"!)
IN SUMMARY: By all means exercise care in identifying, eating, and handling
various mushrooms, but at the same time, use common sense to avoid unwarranted
fear of them. Simple handling of even the most toxic mushrooms won't hurt you.
Reprinted from the May- June 1982 Ohio Spore Print newsletter of the Ohio Mushroom
Society .
CS89. Z2Z05-
F99t
he
Newsletter of the Triangle Area Mushroom Club
PO. Box 2604, Chapel Hill, N.C 27515
Vol ume
Number 5
September /October 198
Correspondence
Please send all membership and newsletter correspondence to
Morreene Rd., Apt. G- 1 1 , Durham, NC 27705 (phone 383-7154).
Joan Zalier
700
Mee t inqs :
October 17 (note third Monday). "Creatures Nobody Loves (Including Mushrooms)" or "A
Presentation of Most Unpleasant Nature" by Kerry Givens. A light-hearted
sampling of fungi, plants, and animals that are poisonous, slimy, malodorous,
spiny, stinging, fanged, or simply misunderstood. Kerry will try to convince us
that such creatures have a certain amount of charm, however repulsive they may
appear
Kerry is back by popular demand. For those who attended his April talk,
there will be some overlap, but he is making a special effort to include new
material. This talk will be publicized, so try to arrive early to get a good
seat. Meeting at 7:00pm at the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.
(Donations will be accepted to cover the cost of this meeting.)
November 14: Identification Workshop, led by Dr. Larry Grand, Professor of Plant
Pathology at NCSU. Bring mushrooms, spore prints, & field guides (see
instructions for July workshop in July / August Funo i f i I e ). If there are not
enough mushrooms to have an ID session, Dr. Grand will present a slide show on
boletes. Meeting at 7:30pm room 418 Jones Bldg., Duke Vest Campus, Durham
December 12: Pot luck dinner & member slide show. Bring a dish, and slides to show
if you wish. Slides can be of mushrooms (pictures you want to show.. ot need
help in identifying) or of TAHC activities (or anything you think we'd be
interested in). Contact Jacques Poirier in Durham :f you have slides to show
(477-5337, home or 684-3502, work). Details in future issue.
January 9: Two films from the Mori
cultivation of wild mushrooms, espe
Mushroom Institute in
cially Shiitake. Details
Japan, featuring
iv. future issue
Page 33
r s e trail
s t hr
o u g h
tact pers
on D i
a n n e
Chapel Hi
11, a
t 1 0
, poplar,
and
I ow,
t Tex ac o
stat
i on ,
the sea
son,
but
fruitful
on
past
ID ses
s i on
the
Chapel Hi
II, a
t 10
Forays :
September 18: Booth Hill, Chatham Co. Meet at Texaco Station, University He-. 1 1 ,
Chapel Hill, 10 am. Contact person Sherrie Rakoff (Chapel Hill: 933-8607).
October 8: Janet & Mike Resnik's land in Chatham Co.; miles of ho
hardwoods and pines; also lots of juicy horse droppings! Con
berg (933-9628). Meet at Texaco station, University Mall,
am .
Uctober 16: Jace & Alice Phalan-Hobbs land in Chatham Co.; beech
wet area?. Contact person Dianne Berg (933-9628). Meet a
University Mall, Chapel Hill, at 10 am.
November 13: Saralyn area in Chatham Co. This is rather late in
let's fceep our fingers crossed. This area has been quite
forays, so hopefully we'll find enough to work on at the
£oi lowing evening. Meet at Texaco station, University Mall,
am. Contact person Wa I I y Kaufman (Pittsboro: 5 4 2-40 7 2 ).
DeC u r r en t Events
September 30-October 2, 1983. Manteo, NC : Sixth Annual Outer Banks October Harsh
and Sea Fest will be held at the North Carolina Marine Resource Center at
Roanoke Island Activities will include the gathering and preparation of
edible wild plants and seafood. Greg Wright and Dick Grimm will lead the
mushroom foray (limit 15). If interested, send your name, address, phone
number, fees, and your preferred foraging group to: October Marsh and Sea Fest,
NC Marine Resources Cen t e r / Roano ke Island, P.O. Box 967, Manteo NC 27954.
Cost is $15 per person or 525 per couple - checks should be made payable the NC
Education and Resources Foundation. You must make your own arrangements for
room and" board. Call Billie Sessoms ( 3 83-5 85 3 ) for a complete list of eight
foraging groups if you wish to sign up for something other than mushrooming.
October 1 -2, 1 9 8 3. Basking Ridge, NJ : New Jersey Mycologica] Association Annual
Fungus 'Fest. Informal activities on Saturday will consist of collecting
and identifying mushrooms to be displayed for the public at Sunday's f i r . TAMC
would like to organise a similar event next year, so this is a good opportunity
to see how it's done by an experienced club If interested, contact Joan Zeller
(phone number above).
October 27-30, 1983. Oregon foothills Mushrooms IV: AH EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE.
Topics for workshops and lectures include identification, photography, cultural
uses, and a comprehensive cultivation program The faculty will include Jeffrey
Chilton, Rick Kerrigan, Gary Lincoff, Catherine Scates, Paul Stamets, and Andrew
Veil. If you wish to attend then send 5135, which includes room and board,
before October 20 to: MycoMedia, P.O. Box 2222, Olympia, WA 98507
NAMA Affiliation
As announced in the last Fung i f i I e , TAMC has voted to become affiliated with the
North American Mycological Association. However, 2 changes in NAMA ' s affiliation and
dues structures were made at the national meeting this August which will affect TAMC
Page 3 9
members. NAMA yearly dues have been raised from 510
to $15, and the old systems of affiliation and
association have been revised to include 2 methods of
affiliation. With both new systems, the club (of
under 250 members) must pay 525 dues, individual
members who join NAMA pay reduced dues, and the club
gets a voting trustee. Under regular affiliated
status, it is not necessary for every club member to
join NAMA, but those who wish to can join for the
reduced rate of 512 a year. Members of fully
affiliated clubs receive a further reduction to 510 a
year, but in this case, every member must join NAMA.
