cap /

pileus

stem /

stipe

volva

An Inventory of Fungi at

Boulder Lake Environmental Center

This brochure illustrates a number of the more common and interesting fungi to help visitors to Boulder Lake Environmental Center better understand and enjoy this great natural area. It is also an introduction to mushrooms with links to more information.

What is a mushroom?

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi (singular: fungus). The umbrella shape we think of is one of many shapes that best spread the microscopic spores of that fungus so that new fungi of that type can grow elsewhere. The mushroom grows out of the much larger mycelium (plural: mycelia), tiny threadlike filaments called hyphae (singular: hypha) that grow in the substrate or growing medium which that fungus can digest. Some grow in the ground, some inside wood, some even grow on other mushrooms! There are lots of different types of fungi with lots of different shapes, some of which never make mushrooms. The mushrooms in this brochure are only the ones that were identified during 2013. There are thousands more, many that have not yet been scientifically identified.

What’s in a Name?

Although some mushrooms have common names, most are called by their scientific name including a genus (plural: genera) and a specific epithet, the species; sometimes the name includes the mycologist (the fungus scientist) who did the accepted description of that fungus, and maybe the date it was described. For example, the common white mushroom you buy at a grocery store is Agaricus bisporatus Contu (1993). Names change! Especially now that we can do DNA studies mycologists are finding out that some fungi that they placed in a genus because they looked similar are quite different, and there are sites on the internet like indexfungorum.org dedicated to keeping track of the synonyms and history of name changes.

How to Describe a Mushroom You Find?

If you would like to find the name of a mushroom, in addition to a picture it is important for an identifier to know where it was, what time of year, and what trees or plants it was near. You can make a spore print by putting the cap on a piece of white paper and covering it loosely for a few hours to overnight; the color of the print is often an important characteristic in identification. While you are doing that, write down the shape, color and texture of the cap, gills, and stem, and whether the base has a sac or volva, so it is important to dig a little bit down when collecting the sample. If you get really into this, many fungi are identified by the microscopic characteristics of the spores and the cells around them or the structure of the hyphae in the cap or stem, or the reaction to particular chemicals. Some of the technical terms may seem like jargon but are very helpful in description and tip sheets should be available where you got this brochure. A very good source for more about mushroom identification is mushroomexpert.com This has pages on how to do a spore print and other ways to identify fungi as well as lots and lots of information on particular fungi and groups. There are also keys you can use to identify your mushroom by choosing branches of the key by the characteristics you record until you get to your specific fungus…..or not. Sometimes identification is easy, and sometimes…..well…..it is not possible to identify the mushroom with the information and experience you have; so it is time to ask others. Of course the best way is to go on a foray (think foraging) with people who know their mushrooms; we’ll talk more on that later. An internet source for the amateur mycological community is MushroomObserver.org There is even a project there called Boulder Lake Inventory with all the fungi identified so far. You can also create an observation: a picture and description of your mushroom for identification help! You will need to create an account but this is easy and free. Other knowledgeable members are checking new observations and usually offer identifications and/or comments.

Can I eat it?

Like a lot of things, you might want to get to know it better before getting too personal. There are many ‘look-alikes’, especially if all you have is a picture. Edibles listed in this brochure should be verified by an experienced mushroomer. While there is a lot of information in books and online, there is no substitute for field experience.

Who can I talk to? Depends on where you live or are willing to travel. Near the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Mycological Society (http://www.minnesotamushrooms.org/) has nearly monthly meetings on the St Paul Campus of the UM and has forays for members mostly at state parks in the region. In central to northwestern Minnesota the Paul Bunyan Club (http://paulbunyanmushroomclub.areavoices.com/) has forays and informative meetings. Check their blog. And if you are near Boulder Lake Environmental Center please let this be an invitation to join us most Sunday mornings for Boulder Lake Walks. Check the calendar for the place to meet.

You Can Learn Some Things from Books Local naturalist Larry Weber wrote the ‘right-sized’ Fascinating Fungi of the North Woods together with Cora Mollen. It is a great book to start. Mushrooms of Northeastern North America by Bessette and Fisher is extensive and authoritative with good keys and photographs. The Kingdom of Fungi by Jens Petersen is a lovely, informative, and affordable recent publication worth having. Also on the internet, Wikipedia has the entry Mushroom with enough information to keep anyone busy for awhile.

Gilled Mushrooms

Gilled mushrooms are what most people think of as mushrooms and there are

a lot of them. Microscopic spore making cells called basidia line the sides of the

blades of the gills. Some genera have very close gills, others are widely spaced,

and most are in between. Some gills are free, that is they attach to the cap but

not the stipe/stem. Others are adnate attaching square with the stipe or with a

notch, while decurrent gills run down the stipe. Pick up a chart of all these and

more where you found this brochure.

