Sam's Corner
First Quarter of 2001
Topics
Mycological Jewels at Leo Todd's Foray 9/23
ORONO MYCOLOGICAL JUNKET 10/7
BONANZA AT THE LAST FORAY 10/22
Glued Ramaria Blobs, Orange Midges On Versicolor And Galls On Hydnochaete
OF ACROBATIC PINK MAGGOTS AND MYCOLOGICAL JEWELS ON GROUSE DUNG
Another Remarkable Find:
Mycological Jewels at Leo Todd's Foray 9/23
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Basidiomycetes - Boletes: B. edulis, Leccinum aurantiacum, holopus complex, scabrum complex, Austroboletus gracilis, Suillus placidus, granulatus, Tylopilus chromapes
Other Poroids - Polyporus squamosus, Coltricia perennis, Phaeolus schweinitzii, Fomitopsis pinicola, Tyromyces spp., Gloeophyllum sepiarium, Lenzites betulinus, D. confragosa, Piptoporus betulinus, Trichaptum biformis, Trametes versicolor.
Toothed - Hydnellum spp., Hericium coralloides
Gasteromycetes - Lycoperdon pyriforme, Scleroderma citrinum, lycoperdoides, Geastrum triplex, quadrifidum, fornicatum complex
Corals - Clavaria cristata, cinerea, Ramaria 3 spp.
Odd Balls - Tremellodendron pallidum
Gilled, White Spored - Amanita virosa, citrina, fulva, Lactarius piperatus, lignyotus group, Lactarius gerardii, Armillaria mellea complex, Tricholoma like equestre, Clitocybe clavipes, Laccaria ochropurpurea, Cytotrama chrysopeplum, Panus rudis, Hygrophorus spp., Russula Spp., Panellus stipticus, Gomphus floccosus, Cantharellus cibarius.
Pink Spored - Entoloma abortivum, Clitopilus prunulus
Brown Spored Phaeocollybia Spp., Cortinarius corrugatus, armillatus, iodes, Pholiota squarrosoides, Inocybe spp., Crepidotus spp., Psathyrella Spp..
Purple Spored - Hypholoma sublateritium
Black Spored - Coprinus comatus
Ascomycetes - Xylaria polymorpha, Helvella lacunosa, Chlorociboria aeruginascens
Of Wonderments - the Geastrums (Earth Stars). These are remarkable Madison Avenue puff balls, "wrapped" in three layers. When triplex splits the middle layer becomes the collar for the puff ball. In quadrifidum, fornicatus the outer layer splits and recurves so the puff ball is on a platform with "legs".
Time-lapse of
Piptoporus betulinus - This is an exciting fungus to watch on its favorite host, gray birch. Stage One - bubble gum form - extrudes like a big white globose bubble. Stage Two - under surface gets a depression. Stage Three - Pores begin to appear, pileus turns dark, pore surface shows "spines". Stage Four - Pileus forms inrolled margin around pore surface. Stage Five - Pileus turns brown.
ORONO MYCOLOGICAL JUNKET 10/7
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We journeyed to the University of Maine to join and give moral support to Dr. Seanna Annis and her graduate student.
Despite the prolonged Sahara conditions we reviewed 75 interesting mycological gems. I will list only some of the fascinating species and provide a Gee-I-Didn't-Know-That about each. Let me list some we collected and those brought in: Edibles: (2) gallinaceus polypores - chicken of the woods and hen of the woods; Suillus granulatus, grevillei; Panellus serotinus; Agaricus campestris, arvensis; Armillaria complex, Coprinus comatus; Hydnum umbilicatum
Ascomycetes: Taphrina amentorum; Uncinula necator; Phaeocalicium polyporaeum
Basidiomycetes: Gilled: Collybia cookei; Cystoderma spp.; Catathelasma ventricosa; Pholiota lenta; Tricholomopsis decora; Baeospora myosura; Panellus stipticus; Cystoderma Sp.
Poroids: Phaeolus schweinitzii; Albatrellus caeruleoporus
Others: Hydnum umbilicatum
Leather Fungi: Stereum complicatum, Hymenochaete Spp.
Puffballs: Calvatia maxima; Lycoperdon perlatum
Edibles: Agaricus arvensis - there was much discussion on whether we had this species or a look alike, such as xanthoderma. It had an almond odor, cap stained yellow, prominent annulus - no yellow stain at the base.
Armillaria complex - the two most common species are mellea and ostoyae. Learn why an Armillaria is that genus morphologically and by habitat. I also advise people not to have any "white lightning" with the meal.