To minimize increased dues and complex paperwork,
and in the hopes of retaining those members who may
not be quite as dedicated to mycology as some of us,
the Steering Committee has decided that, at least for
the coming year, TAMC will not become folly
affiliated. Ve will, however, affiliate with NAMA, so
those who wish to join individually (or as a family) will be entitled to the 512 dues
rate. (Please send a separate check for NAMA dues along with TAMC dues by Dec. 15 -
see renewal form, page 45.)
As an affiliated club, we will be expected to name a reporter to the bimonthly
newsletter, a member to the mycophagy committee, and a trustee to the board which
meets once a year at the national foray to set NAMA policy. If you would like to
volunteer for one of these positions, or would like to nominate someone else, get in
touch with Joan Zeller by the November meeting.
Fhyl loporus rhodonanthus
fore,
du
e s
f
o r
wi 1 I
r
e c e
i
ve
le to
m i
mm
i
z e
Dues Notice
The dues year for TAMC (and for NAMA) is the calendar year; then
1984 are payable by December 31. New members joining now for 1984
upcoming 1983 newsletters as well. Please send dues as soon as possil
last minute paperwork for us. See renewal form page 45.
July 1 1 Meet i nq by Wa 1 I y Kaufman
The July meeting of TAMC was not "Twenty Questions" but more like a hundred when
the membership broke into groups to identify field specimens brought to the meeting
room in UNC ' s Coker Hall.
Aman i t a rubescens , Cantherel Ius c i b a r i us , and Pleurotus ostreatus were quickly
acknowledged. Vhat we safely and frequently put in our mouths we seem to identity
quickly. Beyond that, we may have found out more about the field guides than the
mushr ooms .
Une group spent about an hour doggedly chasing through the long keys of Coker 's
S o 1 e t e s to identify a single specimen. Another group kept hitting a blank wall
trying to track down an apparent C o 1 I vb i a . In the end, they assumed that it was a
particular species and worked backward through the scholarly and oft-used guide by
Smith, Smith and Weber, How t o Kn ow the G i I I e d Mu s h r o oms This w>is necessary because
the group found a gap and misprints in the keys within, but goes to show that it is
the understanding of the process, and its likely pitfalls, that matters as much as a
single product or the evening's success. The discovery of the fiaw in the guide was
thus as gratifying as the identification of the mushroom
Page 40
£d i b 1 e 3o 1 e t es g f No r t h Carol ina by Owen McConnell
group of mushrooms to
f £ b a 1 1 s are the safest,
d Destroying Angel for
re easiiy distinguished
typical mushroom shape,
cap, and tubes instead
se the only group other
e consumed without a
act species If one
red rule of not eating
or have red pores, the
be avoided.
possibilities for
ge and fleshy, numerous
variety of flavors,
e best edible boietes
II (Nov . ) . Over 20 0
ely 80 species occur in
y at present because of
incomplete collections tnrougnout tne state ana laoc ot consensus regarding the
splitting or lumping of variations when designating species.
Only three species of boietes found in N.C. are under suspicion of being
poisonous. All in the genus Boletus, they are I u r i du s , subvelut ipes , and m i n 1 a t o -
0 I i vaceus . Reports of their toxicity vary, but none should be eaten until further
study resolves the question of their edibility. Other poisonous boietes such as
s a t an a s , eas twood i ae , and ca I opus are thought to occur only on the Vest Coast .
Actually the rule to avoid boietes which turn blue when injured is sufficient
protection for North Carolina because the three suspected poisonous species found
here have intense and quick changes to blue. On the other hand, the avoidance of
boietes with orange-red pores is not a safe rule when used alone because mini at o-
01 ivaceus has yellow tube mouths, -except in age when the pores sometimes turn
reddish, and 1 u r i d u s and subvelut ipes occasionally have yellow pores when very young,
because most dangerous boietes do have reddish pores at some age, the rule to avoid
those that turn blue or have red pores is usually a redundancy that provides double
protection.
In North Carolina twenty bolete species have some part (flesh of cap, tubes,
stem) which changes to blue when bruised, and they include eight out of the eleven
N.C. species having red pores at some age Eliminating these twenty that turn blue,
plus the three with red pores that do not turn blue, leaves a grand total of 57
species which the mycophagist could consume. However, three of these remaining
species ( f e I I e u s , p 1 umb e o - v i o I a c eu s , and appa I ach i ens i s in the genus Ty 1 o p i I u s ) are
too bitter to enjoy. The remaining 5 4 species are all fair game for the experimental
mycophagist .
Actually one of the species which turns blue when cut could be eaten without
fear of mistaking it for a dangerous species. This species is Gyroporus c y * n e s cens ,
which is considered a choice edible. It can be reliably identified by its whitish or
light buffy color and its change to blue so rapidly and intensely that one can write
upon it by scratching the surface with a sharp object. It never has reddish tube
mouths. I have found it only in the mountains, and Cofcer and Beers also list
collections only from the mountains Although the toxins of poisonous boietes have
not been specifically determined, apparently the oxidation reactions which c5.use the
change to blue are not the source of the danger.
