BULLETIN OF THE PUGET SOUND MYCOLOGICALSOCIETY
Number 346, November 1998
Electronic Edition is published monthly, September through Juneby the
Puget Sound Mycological Society
Center for Urban Horticulture, Box 354115
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
(206) 522-6031
Agnes A. Sieger, Editor
Dick Sieger, HTML Editor
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Tuesday, November 10, at 7:30 PM at the Center for UrbanHorticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle.
Our distinguished speaker this month is the renown truffleexpert Dr. James M. Trappe. His talk is entitled “Truffles,Dogs and Wine: Truffling in Italy, France, and Spain.”
Dr. Trappe has amazed and delighted PSMS audiences in the past,with lectures on the role of fungi in ecosystems, and on hisdiscoveries of the complex interaction between truffles and flyingsquirrels.
Dr. Trappe is professor of Forest Science, Botany-Plant Pathology,at Oregon State University in Corvallis. His specialties arehypogeous fungi, below ground ecosystems, mycorrhizal ecology,evolution, physiology, and fungal/animal interactions.
Truffles have recently become a hot topic, and our meeting comesjust one week after Seattle’s first annual “TruffleFestival” (November 2, at the Four Season’s Hotel). Comeand hear about these fascinating fungi from the leading expert.
Members with last names beginning with the letters A–G arerequested to bring a plate of refreshments for the social hour.
CALENDAR
Nov. 7 Annual Exhibit, CUH, 12:00–8:00 PM
Nov. 8 Annual Exhibit, CUH, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
Nov. 10 Membership meeting, 7:30 PM, CUH
Nov. 14 Brian Luther’s mushroom walk, noon
Nov. 16 Board meeting, 7:30 PM, CUH Board Room
Nov. 20 Spore Prints deadline
Dec. 8 Membership meeting, 7:30 PM, CUH
SEPTEMBER 25-27 FIELD TRIP Irwin Kleinman
After a long spell of no rain, it rained in the target area allday Friday. Saturday was clear and crisp, and a small group ofeager foragers departed for the deep woods. A fair supply of whitechanterelles (Cantharellussubalbidus) was found by some who scoured the damp sectionsof the forest. Others looked in old faithful mushroom beds andfound few if any mushrooms. The Friday rain had not worked itsmagic by Saturday, but by Sunday some new white specimens werefound. The foray was poorly attended. Only 24 members signed in,and 13 stayed for the ample potluck. The weekend weather waswonderful, and the trip would have been worth it if not onemushroom were found.
Identifier Brian Luther reports that only 20 species weredisplayed. Nothing was found in abundance, but a nice collection ofthe “Train Wrecker” (Lentinus lepideus) wasbrought in. Interesting finds included Albatrellusdispansus, A. confluens, and Climacocystisborealis, all of which are polypores.
MUSHROOM WALK, NOVEMBER 14 Brian Luther
I will be leading a Mushroom Nature Walk near Lake Washington onSaturday, November 14, from noon to 2:00 PM or 3:00 PM or so. Meetat noon. Bring your favorite mushroom book, a collecting basket orbucket, a knife, wax paper or foil to wrap specimens in, and alunch or snacks and drinks. Wear warm clothes (bring raingear andrubber boots just in case you need them). Hot coffee andcookies/goodies will be provided.
This is an educational trip intended to expose you to andintroduce the great variety of different kinds of fungi. The sitehas many different habitats, including conifer woods, broadleafwoods, mixed woods, open grassy areas, etc., so we’re bound tofind lots of different mushrooms. After everyone has had a chanceto go collecting, we’ll assemble around some picnic tables andlook at what we found. Directions are in the printed edition of thenewsletter.
Newcomers who signed up at the annual Wild Mushroom Exhibit areespecially welcome.
MUSHROOM ASTROLOGY Bob Lehman, LAMS
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21): You love the sport andadventure of mushroom hunting—any concrete benefits being ofsecondary importance. You think in terms of expeditions, and youwax eloquent about the noble quest for earthly treasure. You loveforays, and you love to share your exuberance and your mushroomtheories with fellow mushroomers. You like taxonomy, but tend togloss over the details of identification in order to focus on thebigger picture of evolutionary relationships. Before eatinganything, you would do well to check your identifications with aGemini or a Virgo.
CLEANING CHANTERELLES
Dan Daniell, president of the Olympic Peninsula MycologicalSociety, has an easy and effective way to clean chanterelles. Hetosses them in a wire colander with 1/8-inch mesh until all thedebris falls through. The chanterelles he showed us had been pickedduring dry weather and they were perfectly cleaned. Wetchanterelles, he says, clean almost as well.
