BULLETIN OF THE PUGET SOUND MYCOLOGICALSOCIETY
Number 360, March 2000
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
This month is the Annual Meeting and Survivors'Banquet, held Saturday, March 18, in Brier Hall at EdmondsCommunity College.
Doors open at 6:30 PM, anddinner will be served at 7:30. Choice of free-range veal orvegetarian. Great food, great service, a great occasion. All thisfor only $25 ea. To attend, contact Bernice . BonApétit!
CALENDAR
March 18 Survivors' Banquet & AnnualMeeting,
Edmonds Community College
March 25 field trip
April 2 field trip
COLLECTING TIPS DickSieger
People collect mushrooms for two main reasons, toeat or to study and the best way to collect for one is not the bestway to collect for the other.
Collecting for Identification or Study
If you don't know what it is, don't collect all youcan find in the hope that it might turn out to be edible. Collectonly a few specimens, including both young and mature mushrooms ifpossible, and handle them carefully. Ascomycetes (morels, cupfungi, etc.), which are plentiful in the spring, are frequentlyslow to mature, so for those try to include some over-the-hillsamples.
Identifiers need to see whole fruiting bodies ingood condition. How do you do that? First, be nice to your prizes.Keep species separate. Handle them gently so you don't destroyfragile features like scales and rings. Don't cut the stalk!Discard most of the debris but leave roots, cups, and a few scrapsof whatever the mushroom was attached to. Instead of grabbing thestem, spread your finger and thumb and hold the mushroom at thebottom of the stalk and on top of the cap. Put it into a waxedpaper 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 asample leaf, cone, or branch from nearby plants. Slide in a notewith your name, phone number, collection date, and county where thecollection was made. That will help the identifier gatherinformation about unusual finds.
Finally, don't expect names for everything. Somemushrooms 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 theirprime to distribute spores for next year's crop. Some people pullup the whole mushroom; others cut it off at the stem. The limitedstudies to date indicate that neither method is better for themycelium. In either case, cut off the stem cleanly and brush off asmuch soil and debris as possible. Store like species in a rigidcontainer where they won't get crushed or pick up more dirt. Try tokeep the mushrooms cool and dry, and process them as soon aspossible.
FIELD TRIP TIPS AgnesSieger
For those who joined PSMS at the Annual Exhibit inOctober, I thought it might be nice to review some basicmushrooming tips regarding the upcoming Spring field trips.
Apparel: The Pacific Northwest is wet. Wearwarm clothing, preferably in layers, and waterproof shoes or bootsand bring your rain gear. Pacific Northwest vegetation is usuallythick, and the sky is frequently overcast. Bring a compass andwhistle and a map of the area and remember to use them.
Mushrooming gear: You will need awide-bottomed container for your mushrooms. This can be a basket orbucket. Do not use plastic sacks; they tend to condense moistureand turn mushrooms into slime. You will need a sturdy knifesuitable for cutting and prying and perhaps a soft brush to cleanup the edibles; some people even bring a small garden trowel fordigging. To protect individual specimens for identification, takesome wax paper sandwich bags or aluminum foil.
Collecting: If you know you have a goodedible, cut off the steam cleanly and brush off as much soil anddebris as possible. Store like species in a rigid container wherethey won't get crushed or pick up more dirt. Try to keep themushrooms cool and dry, and process them as soon as possible.
Field trip format: Most PSMS field trips areplanned for Saturdays, since this is the most convenient time formany people. It is possible to come early on Friday and stay overto Sunday. The campgrounds, unless otherwise specified, havecamping facilities. Almost all field trips have hosts, who set upby 9:00 AM on Saturday with hot coffee and snacks. The hosts greetand sign in members, relay general tips on what is up and where tofind it, and introduce newcomers to more experienced members. Theyalso have a map of the area. After signing in, participants gathertheir gear and head for their favorite hunting grounds. In theafternoon, 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 (orsometimes later when days are longer). You need to bring your owneating utensils and beverage and a dish to contribute to the table.This can be an appetizer, salad, main dish, or dessert. The food isusually delicious, and it is a great time to swap tales, collectrecipes, and share mushroom information with friends old andnew.
BOARD NEWS AgnesSieger
Treasurer Lynn Phillips reports that because of achange in state law, we no longer have to pay sales tax onpurchases made for resale. There are still a few bills outstandingfrom the exhibit.