The boietes may be the safest
eat. Some might argue that the pu
but the novice might mistake a veile
a puffball. The boleti as a group a
from other groups of fungi by their
fleshy rather than woody or leathery
of gills or teeth. Boietes ccmpri
than puffballs which may safely b
positive identification of the ex
follows the siiple, easily remembe
boietes that turn blue when bruised
few suspected poisonous species can
Boietes offer attractive
mycophag i s t s . They are usually lar
in species, and present a wide
textures, and aromas. Some of th
fruit over a long period ranging from early June to late fa
species of boietes are found in North America, and approximat
N.C. The number of N.C. species canrot be given with certaint
Boletus s a t a n a s
Page 4 1
Field guides often list Boletus b i c o 1 o r as a choice edible, and its thick, light
yellow flesh which slowly changes to blue, is quite tempting I think it is too
risky to eat because of its close resemblance to mi n i a t o -ol ivaceus , a suspected toxic
species. The mycophagist can well afford to leave all uncertain blue-changing
boletes for the animals to enjoy (and they do relish b i co I o r ) , because enough safe
species remain after the blue staining ones are subtracted.
The most famous among the safe boletes, and one of the best of edible fungi
throughout the world, is Boletus e du I i s , also known as king bolete, steinpilz, and
cfepe. It ranges throughout temperate North America in coniferous, deciduous, and
mixed woods, and, of course, is well known in Europe. Although common in North
Carolina, one may fail to recognize it if guided by the pictures in field guides
which nearly always show the variety with bulbous stem, a form occurring primarily
in northwestern North America. The varieties found in North Carolina usually have
equal (same diameter throughout length) or club-shaped stems. I have found it as
early as June 10 in the Durham area. Boletus va r i i pes , another common bolete in
this area, can be mistaken for edu I i s ; but if this happens, there is not great harm
because var i i pes is a good edible itself. Boletus e d u I is has a smooth, buff to
reddish-brown cap, and tubes depressed at the stem, whereas var i i pe s has a wooly,
more grayish-brown cap, which becomes cracked (forming scale-like patches) and adnate
tubes .
Another well known choice edible is So I e t inus p i c t u s , a beautiful bolete which
is common in the mountains under white pines. The cap has fibrous scales that are
brick red or blood red with yellow between the scales. Other choice or good boletes
illustrated in the field guides and found frequently in N.C. are S u i I 1 u s brevir-es,
Su i I I us qranulatus, Gyroporus cast aneus , Boletus pa 1 1 i du s (the inconstant bitterness
does not persist after cooking), Ty I op i I us eg imi us (mountains only), and Lecc mum
scaDrum. Several boletes seldom shown in the field guides
are also very good and can be found in N.C. Pulveroboletus
r e t i pes , a bolete with both a good flavor and an
esthetically pleasing appearance, is commonly found in the
piedmont and mountains. It has a mustard yellow cap, clear
yellow tubes, and strongly reticulated yellow stem. One of
my favorites is Tv 1 o p i 1 us indec i sus . It is said to be of
uncommon occurrence, but I think it is often overlooked
because of its resemblance to Tv I op i 1 us f e 1 I e u s , a
distinctly bitter bolete which is probably the most
abundant bolete in N.C. Although less frequently
encountered, indecisus is gregarious and can be locally
abundant. On August 13, 1981, I collected a medium-sized
grocery bag full of fresh young indec isus at John Umstead
Hospital picnic area under deciduous trees. Not an insect
was in any of them ( f e 1 1 eus is seldom infested, perhaps
because of its bitterness; does indecisus escape through
protective mimicry, or was I just lucky to beat the
insects to them?). These indecisus boletes proved to be
delicious both sauteed and in a Japanese dish which my son
prepared. Tv 1 op i 1 u s indecisus can be distinguished from f e I I e u s by pallid tubes
which lack the rosy hue of f e 1 1 eus and bruise brown instead of flesh color, and by
the not bitter taste of the flesh. Tv 1 op i 1 us a I bo a t e r is an uncommon bolete, which
is easily identified by the fact that it bruises black all over. I have found it
several times along New Hope Creek across from Hollow Rock Store in the Duke Forest.
It lived up to its reputation as an excellent edible.
Many other edible boletes without established reputations are waiting to be
discovered. In order to test them, they should be prepared for cooking in the
following manner: When possible gather immature boletes, because they are tenderest
T v 1 o p i I u s f e 1 1 e u s
and d a u a h t e r - i n - I aw
Page 42
and the stem and tubes can also be cooked. If the stem is fibrous or hard, discard
it. Remove the tubes in mature boletes because they are gelatinous and will cook to
s sticky consistency. The tubes readily separate from the caps in most bolete
species. Discard any flesh of cap or stem which is i ns e c t - 1 n f e s t e d . The surface of
the cap should be cleaned with a brush or damp cloth If washed, they may become
water-soaked and then will stew rather than saute.
■ Mushr o oe Cultivation
The January / Februar y 1984 issue of The Fung i f i I e will be devoted to mushroom
cultivation. Have you had any success growing mushrooms? How about 2. short article
telling of your success(es) or failure(s), or any other tips or thoughts you would
liKe to share1 Contact Joan Zeller (address and phone number above) if interested.
(Note-The January 9 meeting will feature a film on mushroom cultivation in Japan.)
Mu shroom Hotecards
The mushroom drawings on pages 39 through 43
reproduced with the kind permission (Copyright, 1983)
beautiful set of 7 different cards is available from:
TX 77009.
are reductions of notecards
of the a r t i s t i V.m Mettler. A
Van Metzier, 705 Omar, Houston
Audubon F i x- I t K i t
Tired of flipping back and forth between the pictures and teKt of the Audubon
Field Guide to find the correct scientific names? A set of self-adhesive binomial
Latin name labels, to be cut apart and applied to the
pictures, is available from: Susan Hamilton, 2110 Wilcrest,
Apt. 151, Houston, TX 77042. Cost is 53.50 ppd per set,
or 53.00 per set if a minimum of 10 sets is sent to one
address A limited supply of these labels will be available
for purchase at TAHC meetings. Reportedly, it takes about
4-8 hours to fix up your book. If care is taken to cut off
all excess white margin and to stag-ger the position of the
labels then the added bulk is minimal
Susan also has available a fo
(50.50 ppd.) and a 16 page set of fc e
Audubon Field Guide, as well as a
L e p i o t a p r o c e r a
Nov. /Dec. Capitol
Washingt on , DC.)