Gilled: Collybia cookei, tuberosa and cirrhata are interesting look alikes - cookei and tuberosa produce small sclerotia resembling small beans but cirrhata does not! Sclerotia are "wads" of resistant hyphae that function as "mycological insurance". In the spring it only needs water to germinate and begin to form another fungus. Tricholomopsis decora is a beautiful yellow gilled entity with dark decorations on the pileus. It is always on dead conifer wood. Baeospora myosura has acquired a taste for spruce and pine cones. It resembles a Collybia and has amyloid spores. See Audubon.
Many of you miss the ubiquitous Panellus stipticus that reclaims all stumps the following year. Look at the gills. Then take a taste and chew it for 63 seconds. Then you will know why its trivial name is stipticus.
Those wonderful Ascomycetes - Taphrina amentorum parasitizes the female flower of alder, forming "ribbon" galls that grow out of the fruits. These "ribbons" are red when fresh!!
Uncinula necator is a mildew on the leaves of willow. Eventually this white asexual "fuzz" produces sex organs that develop into black balls called cleistothesia (cleisto = closed). The balls are decorated by diagnostic hyphae. In Uncinula they are button hooked.
Remember Phaeocalicium polyporaeum? It resembles tiny black (=phaeo) needles that only decorate the pileus of Trichaptum biforme. But recently it has been found on T. abietinum, which grows on coniferous wood. Two dollars to the first person who locates it.
And the puffball that ain't - The gray cat Catathelasma ventricosa is a remarkable entity. It is mycorrhizal on the roots of spruce. It forms a hypogeous white ball with a "long stem" root. When this "puffball" emerges the double veil ruptures revealing decurrent gills. It is a good edible but the deer, red squirrels and slugs find it before the ball emerges. I am lucky if I find 10% that are undamaged. Look for it in your spruce forests after September the 17th.
BONANZA AT THE LAST FORAY 10/22
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Thanks to the publicity by the Bonners and the presence of our world traveler and author Larry Millman we had a superlative togetherness. Fifty people came to be informed and take home mycological delights.
There were 75 spp. collected or donated. Let me list the most interesting and delectable and explain what each can do for you.
Basidiomycetes:(Gilled): Coprinus comatus, Hygrophorus fuligineus, flavodiscus, canescens, subviolaceus plus 3 other spp., Panellus serotinus, Phyllotopsis nidulans, Amanita citrina, porphyria, Tricholomopsis decora, Hypholoma sublateritium, Tricholoma equestre, terreum (?), resplendens, portentosum, virgatum (?), Stropharia rugosoannulata, Lepiota rachodes, Flammulina velutipes and Galerina autumnalis
(Poroid): Tyromyces (Oligoporus) caesius, Trichaptum biforme, Fomes fomentarius, pinicola, Lenzites betulinus, Bjerkandera adusta, Oxyporus populinus, Grifola frondosa.
(Hydnums): Hericium coralloides
Jellies: Exidia glandulosa, Dacrymyces Gasteromycetes: (phallic) phallus spp..
Puffballs: Scleroderma citrinum, Lycoperdon marginatum Ascomycetes: Rhytisma acerinum, Bisporella citrinum, Scorias spongiosus Myxomycetes: Lycogala epidendrum
Edibles: Coprinus comatus, Hygrophorus fuligineus, flavodiscus, Panellus serotinus, H. sublateritium, S. rugosoannulata, Lepiota rachodes, F. velutipes, G. frondosa.
What can these do for you?
C. comatus (this was 14" tall) - Coprinus is a genus with black spores that auto digests -"eats" its own flesh - viz. in 4 days it converts to a black liquid - this spp.and others were used for black ink.
Question: Why is a Hygrophorus in that genus?
Panellus serotinus - the green oyster is a beautiful fungus common on maple. P. nidulans - smell it! Take a spore print! Amanita citrina and porphyria are the last appearing species - both have large soft round volvas - porphyria has a gray annulus. T. decora is a beautiful yellow entity with dark fibrils - always on conifer logs. S. rugosoannulata = wine cap - always on wood chips - first record for me in the fall - although Michaeline has found it after the autumnal equinox.
A big Lepiota with big bulb, large annulus - turns yellow orange when cut. Look it up.
F. velutipes = velvet foot - Collybia 'till they changed its name - fascinating fungus growing on dead wood, but common on dying elms - erupts from the bark during February thaws - known as enoki at Shaw's.
