Agnes A. Sieger, Editor
Dick Sieger, HTML Editor
CALENDAR
April 10 Field trip
April 13 Membership meeting, 7:30 PM, CUH
April 17 Field trip
April 19 Board meeting, 7:30 PM, CUH Board Room
April 23 Spore Prints deadline
April 25 Field trip
May 1 Field trip
May 8 Field trip
Membership Meeting
Tuesday, April 13, at 7:30 PM at the Center for Urban Horticulture,3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle
Our speaker for April is Dr. Michael W. Beug. His topic is“Poisonous and Hallucinogenic Mushrooms.” Dr. Beugteaches chemistry and mushroom identification at The EvergreenState College. He is a member of the Pacific Northwest Key Council,and is on the education committee of the North American MycologicalAssociation (NAMA). Also a well-known mushroom photographer, Mikehas written eight slide-tape programs for NAMA, and his photographshave been published in over 20 books.
Dr. Beug first became interested in mushrooms in the late’60s. While doing his doctorate in chemistry at theUniversity of Washington, he took an introductory course from Dr.Stuntz. Afterwards, he studied informally with Dr. Stuntz and Dr.Alexander Smith, whom he described as being generous with theirtime and expertise. Mike is a gifted teacher, taxonomist, andphotographer whose programs are always popular.
Would persons with last names beginning with the letters T–Zplease bring refreshments for the social hour?
FIRST OF APRIL STUDY Dick Sieger
Phase one of the First of April Study (FAST-1) is an attempt tocatalog prime mushroom hunting sites. The committee will collectinformation about your favorite places, test their productivity,and publish the results on the Internet. We are interested in areaswhere abundant quantities of edible mushrooms are found. Tell uswhat kind of mushrooms you find and where they are. Beexplicit—“delicious mushrooms east of themountains” isn’t helpful. Don’t forget to missparticipation in this project.
BOARD NEWS Agnes Sieger
Education Chair Lisa Bellefond has contacted Judy Roger regarding amicroscopy class for this spring. Colin Meyer is working on apassword page, search engine, and other improvements to the PSMSweb site. Feedback on the 1999 Survivors’ Banquet has beenvery positive. Mr. Harry Chalekianhas donated a laptop computer toPSMS. The board voted that Mr. Chalekian be given a honorarymembership in appreciation. Lynne Elwell reports that the booth atthe Flower and Garden Show went well and provided good publicityfor PSMS.
COORDINATOR WANTED Patrice Benson
We still need a coordinator for the 1999 Wild Mushroom Exhibit. Itis a wonderful opportunity to get to know lots about people andmushrooms. There are very willing assistants and lots of adviceavailable from experienced coordinators to assist the willingchairperson for this exhibit. It is the one thing which draws usall together. In my participatory experience for the last 14 years,I have always felt good about contributing to the exhibit. Pleasestep forward to help anchor our main work of the year.
RAVENOUS, WOOD-EATING FUNGUS Judy Richter
The Spore Print, Los Angeles Myco. Soc., March 1999
February 14, 1999. As if termites and dry rot weren’tenough for homeowners to worry about, a new threat has begunshowing up in Northern California.
It’s Poria incrassala, recently renamed Meruliporiaincrassala, a decay fungus that can literally reduce your home torotted wood.
It’s different from all other types of fungi, said W.Wayne Wilcox, professor of forestry at the UC-Forest ProductsLaboratory in Richmond. Other fungi must have a direct water sourceor they go dormant. Poria, however, literally pumps in its ownwater through rhizomorphs, which are tough filaments that connectthe wood in a house with a water source, such as an over-wateredlawn or leaky faucet, somewhere else.
Even if the wood is dry, this source provides enough water tosupport decay, according to a report by the U.S. Department ofAgriculture Forest Service and Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment. Redwood, which normally is decay resistant, is subjectto damage.
Poria rhizomorphs have a soil-colored rind similar to a root,but the interior has a white, wet texture that looks and smellslike a mushroom. They’re usually one-fourth to one-half inchwide but may reach 2 inches, the federal report said.
The rhizomorphs can make their way over the foundation or throughcracks in mortar right into the substructure of a house, says DavidRoe, owner of Leading Edge Termite Treatment in Pleasant Hill.Moreover, he added, the filaments can be 30 to 40 feet long.