enclose a s e I f - ad d r e s s e d enveloj
fix-it kits for both guides (<
each for 10 sets going to one
Mushroomers , the newsletter of the
page
photo
c r i t
i
que
(52.5
0 ppd )
for
the
r r a t a
Sheet /
Index
To
50.25
ppd . )
PI
e
ase
your
order
Cost
f c r
verything)
i s j
5
00
s
(Thanks
t 0
the
i c a I
Assoc.
a t i on
o f
New Mushroom Ma qa z i ne
A new periodical, Mushroom: the journal o f wild mushrooming , e t cetera is being
assembled by two enthusiastic mycophiles, one a journalist by trade and the o^her an
amateur my co I og i s t / b i b I i ogr apher Volume 1, Number 1 of this quarterly publication
is scheduled to appear in early October, and will include a guide to the field
Page 43
guides, problems involved in bringing out a new field guide, a case study of Amanita
v i r o s a poisoning, the best way to make spore prints (including artistic versions),
and the answer to the question "What can you do if your friends and relatives think
your mushrooming activities are wierd?" The editors are looking for contributors as
well as subscribers. Subscriptions are $12 a year to: Mushroom, Boh 3156, University
Station, Moscow, Idaho 83843.
Poisoning Records
NAMA is setting up a Mushroom Poisoning Case Registry to centralize data on
mushroom toxicity incidents. Since not all cases require medical attention or are
reported to poison centers, this information is being
requested directly from mycologists, mycophag i s t s , and
oycophiles. Report forms are available from Joan Zeller.
Please participate in this program if the opportunity
arises; it is obviously important that this type of
information be collected and made available. The
is also interested in past cases for which
confident of enough of the information to fill
form.
Registry
you are
out the
Conqratulat ions
Congratulations are again in order to Kerry Givens,
who this year won three awards in the NAMA photography
contest. Two of the awards were made possible through the
efforts of other TAMC members notifying him of fleetingly
available and suitable subjects - Kerry's picture of a
Pseudoco I us in Billie Sessoms' yard' won an Honorable
Mention while his photoseries of earthstars from Owen and Fat McConnell won a Judge's
Choice Awa r d .
Strobilomyces f Ioccopus
b'h i 1 1 a k e j n t he Triangle
Winn -Dixie stores in the Triangle area are making available a special treat for
mycophagists - fresh Shiitake, Lent inus edodes . The following stores routinely carry
them: Lakewood, Parkwood, and Shannon Plaza in Durham, and North Hills, North Ridge,
and Ridgewood in Raleigh. They are not routinely stocked at the other 3rea stores,
but can be spec i a I -or der ed for you. Cost is 5 2.9 9 per 4 oz . package. The mushrooms
are stocked once a week, on Thursdays, and often go bad before they are sold since
there is so little demand. Lest they become discouraged and discontinue stocking
them, we should support their efforts to offer an alternative to the common store
Agar i cus . If we let them know there is a market here then maybe in the future wa can
look forward to even more of a varied mushroom selection in the local stores
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to those who contributed to this issue of The Fung i f i I e Kerry
Givens, David Higgins, Wa I I y Kaufman, Owen McConnell, Van Metzler, Steve Warner
(Associate Editor-By-Default), and Joan Zeller (Editor-By-Default > . Please keep
those contributions rolling in, folks!
fage 44
My co philately
Mushroom stamps have been issued by the following countries so far this year:
Ascension Island, Jugoslavia, Lesotho, Norfolk Islands, St. Helena, and Zambia.
These and other mushroom stamps are available from Bill Long, Star Route, Afton, MI
49 7 0 5 Subscriptions to the new semi-annual I t a I i an / Eng 1 1 s h language journal
My coph i 1 a t e 1 i a (see May/June Fung i f i I e ) are also available from Bill for S3. 00.
TAMC i n the Hews
With the publication of an article fe
triaay, August 26, 1983 on page Bl, we hav
iriangie area. The extensive story by Ma
mushroom walk sponsored by the Eno River S
greatest response yet. Many new people f
gotten quite a few inquiries in the mail f
article.
aturing TAMC in the Raleigh News & Observer
e now hit the three major newspapers of the
ry Cornatzer was well timed to publicize a
tate Park (see below), and has elicited the
rom Raleigh attended the walk, and we have
r om prospective members, as a result of the
fcno River State Park Mu shr oom Va I k
A good news/bad news mushroom walk was sponsored by the Eno River State Park in
Durham and led by TAMC member Owen McConnell on August 27. The good news was that,
although the Park contacted us too late for us to inform members of the walk, they
did such a good publicity job that almost 50 people showed up, many of them
enthusiastic prospective members. The bad news was that, thanks to the particularly
dry weather, only one species, Aman i t a ch I o r inosma , was found that was worth
mentioning (although one specimen of this was e k c e p t i ona 1 1 y beautiful). In spite of
this, and the fact that we were not prepared for the number of participants, Owen
gave a fine impromptu talk (though we I I -prepar ed with previously collected specimens)
and the walk was a success.
The Last Word
Since only one species of note was found on the mushroom walk, does that mean-
that someone was Hy dnum elsewhere???
Page 4 5
Membership Renewal/Application Form
Send form and dues to Joan Zeller, 700 Morreene Rd. #G-11 , Durham, NG 27705
by Dec. 15. Make check payable to TAMC.