Corey sent out 200 reminder cards to members whohad not renewed, which resulted in 25 renewals as of mid-February.Mike Lovelady has agreed to be Field Trip Chair. We still needsomeone to coordinate the field trip hosts.
Chef Walter Bronowitz of Edmonds Community Collegecan provide free-range veal for the Survivors' Banquet. Doug Wardwill be the MC, Ben Woo will speak, and Joanne Young will collectthe mushrooms and door prizes. Decorations will be handled by RussKurtz, Lynn Phillips, and Lynne Elwell. Fran Ikeda will be thehostess. Steven Bell will provide guides to the right building anda printed program.
Doug has not heard back from Jean Chin on how thenew rosters are coming. He would like to distribute them at thebanquet. The Lake Wenatchee Project is May 12 14. We have twovolunteers for PSMS Librarian. Brandon Matheny pointed out thatpeople buying items for the club may be able to get a tax discountif they use our nonprofit ID number.
THE EARLY MOREL AgnesSieger
The first field trips this Spring are dedicated toVerpa (Ptychoverpa) bohemica, the first edible mushrooms tolure the mycophagist after the winter doldrums. Often called theearly morel because of its timing and superficial resemblance tothe true morels, Verpa bohemica fruits from late Februarythrough April, depending on the season. In the Pacific Northwest,it is associated with cottonwoods, often fruiting right around thedrip line of mature trees when the cottonwood leaves are the sizeof a mouse's ear. Once you learn to recognize the cottonwood, atall, dark, poplar-like tree with wrinkled bark that grows in dampriver bottoms throughout western Washington, you can spot yourhunting ground from afar. Finding your quarry amid the debris ofthe 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 isattached only at the top, forming a skirt over the stem. The stemis long, at first whitish to cream in color and becoming tan withage, 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 casespart way up); their stems, while hollow, are empty.
Unlike other verpas, and most large ascomycetes,Verpa bohemica has only two spores per ascus instead ofeight. For that reason, modern taxonomists have split it into itsown 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, thismushroom causes gastrointestinal upsets and loss of muscularcoordination in some people and should be approached with caution.Many field guides recommend parboiling it and throwing away thewater and eating only small amounts at a time. The effects may becumulative, so don't pig out on it several days in a row, even ifit is the only edible mushroom out at the time.
MUSHROOM IDENTIFIERSNEEDED
Hildegard Hendrickson
I am the clearinghouse for mushroom identificationfor PSMS. When a caller needs to have a mushroom identified, I tryto get him/her in touch with a member who lives close. Currently,we have very few identifiers in the Bellevue and east area, as wellas Renton/Auburn and south. I would appreciate a call, if you feelyou could help out.
One person wanted to know if there was a fee for having themushrooms identified. Even though I told her no, she never calledback
Another lady, called at 11:30 PM and wanted me to come to Burien to identify a largebrown mushroom on which her cat had nibbled. The cat had alreadybeen given peroxide to encourage vomiting. If the fungus waspoisonous, she was going to take her beloved cat to a vet and haveher stomach pumped.
MACROLEPIOTARACHODES WANTED
Dick Sieger
Dr. Elsa Vellinga, a Dutch mycologist working inSan Francisco, is studying Lepiota species of the west coast. Shewould like collections of Macrolepiotarachodes (Lepiota rachodes). If you find some,please collect an entire mushroom and contact Dick Sieger. Dickwill take care of preservation and shipping.
Summer is a good time to look for Macrolepiotarachodes in the urban areas of western Washington, and compost,gardens, and leaf litter under trees are good places to look forit. They are large, shaggy mushrooms with brown caps from 4 to 8inches across and stalks 4 to 8 inches long. They have a thickdouble ring that can be slid along the stalk. The base of the stalkis swollen. Flesh on parts of the mushroom, especially the base ofthe stalk, stains red, orange, or saffron when cut, and thisstaining may be seen when fresh, young gills are rubbed. The capcuticle, or rind, tears as the mushroom grows and forms coarsebrown scales on a white background. The spore print is white.
FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOWLynne Elwell
Many thanks to all of our peers who helped tend ourPSMS booth at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. I think it wasa success. I hope you all had as good a time as I did. I feel weintroduced PSMS to a lot of new people. Thanks again.