Amanita ‘vaginata’ group

Sometimes the characteristics of a group of species blend together so much

that they are considered a species complex. Actually, Amanita vaginata is a

European species that may not be here, but several in North America close

enough to be part of a complex; this particular example may not be described

yet.

Amanitas have white spore prints, free gills and are mycorrhizal with numerous

tree species. Amanitas have a universal veil, a spherical layer of tissue

surrounding the ‘egg’ and often leaves pieces of that tissue on the cap and/or a

volva that is some of the tissue around the base of the stipe. The volva can be

saclike, shaped like a shell or other forms. Most Amanitas other than this

group also have a ‘ring’ around the stem where some of the tissue of the

cap—a partial veil--is left when the cap opens up; but not the vaginata group.

Many Amanitas are deadly poisonous and are the most frequent mushroom

poisoning in the USA.

Ecological Lifestyles Many fungi interact with plants. Saprobic fungi break down plant material;

together with bacteria, they are the clean-up crew. Some fungi are parasitic

and can hinder or kill plants. Still other fungi are mycorrhizal and share

nutrients with plants in a number of ways. Some plants like orchids require

fungi to grow and some fungi like chanterelles require specific trees or plants

to grow. Its complex and we are just beginning to understand this.

The most commonly thought of Amanita is

the fly agaric, Amanita muscaria. The

Formosa type is common locally and has a

yellow cap with white ‘warts and a ring; it is

beautiful but poisonous. On the coasts, the

top is red with white spots….the classical

‘mushroom’.

Lactarius cf. determinus (deliciosus group)

Lactarius, another white-spored genus, are called ‘milk caps’ in that when the

gills are cut they often exude a creamy latex that looks milky, and the color is a

significant characteristic. In the deliciosus group, the latex or bruising the gills

turns green….sometimes, and there is usually some concentric orangish

banding on the cap. They can get fairly large but are usually 5 to 10 cm. They

are mycorrhizal with various plants. Most in this group are edible but not

deliscious; perhaps the European species is better. Some might be confused

with Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca on the next page which is not edible.

Russula cf. pulchra

Another large, white spored genus, Russulas are very common and widely

distributed. The defining field characteristic is that the stipe breaks like

chalk….but with no more blackboards, who knows what chalk is like….ha.

These are the ubiquitous, colorful mushrooms of early August and some

mushroomers disdain them as bland. A few are peppery, but many are edible if

bland. Identifying Russulas to genus is easy but to species is quite difficult.

They are mycorrhizal with many trees and plants and Indian Pipe (Monotropa)

is probably parasitic on their mycelium, getting nutrients indirectly from trees.

Russula brevipes

A very short stemmed, white, and large Russula, it often is seen as a concavity

erupting through the forest duff. Edible but very bland, it is sometime

parasitized by another fungi, Hypomyces, and becomes an orange and

deformed mushroom that is called a lobster because of the color. It also

becomes delicious! But get it before it starts decomposing and gets smelly.

Look for this one from July to October.

Pleurotus dryinus

The genus Pleurotus are called ‘oysters’ because of their white, soft flesh. They

are saprobic, grow on dying trees, give copious white spore prints, and some

have an anise-like odor. This species shows up in summer, has a stipe which

others do not, and is too tough to eat; but P. populinus is common on aspen in

spring and P. ostreatus, less common in the north country, shows up on

hardwoods in late summer to fall and are choice edibles. They are aggressive

propagators and fairly easy to grow from kits at home on straw or logs.

Lentinus sp.

Another white spored, saprobic mushroom, Lentinus has close, white gills with

a ‘shitake’ like smell (shitake is Lentinula edodes). I couldn’t resist collecting

this one with wine-colored fibers on the cap and an odd joined stipe and

eccentric stipe attachment. The more common Lentinus strigosus is also a

wood-eater and has a hairy cap; David Arora, author of Mushrooms

Demystified describes it as “edible, but better used as a toothbrush.”

Neolentinus lepideus The Train Wrecker

So called because it can tolerate creosote and eat railroad ties. White

spored and looking a lot like Lentinus and has a creamy colored spore

print, genetic studies show it is not closely related. In fact it produces

brown rot (cellulose selectively eaten) as opposed to white rot (more

lignin eaten) in wood as in Lentinus. The world is full of surprises. One

was finding this beauty growing on a red pine while on a paddle at

Boulder Lake.

Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca false chanterelle

Growing on wood, sometimes buried, this guy can be mistaken for a

chanterelle by the inexperienced, but is not edible. Distinguishing

characteristic is that they have true gills that are forked near the edge. Go out

with people who know what they are picking; it’s the best way to learn.