DUES: [J $6000 individual £J $8.00 family
f~J $12.00 North American Mycological Association (optional)
(please send s eparate check payable to NAMA)
Name(s) :
Home address :
City: State : Zip :
Home phone: Day phone:
Mailing address :
(Please use campus address whenever possible so that we can save on TAMC mailing
costs o NAMA publications will be sent to your home address unless you specify
otherwise . )
I hereby release the Triangle Area Mushroom Club and any officer or member there-
of from any legal responsibility for injuries or accidents incurred during or as
a result of any field trip, excursion, or meeting sponsored by the club.
Applicant(s) signature: Date:
(over please) Date:
i DWVJ. AVQHI.K 1 £3 A<3c3VH
ON ' I I 1 H Tsdem
fr09Z nog OiJ
TAMC depends on the willingness of its members to participate in all aspects of
the club. Please indicate if you can help in any of the following ways:
do occasional errands or phoning
provide host home for meetings, or for out of town speakers or guests
help type newsletter
write newsletter article
do newsletter sketches
present a meeting program (slide show, talk, lab, etc.)
supply refreshments at meetings occasionally
lead a foray
serve as an officer or on a committee
other
Would you be interested in working on a Fungus Fair to be held next fall?
Comments, suggestions:
C599.
F98*
Newsletter of theTriangle Area Mushroom Club
PO. Box 2604, Chape! Hill, N.C 27515
Volume 2
Number 6
November /December i ? 8 3
Correspondence
Please send all membership and newsletter correspondence to Joan Zeller, 700
Morreene Rd., Apt. G-ll, Durham, NC 27705 (phone 383-7154).
HSjJc Yoor Calendar:
November 14: Identification Workshop, led by Dr. Larry Grand, Professor of Plant
Pathology at NCSU. Bring mushrooms, spore prints, & field guides (see
instructions for July workshop in July/August Fung i f i 1 e ) . If there are not
enough mushrooms to have an ID session, Dr. Grand will present a slide show on
boletes. Meeting at 7:30pm room 413 Jones Bldg., Duke Vest Campus, Durham. Sae
map on page 55 .
December 12: Pot luck dinner & member slide show. Sring a dish, and slides to show
if you wish. Slides can be of mushrooms (pictures you want to show, or need
help in identifying) or of TAHC activities (or anything you think we'd be
interested in). Contact Jacques Poirier in Durham if you have slides to show
(477-5837, home or 684-3502, work). Meeting at 7:00pm at the home of Ruth Lang,
1506 Kent St., Durham 27707 (489-5369). See map on page 54. Please call Ruth if
you plan to come, or drop her a postcard.
January 9: Two films from the Mori Mushroom Institute in Japan, originally produced
for the International Congress of Edible Mushrooms, featuring laboratory &
commercial cultivation of shiitake, enokitake, P 1 eu r o t us , Pho 1 i o t a , Auricularia,
and Vo I var i e 1 1 a . According to the review in the Boston Mycological Club Su i 1 e t in ,
the films include some "sensational time-lapse sequences". Meeting at 7:CGpm at
the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. See map on page 54.
November 13: Saralyn area in Chatham Co. This is rather late in the season, but
let's keep our fingers crossed. This area has been quite fruitful on past
forays, so hopefully we'll find enough to work on at the ID session the
Meet inas :
Forays :
Page 48
following evening. Meet st Texaco station (corner of 15-501 Bypass & Estes
Dr.), University Mall, Chapel Hill, at 10 am. Contact person Wally Kaufman
(Pittsboro: 542-4072).
(PLEASE NOTE: We need volunteers to lead forays for next year. We also want your
suggestions on how they can be improved. Contact Joan Zeller or Dianne Berg ( 93 3-
9 628 )) .
Dues Are Due !
TAMC dues for 1984 are payable now - see renewal form on page 55. Please note
that if you join the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) through TAMC you
get a $3 discount from regular NAMA dues ($12 per individual or family). Please send
a scpirat* check payable to NAMA.
Mushroom Cultivation
The Janua r y / Februar y 1 984 issue of The Fung i f i 1 e will be devoted to mushroom
cultivation. Have you had any success growing mushrooms? How about a short article
telling of your success(es) or failure(s), or any other tips or thoughts you would
like to share? Contact Joan Zeller (address and phone number above) if interested.
(Note-The January 9 meeting will feature a film on mushroom cultivation in Japan.)
Mushroom Iapr es s i ons
Scattered throughout this issue are impressions from mushroom rubber stamps,
along with their catalog numbers. These stamps are available from: Nature
Impressions (tm), 1007 Leneve Place, El Cerrito, CA 94530. Cost is $4.50 each plus
$1.50 postage and handling per order. A limited number of these stamps will be
available at TAMC meetings.
NATURE
Wood Fung i K i
IMPRESSIONS,
TAMC has obtained a Lignicolous Fungi Kit, put together by Sam Ristich and Gary
Lincoff, which contains identified dried specimens and worksheets. This kit is in
the custody of Joan Zeller and is available to any TAKC member who wishes to borrow
it. This kit might well lend itself to be the focus of a future meeting if anyone is
interested in volunteering (HIHT! ) .
Sept eab g r 1 2 Me e t i nq
MU8 — Cantharellus cibarius
by Bill Burk
Septobasidium has been one of Dr. John Couch's mycological
research interests for over 5 decades and this research has
won Dr. Couch election, as a Fellow, to the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences. At the September meeting Dr. Couch
enthusiastically presented TAMC members an educational talk
on this unusual group of fungi that form a symbiotic
relationship with scale insects. Lantern slides illustrated
his discussion.
Page 49
Simply put, the development of Sep t ob as i d i um begins with spores germinating on
and sending tissue into the scale insects which attach themselves to woody plants.
The fungus grows over the scale insects and can produce complex fungal houses; some
are even "built" with chambers and tunnels. Symb i o t i ca 1 1 y speaking, the scale
insects are provided a house and the fungus an assured food supply in addition to
being distributed by the scale insects. For further information one can read Dr.
