BULLETIN OF THE PUGET SOUND MYCOLOGICAL
SOCIETY
Number 360, March 2000
Electronic Edition is published monthly, September through June
by the
Puget Sound Mycological Society
Center for Urban Horticulture, Box 354115
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
(206) 522-6031
Agnes A. Sieger, Editor
This month is the Annual Meeting and Survivors'
Banquet, held Saturday, March 18, in Brier Hall at Edmonds
Community College.
Doors open at 6:30 PM, and
dinner will be served at 7:30. Choice of free-range veal or
vegetarian. Great food, great service, a great occasion. All this
for only $25 ea. To attend, contact Bernice . Bon
Apétit!
CALENDAR
March 18 Survivors' Banquet & Annual
Meeting,
Edmonds Community College
March 25 field trip
April 2 field trip
COLLECTING TIPS Dick
Sieger
People collect mushrooms for two main reasons, to
eat or to study and the best way to collect for one is not the best
way to collect for the other.
Collecting for Identification or Study
If you don't know what it is, don't collect all you
can find in the hope that it might turn out to be edible. Collect
only a few specimens, including both young and mature mushrooms if
possible, and handle them carefully. Ascomycetes (morels, cup
fungi, etc.), which are plentiful in the spring, are frequently
slow to mature, so for those try to include some over-the-hill
samples.
Identifiers need to see whole fruiting bodies in
good condition. How do you do that? First, be nice to your prizes.
Keep species separate. Handle them gently so you don't destroy
fragile features like scales and rings. Don't cut the stalk!
Discard most of the debris but leave roots, cups, and a few scraps
of whatever the mushroom was attached to. Instead of grabbing the
stem, spread your finger and thumb and hold the mushroom at the
bottom of the stalk and on top of the cap. Put it into a waxed
paper sandwich bag, box, or aluminum foil. Do not use plastic;
because it is nonporous, it tends to turn mushrooms to mush.
Tree associations may be important, so slip in a
sample leaf, cone, or branch from nearby plants. Slide in a note
with your name, phone number, collection date, and county where the
collection was made. That will help the identifier gather
information about unusual finds.
Finally, don't expect names for everything. Some
mushrooms take hours to name. Others can't be named at all.
Collecting for the Pot
Collect only mushrooms you can positively identify.
Pick only those in choice condition and leave those past their
prime to distribute spores for next year's crop. Some people pull
up the whole mushroom; others cut it off at the stem. The limited
studies to date indicate that neither method is better for the
mycelium. In either case, cut off the stem cleanly and brush off as
much soil and debris as possible. Store like species in a rigid
container where they won't get crushed or pick up more dirt. Try to
keep the mushrooms cool and dry, and process them as soon as
possible.
FIELD TRIP TIPS Agnes
Sieger
For those who joined PSMS at the Annual Exhibit in
October, I thought it might be nice to review some basic
mushrooming tips regarding the upcoming Spring field trips.
Apparel: The Pacific Northwest is wet. Wear
warm clothing, preferably in layers, and waterproof shoes or boots
and bring your rain gear. Pacific Northwest vegetation is usually
thick, and the sky is frequently overcast. Bring a compass and
whistle and a map of the area and remember to use them.
Mushrooming gear: You will need a
wide-bottomed container for your mushrooms. This can be a basket or
bucket. Do not use plastic sacks; they tend to condense moisture
and turn mushrooms into slime. You will need a sturdy knife
suitable for cutting and prying and perhaps a soft brush to clean
up the edibles; some people even bring a small garden trowel for
digging. To protect individual specimens for identification, take
some wax paper sandwich bags or aluminum foil.
Collecting: If you know you have a good
edible, cut off the steam cleanly and brush off as much soil and
debris as possible. Store like species in a rigid container where
they won't get crushed or pick up more dirt. Try to keep the
mushrooms cool and dry, and process them as soon as possible.
Field trip format: Most PSMS field trips are
planned for Saturdays, since this is the most convenient time for
many people. It is possible to come early on Friday and stay over
to Sunday. The campgrounds, unless otherwise specified, have
camping facilities. Almost all field trips have hosts, who set up
by 9:00 AM on Saturday with hot coffee and snacks. The hosts greet
and sign in members, relay general tips on what is up and where to
find it, and introduce newcomers to more experienced members. They
also have a map of the area. After signing in, participants gather
their gear and head for their favorite hunting grounds. In the
afternoon, they come back to the campsite to identify their finds,
compare notes, and prepare for the potluck.
Potluck: The potluck starts at 4:00 PM (or
sometimes later when days are longer). You need to bring your own
eating utensils and beverage and a dish to contribute to the table.
This can be an appetizer, salad, main dish, or dessert. The food is
usually delicious, and it is a great time to swap tales, collect
recipes, and share mushroom information with friends old and
new.