Poria was first isolated from the roots of redwood trees in the1920s. It was a major problem in the Gulf States in the 1940s and’50s and began posing a problem in Southern California abouttwo or three years ago, Wilcox said.
“It’s a frightening problem in Southern California,because we done know why we’re seeing more of it,” hesaid. “Left unattended, it’s very dangerous. It canbring down a whole house.” Wilcox said he saw one instance inSouthern California where Poria went from one house to another andclimbed up the stucco. He discovered that the two houses sharedlandscaping and that the owners had brought in soil. He speculatedthat the soil was from a forest that had Poria.
In Northern California, Wilcox has seen Poria in Oakland, Fremont,Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, Belvedere, Pleasant Hill, Atherton,Davis, Roseburg, and Philo.
No one has come up with any easy way to get rid of Poria exceptto cut the rhizomorphs and remove the wood it infests. Poria willdie if it’s cut off from its water source, but “youhave to get all of its rhizomorphs. You can repair the leaks andthe damage, but if you don’t cut the roots, it will come backfast,” Wilcox said.
The ways to prevent a Poria infestation are similar to those thatguard against subterranean termites. “Poria seems to beattracted to already moist conditions. Its anathema is air,”Wilcox said.
Fungicides applied by pest control operators are somewhat helpful,said Steve Quarles, a research assistant at the Forest ProductsLaboratory, as is getting rid of the exterior water source.
©1999 San Francisco Examiner
1998 TOXICOLOGY REPORT Jan Lindgren
MushRumors, Oregon Myco. Soc., March–April 1999
There appears to be a direct correlation between a poor fallmushroom season and the number of mushroom poisoning casesreported. Committee members worked on seven mushroom-related casesthis past year, but several of them may not have even been causedby mushrooms. One death occurred after a dog ate Amanita pantherinamushrooms and was mistakenly treated for strychnine poisoning. Anautopsy showed lots of mushroom pieces in the dog’s stomach,and the owner found even more uneaten mushrooms at the site wherethe dog had been. Another dog recovered after vomiting a meal ofRussulas.
Two cases involved a mother and son who had consumed purchasedPsilocybe sp. along with marijuana. The mother suffered cardiacarrest and may also have had anaphylactic shock and other problems.She responded to extensive medical treatment. The son was just heldfor observation.
In Joseph, Oregon, a man and his wife got sick about 3 hoursafter eating sautéed morels for lunch. The wife suffered nosymptoms, so did the man just eat too many, were they undercooked,or does he have an individual susceptibility to morels? We probablywill never know unless he eats them again, in a controlledsituation.
The other two cases also involved species that are usuallyconsidered safe for most people to eat. In one case a woman saidshe ate about a pound of yellow chanterelles for dinner and hadthree beers and a couple of vodkas. Her husband, who atechanterelles with her, didn’t get sick. So, was it themushrooms or the drinks that made her ill? Connie Thorne identifiedthe mushrooms, so it wasn’t a problem of incorrectidentification.
The final case involved a man who ate just part of a large whitechanterelle. I saw part of it that he didn’t eat and his wifealso ate part of it, so it is hard to believe he could have eatenenough to make him sick. White chanterelles can be large, but thisone must have been huge. The wife had no symptoms, while the victimsuffered chills, weakness, and vomiting. I suspect there wasanother cause for his illness, but the mushroom took the blame.
It is because of these strange cases that we advise people toalways be sure of the correct identification, eat only a moderateamount of fully cooked mushrooms, and don’t overdo on thealcohol. Be sure the mushrooms are fresh, not wormy, rotting, ormoldy. Even following these rules, it is still possible to suffersome stomach upset from mushrooms, so save at least one goodspecimen, in the refrigerator, for at least 24 hours, so we willhave something to analyze if you get sick.