Couch's The Genus Sep t obas i d i urn published by the UNC-Chapel Hill Press.
Oct ober 1 7 Meet inq
by David Higgins
The meeting of October 17 consisted of a slide show by Kerry
Givens. Kerry gave an excellent and humorous presentation, and
the slides included some of the finest examples of nature
photography I have ever seen. The theme of the show was
"Creatures Nobody Loves (Including Mushrooms)" or "A Presentation
of Most Unpleasant Nature." Despite the name, the pictures
showed the incredible beauty that nature tucks away in all its
little corners. The show included flowers, insects, snakes,
spiders, bats, moose, & mushrooms. Some of the mushroom slides
"plain" mushrooms can be. One that was
brought out some unexpected beauty hiding
be considered rather drab looking black 5
emphasized how striking
especially nice
in what might otherwise
white polypores.
Before the meeting,
mushrooms which had been
Jack Billman and David Higgins had laid
collected on the foray the day before,
MU9 _ Cortinarius collinitus
out two tables of
or brought to the
meeting by members. Most of the mushrooms were
additional help from Owen McCcnnell.
identified & labeled, with some
1983 NAMA Foray Report by Joan Zeller
To say that this year's North American Mycological Association Foray at Snow
Mountain Ranch, Colorado, this August has spoiled me does not begin to convey the
intensity and excitement of the experience. The best mushroom season in 20 years
certainly was a large factor, but the wonderful organization by and hospitality of
the Colorado Mycological Society all contributed to what was generally agreed to be
one of the most successful NAMA Forays ever.
NAMA Forays are forays - large conventions with workshops & classes (microscopy,
photography, identification, mycophagy & toxicology, among others) scheduled
continuously throughout the days, running unfortunately concurrently with half- and
all-day forays. And if these activities don't suit your
mood, you can always study the display tables, where
specimens are laid out by species after having been
identified by the professional mycologists. On the ride from
Stapleton Airport to the meeting site, I was overwhelmed by
the number of mushrooms visible from the bus - more than I'd
seen in the Triangle area all year. And it got better - not
only did I see monster mushrooms I thought occurred only in
pictures (caps 12" across and larger), but the camp looked as
though the mushrooms had been planted especially for us (the
Colorado club certainly arranged this well). One of the most
prolific - picture book perfect red Amani t a mus car i a ! An
ongoing problem throughout the foray was the inability of the
identifiers to keep up with the sheer numbers of specimens that were constantly
Page 50
arriving. The last count I heard was 322 species identified, including almost 30
never before collected in Colorado. Imagine finding morels, truffles, chanterelles,
and Boletus edu 1 is all within 4 days!
The weekend posed quite a few conflicts for me. I didn't want to miss the
classes (after all, I was there to letra about mushrooms). On the other hand, I
hadn't come all the way to the Rockies to sit in a lecture hall (chapel, actually).
I also didn't want to miss the unique opportunity of having hundreds of identified
species laid out for me to study and compare. I did manage to take in a fair mixture
of lectures (I highly recommend Kit Scat es ' popular "Easy Xey To Common Gilled
Mushrooms" to anyone who has a chance to hear it), hiking the mountains, and perusing
the tables (though I unfortunately missed the highly acclaimed "Cook & Taste"
session) .
At the 1982 Foray, I was overwhelmed by the number of species and amount of
information that was available. Although I suppose I was gaining a general
familiarity with fungi, after a year of study on my own, I still didn't have the
background to adequately integrate what I was seeing. My mind wasn't organised into
"boxes" to fill with data. Veil, this year the "boses" had begun to appear, so that
I had places to file the new data, instead to jumbling it all in one large trunk to
be broken and mixed up with other bits of data, none of it in useful or retrievable
form. I have a long, long way to go, but things are finally beginning to fit
together and make sense. So, for you beginners - have hope - you, too, will have
boses to fill. And to everyone, I recommend the NAMA Foray as a wonderful unique
learning and social experience, immersed in mushrooms and mushroom people. (Next
year it will be a bit closer to home - Toronto, Canada, September 20-23. Mark your
ca 1 endar ! )
Ma r sh _£ 5e a Fast Report
by Keith Houck
Rattlesnake spread, grasshopper fritters, yucca flowers with elderberry jam,
and, of course, Vild S Sexy Mushroom Soup were among the huge variety of foods
prepared at the 1983 Marsh & Sea Fest in Manteo, NC on
October 1. Approximately 100 natural food enthusiasts
gathered at the NC Marine Resources Center and divided into
seven foraging groups. The mushroom group, led by Dick Grimm
from the Ohio Mushroom Society, found mushrooms to be
surprisingly plentiful, with over 30 species identified. The
sandy soil and large number of pines made this a good
opportunity for learning the Aman i t as . Several large,
beautiful fairy rings were also discovered. To end a hard
day of foraging, an oyster roast was held on the water under
the setting sun. The wild foods banquet followed with a
variety of food that had to be seen and tasted to be
appreciated. Don't miss it next year!
New Jersey Mvco I oq i ca 1 Associat ion Fungus Fest Repor t
by Joan Zeller
Plagued by the same drought we experienced in NC , the NJMA ' s Sixth Annual
Fungus Fest on October 2 nonetheless provided enough activity and variety to satisfy
the novice and experienced mycophile alike. The one day fair is held to educate the
public to the delights of wild mushrooms: the uninitiated are
basics, while much is available to interest the more advanced.