BOARD NEWS Agnes
Sieger
Treasurer Lynn Phillips reports that because of a
change in state law, we no longer have to pay sales tax on
purchases made for resale. There are still a few bills outstanding
from the exhibit.
Corey sent out 200 reminder cards to members who
had not renewed, which resulted in 25 renewals as of mid-February.
Mike Lovelady has agreed to be Field Trip Chair. We still need
someone to coordinate the field trip hosts.
Chef Walter Bronowitz of Edmonds Community College
can provide free-range veal for the Survivors' Banquet. Doug Ward
will be the MC, Ben Woo will speak, and Joanne Young will collect
the mushrooms and door prizes. Decorations will be handled by Russ
Kurtz, Lynn Phillips, and Lynne Elwell. Fran Ikeda will be the
hostess. Steven Bell will provide guides to the right building and
a printed program.
Doug has not heard back from Jean Chin on how the
new rosters are coming. He would like to distribute them at the
banquet. The Lake Wenatchee Project is May 12 14. We have two
volunteers for PSMS Librarian. Brandon Matheny pointed out that
people buying items for the club may be able to get a tax discount
if they use our nonprofit ID number.
THE EARLY MOREL Agnes
Sieger
The first field trips this Spring are dedicated to
Verpa (Ptychoverpa) bohemica, the first edible mushrooms to
lure the mycophagist after the winter doldrums. Often called the
early morel because of its timing and superficial resemblance to
the true morels, Verpa bohemica fruits from late February
through April, depending on the season. In the Pacific Northwest,
it is associated with cottonwoods, often fruiting right around the
drip line of mature trees when the cottonwood leaves are the size
of a mouse's ear. Once you learn to recognize the cottonwood, a
tall, dark, poplar-like tree with wrinkled bark that grows in damp
river bottoms throughout western Washington, you can spot your
hunting ground from afar. Finding your quarry amid the debris of
the previous fall, however, isn't that easy.
Verpa bohemica is a medium-sized (3 8 in.
tall), tanish mushroom with a wrinkled, bell-shaped cap which is
attached only at the top, forming a skirt over the stem. The stem
is long, at first whitish to cream in color and becoming tan with
age, and filled with cottony fibers.
In contrast, true morels have pitted, not wrinkled,
caps that are attached to the stems at the bottom (or in some cases
part way up); their stems, while hollow, are empty.
Unlike other verpas, and most large ascomycetes,
Verpa bohemica has only two spores per ascus instead of
eight. For that reason, modern taxonomists have split it into its
own genus, Ptychoverpa. What each ascus lacks in numbers,
however, it makes up for in size; the spores are huge.
Although considered a good edible by many, this
mushroom causes gastrointestinal upsets and loss of muscular
coordination in some people and should be approached with caution.
Many field guides recommend parboiling it and throwing away the
water and eating only small amounts at a time. The effects may be
cumulative, so don't pig out on it several days in a row, even if
it is the only edible mushroom out at the time.
MUSHROOM IDENTIFIERS
NEEDED
Hildegard Hendrickson
I am the clearinghouse for mushroom identification for PSMS. When a caller needs to have a mushroom identified, I try to get him/her in touch with a member who lives close. Currently, we have very few identifiers in the Bellevue and east area, as well as Renton/Auburn and south. I would appreciate a call, if you feel you could help out.
One person wanted to know if there was a fee for having the
mushrooms identified. Even though I told her no, she never called
back
Another lady, called at 11:30 PM and wanted me to come to Burien to identify a large
brown mushroom on which her cat had nibbled. The cat had already
been given peroxide to encourage vomiting. If the fungus was
poisonous, she was going to take her beloved cat to a vet and have
her stomach pumped.
MACROLEPIOTA
RACHODES WANTED
Dick Sieger
Dr. Elsa Vellinga, a Dutch mycologist working in
San Francisco, is studying Lepiota species of the west coast. She
would like collections of Macrolepiota
rachodes (Lepiota rachodes). If you find some,
please collect an entire mushroom and contact Dick Sieger. Dick
will take care of preservation and shipping.
Summer is a good time to look for Macrolepiota
rachodes in the urban areas of western Washington, and compost,
gardens, and leaf litter under trees are good places to look for
it. They are large, shaggy mushrooms with brown caps from 4 to 8
inches across and stalks 4 to 8 inches long. They have a thick
double ring that can be slid along the stalk. The base of the stalk
is swollen. Flesh on parts of the mushroom, especially the base of
the stalk, stains red, orange, or saffron when cut, and this
staining may be seen when fresh, young gills are rubbed. The cap
cuticle, or rind, tears as the mushroom grows and forms coarse
brown scales on a white background. The spore print is white.
FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW
Lynne Elwell
Many thanks to all of our peers who helped tend our
PSMS booth at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. I think it was
a success. I hope you all had as good a time as I did. I feel we
introduced PSMS to a lot of new people. Thanks again.