VERPA BISQUE Spores & Stipes, March 1999
North Idaho Mycological Association
4–8 oz. Verpa bohemica 2 egg yolks
1/3 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup light cream (half &half)
1 TBs butter or margarine 1 TBs chopped parsley
2 to 3 cups chicken broth Generous dash Tabasco
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce or cayenne
1 tsp. chopped fresh dill Fresh lemon (for garnish)
(or 1/4 tsp dried dill leaves) Salt to taste
Drain mushrooms, if reconstituted or if parboiled. Reserve soakingliquid, unless you are sensitive to it. In a 3 quart saucepan,sauté onion in butter for 2 minutes or until softened.Measure reserved mushroom liquid, if any, add chicken broth or useall chicken broth for total of 3 cups liquid. Add to pan withmushrooms, Worcestershire, dill, and Tabasco or cayenne. Bringbarely to boil and reduce to simmer. Stir egg yolks and creamtogether and stir into soup. Cook and stir until mixture thickensslightly; DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL! Stir in parsley. Garnish with athin lemon slice. Makes 3 to 4 appetizer or first courseservings.
Note: Some individuals do not tolerate Verpa mushrooms well,just as some do not tolerate morels. Boiling the Verpa briefly inwater, which is then discarded, may resolve the problem.
GATHERING DATA? TRY A PALMPILOT!
MushRumors, Oregon Myco. Soc., March–April 1999
One of our Idaho members is ready for the year 2000. He’llgather his fungal data by using a pocket-sized“PalmPilot” computer and a Global Positioning System(GPS) receiver!
We’ve dreamed about such a tactic for years. Now computer wizWarren Rakow will be field testing it. A former professionaldatabase designer and developer, Warren moved to Idaho to live areal life, and is working with Dr. Cathy Cripps, of Montana StateUniversity, to design software elements to capture information forwhat he’s calling “A Shroomer’s Log”application. It sounds like a wonderful dream for those who hatethe combination of pencils, paper, and rain. If you have ideas toshare, he’s at rekow@mci.net
COLORFUL NAMES—WHITE Richard Aaron
Mycelium, Mycological Society of Toronto, Jan.–March1999
Strictly speaking, white is not a color, but rather every part ofthe visible spectrum rolled into one. However, beingmyco-etymologists and not physicists, we won’t let such aminor technicality stand in our way.
White has long had a symbolic association with purity, and thishas not been lost on the mycologists who give mushrooms theirnames. Tyromyces chioneus, the White Cheese Polypore, is aprime example. Its species name comes from the Greek chion,meaning “snow,” alluding to its untaintedwhiteness. In Leucopaxillus albissimus, we encounter theLatin albus (white), plus the suffix issimus (thesuperlative). Combining this with leuco, the Latinized formof leukos, the Greek word for white, we have “the whitestwhite Paxillus,” a real mycological mouthful. Theopposite side of purity can be seen in the Spotted Collybia,Collybia maculata, whose species name means “spotted,”stained,” or “marked.” From the Latin rootmacula we get the word “immaculate,” one of whosemeanings is “spotlessly clean.” In severalinstances, mushrooms namers have carried the purity theme a bit toofar. Consider Dasyscyphus virgineus, also known as theStalked Hairy Fairy Cup. Its specific epithet, virgineus,means “pure white.” Not so, says the Audubonguide, which describes this cup fungus as cream-colored. Thenthere is the Common Gel Bird’s Nest, Nidula candida, whosespecies name comes from candidus, meaning “shiningwhite.” The Audubon guide, however, describes the cupand its “eggs” as ranging from gray to lightbrown. It’s hard enough learning the mushrooms withoutalso having to contend with inappropriate nomenclature.
The Latin candidus is the source of the words“candid” and “candidate.” Thelatter’s pedigree harks back to ancient Rome, when thoseseeking public office wore white togas to symbolize to voters theirhonorable intentions. The Romans used the word candidate tosignify “a man clothed in white,” but later this wordtook on the added meaning of “office seeker.” Bythe time it entered the English language in the early 17th century,only this latter meaning survived. Imagine if today’spoliticians upheld the noble origins of this word.
GOLDEN MUSHROOM AWARD
Congratulations to Sara Clark, winner of the 1999 PSMS GoldenMushroom Award for outstanding service. A member of PSMS since1979, Sara is one of the club’s primary mushroom identifiersand participates in almost all the PSMS fields trips. The award waspresented to Sara at the 1999 Survivors’ Banquet in March.Well done, Sara.