The identification tables, thanks to the very recent rain,
specimens collected by club members as well as public attendees
int r oduced to the
we re covered with
and other tables
Page 51
displayed more specimens in dried form. Most crowded was the tasting table, where a
kitchen crew continuously supplied samples of wild mushrooms. Also popular was the
slide lecture given 2 to 3 times an hour by indefatigable NJMA (and TAMO member Sob
Peabody on the Foolproof Four (shaggy-mane, puffball, morel, and chicken mushroom)
and Basic collecting information. Two other slide/tape shows ran every hour in
nearby rooms, while mushroom walks left periodically to inspect what the current
rains were pushing up in the grounds around the Fest area. There were tables of
books and crafts for sale, a large display of mushroom stamps and covers, a post
office station with a special earthstar cancellation, and two "hands-on" booths - a
microscopy set-up, and a " key- i t -ou t -your se 1 f " booth, as well as several other poster
displays. To absorb all that was available would have taken more time than the
allotted 6 hours.
The success of a program of this sort obviously depends on the variety of skills
and interests of many individuals who are willing to work hard, and the NJMA
certainly has what it takes. (TAHC has the potential to sponsor a similar event on a
smaller scale. Be thinking of ideas for locations & activities, as well as any
special contributions you might be able to make.)
John Cage /Or son Miller Foray Report
by Sherrie Rakoff
MU7 _ Amanita phalloides
Three local members (Ginny Pact, Sherrie Rakoff, and Joan .^.^.^a.^y- -. - «
Zeller), and a friend, and two long distance members (Clarke
Johnson and Allein Stanley) attended the Cage/Miller Foray near
Blacksburg, VA the weekend of October 3. The foray was held at
the beautiful Mountain Lake Hotel nestled in the mountain tops
nest to a lake surrounded by the fall-colored trees. The
original wooden hotel was built in the iBOO's, but was replaced
in 1953 by a duplicate stone hotel, to provide indoor plumbing.
The rustic nature of the hotel was a perfect setting for a blend
of mycophiies, artists, and photographers.
There were forays on Friday and Saturday led by Orson Miller
and several of his graduate students. The dry weather affected
the quantity of mushrooms to be found, but all groups returned
with a wide variety of fungi, that were later labeled and displayed in the room where
we gathered for activities. There was time for folks to enjoy the hotel and the lake
as well as meet and socialise with the people who were there for the painting and
photography workshops (including British mushroom artist Ray Cowell). We really
enjoyed meeting and getting to know the other mushroomers and eachanging information
and newsletters with them.
The mushroom experts and the artists presented programs and
slide shows which were open for anyone to attend. Orson Miller
spoke about how fungi adapt to different environments, leading
into a recitation of a poem in progress during the weekend by
John Cage. The poem was inspired by mushrooms and consisted of
bits and pieces of everything including weird sounds. It was
interesting, but not fully understood by many people. One of
Orson's grad students gave a talk and showed some beautiful
slides he had taken of mushrooms in the area. Painter John
Berlind and photographer Maria Casendas, the artists who were
leading the ether workshops, also presented very interesting
slide shows of their work.
The weekend concluded with a bluegrass band which was enjoyed by all. Orson and
Hope Miller demonstrated their wonderful energy & dancing talents and others followed
suit. During Saturday night supper John Cage cooked up some mushrooms found on the
Page 52
forays that day and served them to the tables in the dining room
Agar i cus in a special tamari sauce and some Polyporus su 1 phur eus
were both delicious.
We enjoyed the cameraderie that developed during the weekend with
He prepared some
in butter, which
people from
New York, Washington, D.
exchanged addresses and
C. and other
hope to meet
areas. It was almost
again some day.
sad to say good-by, but we
Allergic To Your Hobby '
MU3
You
mind the
spores .
Two previously unexplained phenomena - late autumn
asthma and "October hay fever" - may be caused by allergies
to fungal spores. Researchers last year reported to the
American Academy of Allergy and Immunology that 50% of those
skin-tested who suffer from fall asthma showed sensitivity
to low doses of spore extracts within 15 minutes, and 75%
reacted to higher extract doses. The mechanism is different
in those with tendencies to October-November allergic
rhinitis (hay fever). Those tested in this group showed a
significantly lower rate of immediate sensitivity to skin
tests, but ? 0 had delayed reactions (up to 24 hours later)
to an average of 4 of the extracts. Fungi tested included
species of Coor inus , Agar i cus , puffballs, powdery mildew, and
corn smut ( Us t i I ago ) .
need not despair if you are a fungifile allergic to fungi. If you don't
inconvenience, masks and respirators are available which can filter out the
Or i en t a I Mushrooms in the Triangle
by Elaine Haynes
In the past few months it has become possible to obtain several varieties of
"exotic" mushrooms in local grocery stores. The mushrooms currently available are
shiitake (Lent inus edodes ) and enokitake ( F I ammu I i na ye 1 u t i pes ) , two of the most
common mushrooms in Japanese and Korean cuisines.
Shiitake are grown by inoculating logs of the shii tree ( Pasan i a cusp i da t a ) with
the spores. The cap of the fresh mushroom is 1-3", smooth velvety brown, sometimes
with fissures. The stem is tough but flavorful. This mushroom has a distinctive
flavor which adds interest to soups, stews and other dishes. But I think it is best
by itself, caps dipped in ponzu sauce (equal parts lemon juice and dark soy sauce,
with a few drops mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine) or sugar), and either grilled or
lightly fried. (Save the stems for soup.) Dried shiitake have long been available in
this area in specialty shops but the extra flavor of the fresh
variety makes it worth looking for.
Enokitake is a variety of mushroom which seems an unlikely
food item. While shiitake are big "mushroomy" mushrooms, the
enokitake is almost all stem. The stem is 4-5" long while the
cap is perhaps 1/4-1/2" wide. However the Japanese discovered
that is it easily cultivated and so it has become quite popular.
