Photo credit: Davis Upchurch, UNC Undergrad and Herbarium Volunteer Figure 5. Mycena crocea Maas Geesteranus fruiting on a tree nut. In addition to its ecology, the amyloidity of its spores is a key feature in identification of M. If one finds this little guy, one can be certain to be in the presence of mature nut bearing trees (walnut, hickory). In image to the right, spore treated with iodine in the form of Melzers Regent have turned bluish-black.Ĭoker, famous UNC Botanist for whom Coker Hall is named, described this Amanita over 100 years ago in 1917.Ī current Herbarium project is inventorying the fungi of the North Carolina Botanical Garden which leads us to a neat mushroom that fruited in abundance this fall along the Meeting of the Waters Creek in the North Carolina Botanical Garden Meet Mycena crocea (Figure 4), a cute little agaric that shows what good plant taxonomists fungi are. Curiously, the flesh of this mushroom smells like raw potato, a second biochemical ‘connection’ to potatoes. Its lavender shades only develop when night temperatures are near freezing. This species is an ectomycorrhizal partner with pines. Fruiting locally in abundance this past October was Amanita lavendula, a Coker species, which is a member of the camp with amyloid spores (Figures 2 and 3). For example, the Amanita mushrooms fall into two camps: some have amyloid spores and some do not. In identifying mushrooms, having a black and white trait like amyloidity is a relief compared to traits that are grey and difficult to interpret. Sometimes only the ornamentation of the mushroom spores will show this amyloid reaction this is true for the milk mushrooms ( Lactarius) (Figure 1.) Figure 2. Maitake mushrooms, commonly known in North America as hen-of-the-woods is a delicious mushroom that. The term for this reaction is amyloidity. Shiitake mushrooms, lentinula edodes, is probably the most popular cultivated mushroom around the wo. One of the fun tricks is treating white mushroom spores with iodine in the form of Melzers Reagent to see if they turn bluish-black (much as iodine will turn the inside of potatoes bluish-black). Mushroom identification relies on many tricks of the trade. Amyloid ornamentation of Lactarius basidiospores. In this presentation, I discussed various aspects of wild mushroom hunting, including identification, taking a spore print, poisonous species, medicinal mushrooms, and more.By Van Cotter, UNC Herbarium Associate Figure 1. The event was hosted by 3MJC - an organization that stewards three natural areas in Western Pennsylvania, including McConnells Mill State Park, Moraine State Park, and the Jennings Prairie. Recently, I was invited to speak at Jennings Environmental Education Center in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania on the topic of wild mushrooms. Humans certainly do understand some facets (okay, many facets) that comprise the fungal kingdom, and every year, new discoveries are being made. Now, I know this doesn’t sound reassuring… especially if there’s a budding mycophile within you… though good news awaits. Mastering this kingdom is tantamount to understanding the origin of life. Boredom rarely inflicts the valiant forager who’s open to exploring a world of sticks, logs, trees, leaf litter, soil, leftover pizza, and dingy basements… for these substrates give rise to peculiar organisms that humans like to dub “fungi.”Īh fungi… the great recyclers, decomposers, symbionts, and parasites of planet Earth. Regardless, knowing that we’ll never know everything is a good thing… especially when it comes to mushrooms. (Okay, well technically the latter is not considered a fungus at all, but you get the point.) The spores will have fallen from the cap and you should see a print on the paper, which replicates the gill pattern from the mushroom. You see, there’s quite literally no chance that an individual could ever learn every subtlety that makes an Amanita an Amanita a Russula a Russula a polypore a polypore a stinkhorn a stinkhorn a slime mold a slime mold, etc. The fungal kingdom is complex, and mastering all the details can lead to a drab existence.
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