G. autumnalis - Everyone should know this very deadly lignicolous fungus with sticky brown cap - gills, stem with prominent ring.
Tyromyces caesius (of the blue) one of the white soft "cheeses" with bluish tint and the only poroid with blue spores - always on coniferous wood. Fomes pinicola = red rim - common on spruce, hemlock but occasionally will switch to birch and poplar - this one was growing at the base of a birch. Oxyporus populinus = red maple wound polypore - old specimens are covered by alga and moss.
The phallus fungus - Phallus impudicus or ravenelii is a Madison Avenue puffball. It starts out as an egg (which is edible when skinned) when it erects from the gelatinous egg the spores are entrained in black ooze that smells to high heaven and attracts flies and beetles from a quarter of a mile.
Ascomycetes: Rhytisma acerinum - this is a fascinating ascomycete called tar spot of maple. Norway maple seems to be the most susceptible to the fungus. It has a beautiful design. Scorias spongiosus is a remarkable fungus - it resembles a sponge. It is always associated with the exudate from aphids on beech or alder. The fungus thrives on sugary excretion from the aphids on the ground or either around the aphids. It eventually embalms the aphids with this charcoal mixture which is the sexual stage of the fungi. The fungi begins its life as a pink or tan sponge like mass which is the asexual stage. I have seen several that are 12 inches. When the aphids are common on beech the branches and trunk may be covered by these charcoal masses. Astounding! Remarkable!
Glued Ramaria Blobs, Orange Midges On Versicolor And Galls On Hydnochaete
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At the Sam Ristich Foray, someone brought a 10" wad of "glued" clavarioid structure that turned black when moistened with ferrous sulfate - a diagnostic test for the genus Ramaria. The "bringer" said the wad was growing on wood chips. At the Georgetown Foray our guest Larry Millman brought a similar blob from Cambridge, MA. Then Dot Spaulding got in the act by finding 18 similar blobs on compost. Larry sent his stuff to Currie Marr and Ron Peterson and got two opinions - viz. Ramaria concolor and brunnea. Questions - Why these blobs on wood chips in 3 states? Will keep you posted on this fascinating enigma.
Gary Marshall brought T. versicolor with orange maggots on the pores. Five years ago Sylvia found similar orange maggots on Tyromyces chioneus. These are gall midge larvae that seem to survive very low temperatures.
Martha Gottlieb gifted me with Hydnochaete that had numerous bumps with holes - another miracle - these are galls incited by a gall midge. This is a remarkable gall since it occurs on a very dry fungus. Maybe there is enough moisture in this leather fungus, when it is young, to provide moisture for the larvae.
Those of you that were at Georgetown with our group should remember the unusual discovery of 3 colonies of young thin white millipedes on the soft cheese fungus Tyromyces chioneus. I presume these arthropods, with more than 10 pair of legs, were feeding on the fungus, since unlike centipedes they are omnivorous. Note that millipedes have two pair of legs per segment; centipedes one pair.
OF ACROBATIC
PINK MAGGOTS AND MYCOLOGICAL
JEWELS ON GROUSE DUNG
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Remember the previous tale of pink maggots on T. versicolor and Tyromyces? I kept the maggot infested sporocarps in a deep plastic cup. I sprinkled the specimens with water. Today there were 40 - 50 on the sides of the container. As I watched the procession they suddenly disappeared - Whamo! Like insect magic. I could not believe my eyes - acrobatic maggots. That is impossible. I took out my large magnifying glass and this is what I saw. The maggots would arch their "backs" then quickly straighten the front end causing the maggot to catapult like a coiled spring!!! Unbelievable acrobatics!! Where in the evolutionary scheme does this coil spring mechanism evolve?
Several years ago, I saw thousands of these pink maggots catapulting from a large decaying hen-of-the woods.
Sylvia sent about 20 special grouse turds that are producing two fungi we have never seen before. One of these resembles a gray slime mold with a white foot. The other looks like a piece of orange tape. Laurie Leonard and I are doing the diagnostic microscopic work hoping for a name of Sylvia's decorated grouse turds in the next issue.
Another Remarkable Find: Velvet foot Collybia in my cellar on an elm log cut for firewood - eighteen in the cluster. Half were covered by another piece of wood and they were squeezed. Caps were white instead of brown. Do the caps need light to turn color??? But the stems were velvety brown. Took four fotos. Hope they come out - d---- Kodak has lost my last 2 rolls.