Its color is a creamy yellow. This mushroom has a nice very mild
flavor, and seems to be used in bunches to add eye appeal to many
types of dishes such as simmered stews and soups. Another use is
as a fresh salad ingredient. A very simple dish is foil-cooked
enokitake. Wash 1/2 bunch enokitake per person, discard the
"root", and place in the center of a large piece of aluminum
*> < •** ts <:< ■'■
MU5 _ Lactarius deliciosus
Page 53
foil. Top with butter S a slice of lemon & a sprig of parsley or watercress. Seal
the foil into a moisture proof packet and bake at 4 7 5° F 5 minutes or over a hot
charcoal fire. Serve immediately.
Both of these mushrooms are available from Big Star, the South Square (Durham)
store informed us. Tuesday is their delivery day. Also Vinn-Disie has shiitake
available with regularity. But do be aware that (according to their produce
managers) such "strange" foods will continue to be stocked only if customers buy
them!
A good source of other recipes for these mushrooms is Japanese Cooking : A S imp I e
Art by Shizuo Tsuji (Kodansha International, 1980, distributed by Harper & Row, New
York) from which much of the above information was taken.
The Name Plaque by Dick Grimm
Mushrooming today is like inflation. People just getting into it just have to
deal with it in its present form. If you don't remember when hamburger was 39 cents
a pound, you don't realize that $1.69 is too much! If you don't remember when
Chloroohyl Ium mo I vbd i t es was once Leoiota morqani, you don't realize that was three
names ago! Most of you newcomers aren't quite so confused because you don't have all
those past and present names bouncing around in your heads. Ah, but your time will
come !
I was reading through Atkinson's (one of the early dudes) book the other day. I
recognized the pictures, but the names were all foreign. Someone once said a picture
is worth a thousand words. In mushrooming, it's worth a thousand names!
Did you ever decipher some of those goofy names? The one above for instance -
Ch 1 or ooh v 1 1 urn molvbdites. Sounds like green, filled diapers! Yuk! And how about
L e P i s t a nuda? It is almost embarrassing; it resembles the title of an 2-rated movie.
Probably features that Italian stallion, Phallus ravenel i i . Schizophvl Ium commune
sounds like living quarters for dingbats. Have you tried the new soft drink,
Agar i cus s i I v i co I a ? Did you ever see Olga Corbut do a forward, two and a half
Gvmnop i Ins spec t ab i 1 i s ? Or how about Julia Child baking a Panus torulosus? What do
you make of C 1 imacodon s ep t en t r i ona 1 e? [Fungi file Associate Edi tor-by-Def aul t ' s
Addendum - Didn't they become extinct 70 million years ago??3 Someone's just trying
to be funny as near as I can tell.
My wife asked me why they keep changing names on the toadstools. I told her it
was because we learned all the old ones and there wasn't anything else to do. She
said that sounded reasonable. My wife is a "wo r k-a-ho I i c " .
Tha guy who named Melanoleuca me 1 a 1 euca and Aur i cu 1 ar i a auricula also named the
prison Sing Sing and the disease beri-beri. It was only learned later that he had a
case of the chronic hiccups. Clitocybe odora could be a condition a good shower
wou Id r emedy .
I thought this fella Melssr had the solution for everything, but rather than
solve things, they got worse. It turned out his solution was in a bottle! Anyhow,
you squirt this iodine stuff on the spores and some kinds give a blue reaction. It
allows you to see things better plus toadstools react to it in different ways. Two
more excuses to change names plus a bad case of the blue spores! It's unmerciful.
Ah well, at least the folks that are just entering this hobby can remain sane
for awhile. But with the present use of the electron microscope, it will just be a
matter of time until we all end up in the Schizophvl lum commune , at best with just
some bad Clitocvbe odora , but a good chance of catching the dreaded blue spores,
also.
Keep up if you can. Things might get worse before they get better. It will
always be a fiasco, but remember even the worst namedropper is still a fun-guy!
Ouch!
Page 54
(Thanks to the Ohio Mushroom Society's Spore Print, November /December 1982 issue for
the above article.)
Acknowledgements
Thanks to the following for their help on this issue: Bill Burk, Dick Grimm,
Elaine Haynes, David Higgins, Keith Houck, Ruth Lang, Sherrie Rakoff, Steve Warner
(Associate Ed i t or -by-De f au 1 t ) , and Joan Zeller ( Ed i t or -by-De f au 1 t ) .
The Last Word
You've probably heard that Lech Valesa was out mushroom hunting when it was
announced that he had received the Peace Prise. We feel that this adds a touch of
Nobelity to our hobby.
Page 55
Membership Renewal/Application Form
Send form and dues to Joan Zeller, 700 Morreene Rd. #G-11, Durham, NC 27705
by Dec. 15 . Make check payable to TAMG.
DUES: £J $6o00 individual [J $8.00 family
f~j $12.00 North American Mycological Association (optional)
(please send s eparate check payable to NAMA)
Name(s) :
Home address :
City: State : Zip :
Home phone: Day phone:
Mailing address :
(Please use campus address whenever possible so that we can save on TAMG mailing
costs □ NAMA publications will be sent to your home address unless you specify
otherwise . )
I hereby release the Triangle Area Mushroom Club and any officer or member there-
of from any legal responsibility for injuries or accidents incurred during or as
a result of any field trip, excursion, or meeting sponsored by the club.
Applicants ) signature: ' Date:
(over please) Date:
V~ktQ ^^^C['7 ^T('/y\
bO?Z-SISiZ 3N 'IITH radsun
b 0 9 Z Hog "O rl
TAMG depends on the willingness of its members to participate in all aspects of
the club. Please, indicate if you can help in any of the following ways:
do occasional errands or phoning
provide host home for meetings, or for out of town speakers or guests
help type newsletter
write newsletter article
do newsletter sketches
present a meeting program (slide show, talk, lab, etc.)
supply refreshments at meetings occasionally
lead a foray
serve as an officer or on a committee
other
Would you be interested in working on a Fungus Fair to be held next fail?
Comments, suggestions:
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11