PINE MUSHROOMS IN JAPAN Jean Johnson
Fungifama, S. Vancouver Is. Myco. Soc., October 1998
Abbreviated from “Ecology and Management of the CommerciallyHarvested American Matsutake Mushroom,” by D. Hosford, D.Pilz, R Molina, and M. Amaranthus, Gen. Tech. Rept PNW-GTR412, USDAForest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland,Oregon, 1997, 68 pp.
Pine mushrooms, Tricholomamatsutake, were once widespread and common in mixed pineforests of Japan from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south.After World War II, they became increasingly scarce, in spite ofefforts to enhance their productivity in local forests. By 1981,productivity had declined to one-tenth of the pre-War levels, andimports of Japanese matsutake, especially from South Korea,increased greatly to meet demand.
Since 1905, the matsutake forests of Japan have been plaguedby the pine nematode (Bursaphelenchus lignicolus). The nematode istransmitted to living pines by the Japanese pine sawyer (Monochamusalternatus), a longhorn beetle. Invasion of vascular tissue by thenematode results in wilt and rapid death. Most host pines ofmatsutake, including the Japanese black and red pines (Pinusthurbergii and P. densiflora), are very susceptible to thisdevastating pathogen. Since the introduction of the nematode at thestart of the 20th century on the southern island of Kyushu, it hassteadily spread northeastward. The current blight is the fourth ina series of epidemics since 1905. The third epidemic lasted adecade, peaked in 1979, and caused an estimated loss of 2.4 millioncubic meters of pine wood. The current epidemic began in 1990 andkilled enough trees in one year to build 50,000 houses.
Recent reports indicate that the disease has also spread toforests of Okinawa, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, and China. Acombination of climatic, socioeconomic, and biological factors inJapan tends to increase the magnitude of the blight. Pine mortalityfrom the nematode often increases after prolonged drought and hightemperatures, which weaken the resistance of the pines to theparasite. Although the Japanese have developed many silviculturalstrategies to manage matsutake forests, matsutake production hasdisappeared from the vast stretches of mountain pine forests thatdie each year. Indeed, Japan’s temples and public parks mayeventually become the last refuge for matsutake pine forests, assuggested by a respected Kyoto gardener, Mr. Shiro Nakane (c.1992): “To me, this already seems to be the case. When I was akid, I’d walk on the paths right up there and gather matsutakefrom many, many red pines. Now I sometimes go up to the mountainwith my two boys and my dog, but the forest there has changed. Thetrees I remember are gone. Still, different trees are appearing,and maybe this is nature’s way.”
PHOTOGRAPHING MUSHROOMS BryceKendrick
Fungifama, S. Vancouver Is. Myco. Soc., October1998
Taylor Lockwood usesseveral electronic flash units to take his magical pictures. Healso has an extra ingredient, called artistic talent, that many ofus lack. But many people’s mushroom pictures are much worsethan they need to be. I am not an expert, but I am going to stickmy neck out and pass on a few hints that may help some of you toget better pictures, even if you don’t have multiple flashunits or Van Gogh genes.
(1) Use a camera that can focus down to within a few inches ofan object, if possible. Use close-up lenses if necessary.
(2) Use a camera with a viewfinder that shows exactly what thelens sees (a single-lens reflex is best).
(3) Make sure your camera measures exposure accurately. (You mayneed to run a trial film through the camera to checkthis—don’t neglect to do this, because it may be thebestinvestment you ever made.)
(4) Use a fast film (ASA 400 and 800 films are now widelyavailable).
(5) Use a tripod if at all possible. If not, try to stabilize thecamera by bracing your arms against a tree, or even the ground.(Don’t be afraid to lie down to take pictures ofmushrooms!)(6)Stop down to f/16 or f/22 if possible (or at leastf/11). This will give you good depth of focus.
(7) Get as close to the fungus as possible—make itfill the viewfinder. Most people take pictures far too far fromtheir subject. (This is probably my most important hint!)
(8) Bracket exposures. If it’s something you really want agood picture of, be prepared to take several pictures fromdifferent angles and at different exposures, a stop more and a stopless than the meter indicates (many cameras have a manual overridefeature that lets you do this). Taylor takes many pictures of eachmushroom!
(9) Have your film processed by a reliable company.Don’t go for the cheapest price unless you are convinced theydo a good job.
MUSHROOM MISSIONARIES
Patrice Benson and Dick Sieger taught an all-day beginners’mushroom class in Chimacum for 45 people from the Olympic PeninsulaMycological Society on September 19.
ELSIE NEEDS SHAGGY MANES Joanne Young
Elsie Burkman is asking for help from PSMS. She had someone overto her house to assist her with cleaning, and the person“cleaned out” all Elsie’s jars of Coprinuscomatus ink, which Elsie uses for her paintings. Elsie iscompletely out of ink, including some she had saved from her timein the Yukon.