Xeromphalina sp. / Mycena albidula

Here are two more of the wood-decomposing clean up crew. On the right,

Xeromphalina grows in troops on decaying logs, each cap about a centimeter.

The tiny cutie on the right is a view through a dissecting microscope; at less

than a centimeter, it still does all the things a mushroom should do.

Coprinopsis atramentaria Alcohol Inky Cap, Tippler’s Bane

Most black spored Coprinoid mushrooms disperse their spores by auto-

digesting their caps! They earn their name Inky Cap very quickly. While

some are edible...quickly…this one has a surprise for anyone who has

alcohol with it; it acts like anabuse and the tippler can get very sick. They

grow on the ground, eating decomposing plant matter in the soil. The

inky caps used to all be in the genus Coprinus, but DNA studies have

shown they are not monotypic (the same genetically) and broke it up.

Psathyrella sp.

Caution: entering the LBM realm! Little brown mushrooms sometimes

frustrate identification. This genus has purplish to dark brown spore prints. The

cap is hygrohorous (absorbs water and darkens) and the cap can be brown or

white depending on water content. Lots of these in logged areas where there

is lots of plant material to decompose. Not edible to poisonous. They have

been mistaken for inky caps although they do not auto-digest.

Boletes

Boletes are usually soft, umbrella shaped mushrooms that have pores instead

of gills and grow on the ground, usually under conifers. The pores are a

strategy for dispersing spores; the pores have more surface area than gills and

protect them until they are ready to fall out. The most common genera are

Boletus, Suillus, and Leccinum. Spore prints are often dark brown.

Suillus americanus “chicken fat” Suillus, American Slippery Jack

The common name is obvious from the bright yellow cap with brown spots and

a ‘greasy’ or sticky feel when moist. Pore surface starts yellow and turns brown

with age and the stem has dark spots. Cap can be 2 to 12 cm. July to October.

Fairly common. Mycorrhizal with white pine. Edible but not choice as they turn

black and slimy when cooked.

Suillus granulatus

‘Granular’ looking cap is moist to sticky and the stem has pinkish tan to

brownish spots. Pores start yellow and become brown. Found under white

pine, they are edible and desirable especially when dried and not buggy.

Leccinum holopus Birch/Bog Bolete

Leccinum is distinguished from other boletes by the tufts of fibers on the

stalk that look like scabs, hence ‘scabers’ rather than spots. This one is

mycorrhizal with birch. Again, edible but not desirable. Some people

have gastric problems with Leccinum.

Chalciporus piperatus

In general, red pored boletes are not edible. As the name suggests, this one is

usually peppery tasting and not edible. Almost always found under conifers.

Boletus cf. subclavipes King Bolete ( cf. means “looks like this species”)

Note the reticulation/netting on the stem present in many Boletus

species (this is a very small specimen). Grows near spruce locally, by

oaks elsewhere. It is our local version of the choice edible King Bolete

which is likely several species in different parts of North America. July to

September.

Polypores

Polypores are usually brackets, shelves or conks that grow on wood, have

pores and may be hard, woody, fleshy, or fibrous. Most do not have stalks and

grow primarily horizontally from trees but some are terrestrial. There are many

more types than collected in 2013.

Ischnoderma resinosum

Fleshy or fibrous shelf on hardwoods in the fall. May exude drops of water

when fresh.

Spongipellis pachyodon Well of course there are exceptions. This is a soft, spongy bracket growing on

hardwoods.

Coltricia cf. cinnamomea pixie goblet

A small and attractive, stalked polypore shaped like its common name.

Uncommon.

[much more to come 2014]

Morels and Allies [no common morels (Morchella) collected in 2013]

Gyromitra infula Elfin Saddle / False Morel

One of several Gyromitra, this one coming up in the fall. There are others

in the spring and summer. The caps are usually detached from the stem

and hollow. Poisonous if eaten raw and not advised.

Lichens An ancient and very successful form of fungi captures energy by hosting a

photobiont alga or cyanobacteria inside its cells. There are numerous at

Boulder Lake and we could use a project to identify and catalog them. Lots of

interest, so little time.

Slime Molds Despite the creepy name, what are better called Myxomycetes are not true

fungi, but are studied by mycologists and often mistaken as fungi. Cells live

individually most of their lives and come together to make sometimes

elaborate fruiting bodies. Another project….

Fuligo septica dog vomit slime mold

OK, still yucky. But it really looks like that.

Stemonitis not pictured; often many tiny rods.

There are more fungi that were collected in 2013 but these give you an

idea of the fungal diversity at Boulder Lake.

Come join us in 2014 to find more!