FREE CULTIVATION SUPPLIES
Mike Hess
I have some mushroom growing supplies that I'm not
using, and that I think someone should be. I've donated quite a lot
to the society. I also left quite a lot of equipment in the storage
area, but there's only so much room there. Any or all of this stuff
can be had for free:
2 sleeves of Petri dishes
13 glass Petri dishes
23 test tubes
6 cases of regular quart jars
lids with filter disks for those jars
polypropylene bags
2 humidistats
humidifier
2' x 2' HEPA filter
(with prefilter and blower)
agar
malt extract agar
potassium
non-dolomite lime
inoculation loops/scalpels
Give me a call, and I'll hook you up.
FUNGUS DOES THE DIRTY
WORK Breakthroughs, Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory,
Winter 1999 2000
Despite negative images often associated with
fungus, scientists at Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory have found that it can be an
effective tool for environmental cleanup.
Researchers at Pacific Northwest's Marine Sciences
Laboratory have developed a way to condition fungus to clean up
soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and other toxic or
hazardous waste. The completely natural method, called
mycoremediation or fungal remediation, is expected to be faster and
more cost-effective than other bioremediation techniques.
Although most fungal remediation research has
focused on one species, Pacific Northwest researchers have tested
more than 50 fungal species for various applications. The process
begins by collecting higher fungi from the contaminated area or a
comparable site. Including careful selection, culture and testing,
the several steps that follow result in proprietary fungal strains
that are predisposed to break down and destroy specific
contaminants.
It is the mycelium network of microscopic threads,
or strings of cells that make up the fungus, that does the actual work. Acting as a filter,
the mycelium selectively extracts materials from soil and water and
then breaks down the contaminants using enzymes that it releases
into the substrate.
In a four-month pilot-scale study in 1998,
scientists treated soils at the Washington State Department of
Transportation maintenance yard in Bellingham using
mycoremediation. Three types of soils were collected from the
earthen floor of a vehicle maintenance building, an area
contaminated with diesel and an area contaminated with
gasoline.
After four to five weeks, fruiting was observed,
which means that large mushrooms began to appear at the surface of
the soil. At the same time, the mycelium had penetrated through all
three of the four-foot mounds of soil and the smell of oil had
disappeared. After four months all of the soil was clean enough to
use in landscaping.
A patent is pending on the method used to culture,
select, and condition natural fungus species to be more efficient
at breaking down certain contaminants. Pacific Northwest is
continuing to test further applications of mycoremediation and is
pursuing opportunities to commercialize the process.
CLOSET MYCOPHAGIST?
Mycellium,
Mycological Society of Toronto, Jan.-Mar. 2000
Pierre Elliott Trudeau turned 80 last year and
celebrated 15 years of retirement from politics. The year he
retired, 1984, he bought a house in Montreal that was once the home
of the renowned architect Ernest Cormier, designer of the Supreme
Court of Canada building. One of the unusual features of that house
was secret passageways, which Cormier used to carry on an illicit
love affair.
For mushroom lovers, however, the house boasted an
even more fascinating curiosity. In the dining room you could open
a cupboard and pick fresh mushrooms! The house was built into the
mountain, and the fungi flourished in the fertile soil behind the
wall.
SPRING MYCOLOGICAL FORAY
AND FUNGUS SURVEY Brian Luther
A mycological foray and fungus survey is scheduled
for Lake Wenatchee on May 12 14. Our host for this exciting weekend
is Forest Service Botanist Mick Mueller, who has graciously offered
to invite 20 to 30 interested PSMS members. Again, our base camp
will be Tall Timbers Lodge, an excellent facility located near the
north side of Lake Wenatchee in Chelan County, Washington. This is
a continuation of the Lake Wenatchee survey Mick started a few
years ago and will be held jointly with the Pacific Northwest Key
Council.
Volunteers must be interested in collecting at
various specified locations, taking notes on habitat, etc. All
collections will then be brought back to a make-shift lab, where
specimens will be keyed out and microscopic examination will
confirm the identification of the species. These collections will
be kept, catalogued, and put into a reference herbarium, with
research results being compiled and added to previous studies from
the area.
This is a wonderful opportunity for PSMS members to
contribute to a valuable research project and have a fun time as
well. Last year's fall survey had to be cancelled because of bad
weather conditions, which won't be a problem for the spring foray.
The sleeping quarters are very good, most rooms having two or more
comfortable bunk beds, with indoor bathrooms and showers available.
The food service is outstanding, with delicious hearty meals
served. For our field work days, sack lunches will be supplied.
There will be one or more color slide lectures
Saturday evening (after dinner) and lots of chances to study and
learn from more advanced mycologists. The spring mycoflora is
unique, with many peculiar species that don't fruit any other time
of year.
We need volunteers with all levels of experience,
but will need a core of mycologists for detailed microscopy.
.