FREE CULTIVATION SUPPLIESMike Hess
I have some mushroom growing supplies that I'm notusing, and that I think someone should be. I've donated quite a lotto the society. I also left quite a lot of equipment in the storagearea, but there's only so much room there. Any or all of this stuffcan 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 DIRTYWORK Breakthroughs, Pacific Northwest NationalLaboratory,
Winter 1999 2000
Despite negative images often associated withfungus, scientists at PacificNorthwest National Laboratory have found that it can be aneffective tool for environmental cleanup.
Researchers at Pacific Northwest's Marine SciencesLaboratory have developed a way to condition fungus to clean upsoil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and other toxic orhazardous waste. The completely natural method, calledmycoremediation or fungal remediation, is expected to be faster andmore cost-effective than other bioremediation techniques.
Although most fungal remediation research hasfocused on one species, Pacific Northwest researchers have testedmore than 50 fungal species for various applications. The processbegins by collecting higher fungi from the contaminated area or acomparable site. Including careful selection, culture and testing,the several steps that follow result in proprietary fungal strainsthat are predisposed to break down and destroy specificcontaminants.
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 andthen breaks down the contaminants using enzymes that it releasesinto the substrate.
In a four-month pilot-scale study in 1998,scientists treated soils at the Washington State Department ofTransportation maintenance yard in Bellingham usingmycoremediation. Three types of soils were collected from theearthen floor of a vehicle maintenance building, an areacontaminated with diesel and an area contaminated withgasoline.
After four to five weeks, fruiting was observed,which means that large mushrooms began to appear at the surface ofthe soil. At the same time, the mycelium had penetrated through allthree of the four-foot mounds of soil and the smell of oil haddisappeared. After four months all of the soil was clean enough touse in landscaping.
A patent is pending on the method used to culture,select, and condition natural fungus species to be more efficientat breaking down certain contaminants. Pacific Northwest iscontinuing to test further applications of mycoremediation and ispursuing opportunities to commercialize the process.
CLOSET MYCOPHAGIST?Mycellium,
Mycological Society of Toronto, Jan.-Mar. 2000
Pierre Elliott Trudeau turned 80 last year andcelebrated 15 years of retirement from politics. The year heretired, 1984, he bought a house in Montreal that was once the homeof the renowned architect Ernest Cormier, designer of the SupremeCourt of Canada building. One of the unusual features of that housewas secret passageways, which Cormier used to carry on an illicitlove affair.
For mushroom lovers, however, the house boasted aneven more fascinating curiosity. In the dining room you could opena cupboard and pick fresh mushrooms! The house was built into themountain, and the fungi flourished in the fertile soil behind thewall.
SPRING MYCOLOGICAL FORAYAND FUNGUS SURVEY Brian Luther
A mycological foray and fungus survey is scheduledfor Lake Wenatchee on May 12 14. Our host for this exciting weekendis Forest Service Botanist Mick Mueller, who has graciously offeredto invite 20 to 30 interested PSMS members. Again, our base campwill be Tall Timbers Lodge, an excellent facility located near thenorth side of Lake Wenatchee in Chelan County, Washington. This isa continuation of the Lake Wenatchee survey Mick started a fewyears ago and will be held jointly with the Pacific Northwest KeyCouncil.
Volunteers must be interested in collecting atvarious specified locations, taking notes on habitat, etc. Allcollections will then be brought back to a make-shift lab, wherespecimens will be keyed out and microscopic examination willconfirm the identification of the species. These collections willbe kept, catalogued, and put into a reference herbarium, withresearch results being compiled and added to previous studies fromthe area.
This is a wonderful opportunity for PSMS members tocontribute to a valuable research project and have a fun time aswell. Last year's fall survey had to be cancelled because of badweather conditions, which won't be a problem for the spring foray.The sleeping quarters are very good, most rooms having two or morecomfortable bunk beds, with indoor bathrooms and showers available.The food service is outstanding, with delicious hearty mealsserved. For our field work days, sack lunches will be supplied.
There will be one or more color slide lecturesSaturday evening (after dinner) and lots of chances to study andlearn from more advanced mycologists. The spring mycoflora isunique, with many peculiar species that don't fruit any other timeof year.
We need volunteers with all levels of experience,but will need a core of mycologists for detailed microscopy.
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