She asked that anybody who finds shaggy manes save them for her.She’d also like the ones that we display at the show. If youfind some, keep them in a jar in the refrigerator.
CHANTERELLE PUMPKIN SOUP Martin Black
1-1/2 lbs. Chanterelles, chopped
1-1/4 lbs. Pumpkin, seeded, peeled, and chopped or 1 large canunsweetened pumpkin
1 large Leek, chopped (use white part only)
6 oz. Potato, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 Tbs. fresh Thyme, chopped
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup dry Sherry
3–4 cups Chicken Stock
1-1/2 cups Whipping Cream
2 oz. Olive Oil
1/4 cup fresh Chives, snipped
Pinch fresh Nutmeg, grated
Juice of 1 Lemon
In large, heavy bottom saucepan sauté chopped leeks inolive oil. Add mushrooms and sauté until they release theirjuices. Add sherry and reduce. Add potato, pumpkin, and stock.Lower heat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes until pumpkin and potatoare tender. Puree soup in a blender until smooth. Return tosaucepan and simmer. Stir in balsamic vinegar, lemon, nutmeg, andcream. Cook over low heat 5–10 minutes. Serve in warm bowlsgarnished with fresh chives or a hollowed, lightly baked pumpkingarnished with fresh chives. Serves 8–10.
OCTOBER 10 FIELD TRIP Lisa Belafond
Members of the Basic ID class descended on the park eager tosearch for fungi. This was the class field trip where studentscould look at and compare mushrooms. While everyone didn’tbring home Cantharellus sp. or Sparassis crispa, they did learn awhole lot. Many students were successful in using dichotomouskeys—thanks to Brian Luther and Sara Clark. Sara graciouslyexplained characteristics such as pores, spines, and tube layers.Brian wowed everyone, including long-time members, with a talkabout the microscopic features of fungi. He also demonstrated theart of microscopy. Everyone lined up and peered throughBrian’s microscope to see ornamented spores, basidia, and somelovely asci. Many thanks go out to hosts Doug and Theresa Ward andall the students who made this a fun field trip.
Sixty species of fungi were identified and displayed, with anothertable full of specimens that we didn’t have time to get to.Interesting finds included Baeospora myriadophylla, Collybiaperonata, and Astraeus pteridis. There was a noticeable lack ofCortinarius and Russula species.
BASIC ID CLASS Lisa Bellefond
I would like to thank everyone involved in making the Basic IDclass a fun and educational experience. PSMS is fortunate to havededicated teachers like Patrice Benson, Coleman Leuthy, and DickSieger. Sara Clark and Brian Luther deserve thanks for making theTwanoh field trip a success. Also, for all the students, thank youfor attending the classes and displaying an enthusiasm for fungiidentification.
LATIN LESSON: Common Latin Color Names
NATS Current News, North Am. Truffling Soc.ALBUSWhite
ALBIDUS, Whitish
ATER, ATRO, ATRATUS, Black
AUREUS, Golden yellow
BADIUS, Chestnut brown
CAERULEUS, Blue
CANDIDUS, Pure white
CINEREUS, Ash gray
CINNAMOMEUS, Cinnamon
CITRINUS, Lemon colored
FERRUGINEUS, Rust colored
FLAVUS, FLAVIDUS, Pale yellow
FULVUS, Dull yellow with a mixture of gray and brown
FUSCUS, Grayish or blackish brown
LATERITIUS, Brick colored
LILACINUS, Lilac
LUEOLUS, Pale yellow
LUTEUS, Yellow
MURINUS, Mouse colored, gray with a touch of red
NIGER, Black
OCHRACEUS, Ochre; yellow with a touch of brown
PURPUREUS, Purple
ROSEUS, Rose colored
RUBER, Red
SANGUINEUS, Dull dark brownish red
STRAMINEUS, Straw colored
UMBRINUS, Umber, deep brown
VIOLACEUS, Violet
VIREN, VIRIDUS, Green
DON’T TRASH THE MANZANITA
The patch of manzanita shrubs was just a nuisance to the ownersof forest land near Ashland, Oregon. They enlisted the help oflocal ecologists to clear the 3-to-6-foot-high shrubs, which canhelp fuel forest fires.
They were going to trash them until one of the ecologists,Melissa Borsting, learned from a friend in academe that a Japanesepharmaceutical company wanted to buy 3,000 pounds of driedmanzanita leaves, which can be used as a natural sun screen.
Borsting recently told her tale at a congressional hearing wherecritics questioned whether the U.S. Forest Service, focused fordecades on logging trees, realizes the value of herbs, mushrooms,and other products that can be harvested from national forests.
“Like all the most successful marriages, mushrooms andbacon bring out the best in each other.” —Tory peerLord Deedes.