Sam's Corner
Third Quarter of 2001
Topics
"German browns" and monomethylhydrazine
Byssonectria and Deer Yards
Where has Trametes elegans been all these years?
Dryads Saddle and Phaeocalicium polyporeum
"German browns" and monomethylhydrazine
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"What in the hell are German browns?", Don asked. German browns = lorchels = false morels = Gyromitra esculenta. But before I get lost in the side roads, let me tell you my story.
The phone rang; the man said, "Would I like to have a bushel of morels.” “YOW!! What are you asking per pound?" "Nothing", he said . "Are you sure they are morels? Give me a quick description, such as what do you see inside if you cut the entity lengthwise?" After a minute of interrogation, I was convinced he had some kind of "non morel". I suggested he bring the gift for inspection.
48 minutes later I was looking at a big bag of German browns = G. esculenta. He was disappointed that his discovery on white pine roots were not the $50/lb. morels. "Was I certain these lorchels would make him sick?", he asked.
My remark: Eating these is a game called Gyromitra roulette. 82.7% of the people who eat these get very sick 6 - 16 hours after eating and about 12.5 % end up a mortician's ward. "Why the difference?", he asked. We are not sure, but it has to do with how well each person breaks down monomethylhydrazine, which is rocket fuel. I told him to call it Gyromitra roulette because there is a wide sensitivity to the fungus. Case in point - 6 people ate a meal of German browns. The Grandmother died in 5 days; the daughter recovered after vomiting; the other 4 people did not get sick! I suggested he read Mushrooms - Poisons and Panaceas by Dr. Benjamin for more fascinating reading.
Byssonectria and Deer Yards
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Marie Murray called about a large cluster of an orange cup fungus resembling Bisporella citrina, growing along a path. Since B. citrina grows only on wood, I "guesstimated" the ascomycete was the rare fungus Sheldon Cushing found in large numbers in a "deer yard", several years ago. Dr. Pfister named it Byssonectria terrestris.
This fungus has two unique features, i.e.,
(1) When it is abundant the fungus is found where deer congregate. The assumption is that it thrives on the urine. There are other ascomycetes that thrive where urine is abundant, i.e., Phaeotrichum. This genus is found only in porcupine dens where dung is abundant but never on discrete droppings under trees.
(2) It begins its life resembling a tiny fuzzy puffball. When it was discovered the finders thought it was an unusual cleistothecial = (completely closed) ascomycete such as Erysiphe - the sexual stage of leaf mildew. We know now that if the original finders returned to the area in 5 days he would have found an orange "peziza" resembling an orange B. citrina.
Sheldon Cushing and I photographed an area which had over 800 ascocarps in all stages of development. Alan Bessette published the slide in his new book, Mushrooms of Northeastern North America. Look it up.
Where has Trametes elegans been all these years?
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I want to tell this story for several reasons:
1. To illustrate how a tropical southeast species has been moving north
2. Why a species is difficult to ID because of the highly variable pore surface and changeable pileus with age
3. Why a species changes its genus over time
The story begins in 1995 when Sue Hopkins sent me specimens from New Jersey. I did not know what these were. They were found in New Jersey several more times. Then a large specimen with circular pores appeared again in August 2000 at NEMF and Tom Volk identified as Trametes elegans.
In September Noble Proctor sent many white specimens from Connecticut growing on Lireodendron. These specimens resembled Ellen Greers' specimen, without the anise odor. These specimens were Trametes suaveolens. Two months later Ed Bosman sent a large specimen resembling a Ganoderma applanatum, with almost black pileus. I was confused so sent the two diverse specimens to Dr. Worrell. He claimed both collections were Trametes elegans. Moreover, he found a specimen in 1999 in upper New York state, the first record for New York.
Summary: If you keyed this species in Overholts 1950 book you'd find it under Daedalea ambigua, but in the 1987 Gilbertson's book you'd find it under Trametes elegans. This is an example of how a tropical to southeast species extends its range, and how a highly variable species begets many confusing names and is finally placed in a "garbage" genus called Trametes until more valid details provide a "foreverness" to Daedalea ambigua = Trametes elegans.
Dryads Saddle and Phaeocalicium polyporeum
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Candiice Burgess wanted to know what the strange fungus was on her dead twin elm. Beautiful, large and fresh Dryad's saddle. The Webster says dryad = dry as from the Greek = oak. Polyporus squamosus = scaly. She asked whether it was edible. I told her yes, when it is young and you are a culinary magician. But I like this prolific poroid for other reasons, i.e., it is a photographers dream for time lapse photography from the early vase shape to the "side saddle" stage and because you can get a remarkable spore print on black paper. It is also a great condo for insects.
While Candice and Sara were admiring the saddle, I scrutinized a large growth of "purple bottom" polypores, Trichaptum biforme, and gave my elation call, "Holy cow! Look at those black needles in semicircles on the caps of the Trichaptum." As I told you many times before, this needle-like fungus is an unusual ascomycete sporting the controversial name Phaeocalicium polyporaeum. For many years it was in the genus Calicium because the gurus thought it was a lichen. But a "smart aleck" learned that it lacked an algal symbiont -so it got moved to its present generic and species status. Phaeo = black; polyporeum = of the polypore. And there is more to the mystery. Up until three years ago, we believed its only host was T. biforme but Ed Bosman found it on T. abietinum which is specific for conifers - especially spruce in Maine.
The wonderment in this drama for me was how did the parasitic host P. polyporeum find its very specific host T. biforme in Candice's back yard!! And what are the odds of finding this fungus "next door" to Dryad's saddle??