Volume uly ⁄ August NAMA’s journal goes ...The Mycophile, July/August 2009 4 B O O K S R E V I E W E D Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States, 2nd ed., by

1 The Mycophile, July/August 2009

Volume 50:1 July ⁄ August 2009 www.namyco.org

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NAMA’s journal goes online!

In this issue:

Keeping up with NAMA .............. 2

Activities & announcements ....... 3

Books reviewed ......................... 4

NAMA Foray Application ........5–6

VOLUME 18 of McIlvainea begins anew chapter as the journal makes itsfirst appearnce online. You can findit at the NAMA website, www.namyco.org.

Incoming editor Michael Beugbelieves that one advantage of thischange will be timely publication ofmaterial in a format that allowsliberal use of color illustrations.During the year, Michael plans toadd articles as received, expandingthe Contents page as each newarticle is added. The volume willclose at the end of each calendaryear, with the process beginninganew with each new year.

This will ensure that timelymaterial will not be held up whileMichael waits for one critical articleto finally arrive at his desk. Authorswill be pleased to know that yourmaterial will appear soon after

Continued on page 2

review and acceptance, and readerswill get to see the new material assoon as possible.

Furthermore, McIlvainea’s sizewill be limited only by the numberof interesting and well-writtenarticles received each year, not bythe costs of publishing and mailing amaximum number of pages.Michael will submit regular updatesto the Mycophile editor so thatreaders can be informed as newmaterial is added to the journal.

McIlvainea was designed as thevehicle for papers that further themission of NAMA “to promote,pursue, and advance the science ofmycology” as well as providing ahome for reports from the Toxicol-ogy Committee on mushroompoisoning and from the VoucherPreservation Committee on forays.The journal will include highlyinteresting papers that are pertinentto its mission. By design, somepapers will be of a more technicalnature and will appeal to the moretechnically inclined members, whileother papers will be written toentertain the generalist.

Articles in the current issueinclude “A Mycological Florilegium:A Selection of Articles Published in2007 and 2008,” by Else C. Vellinga;“A Phylogenetic Classification of theInocybaceae,” by P. BrandonMatheny; “Names, Names, Names:When Nomenclature Meets Mol-ecules,” by Ron Petersen and KarenHughes; two articles by MarilynShaw and Michael Beug: “Mush-room Mysteries: Was This a Mush-room Poisoning?” and “AnimalPoisoning by Amanita pantherina and

This marks the first issue of TheMycophile under the editorship ofBruce Eberle.

Bruce served as an environmen-tal specialist with the U.S. Depart-ment of Transportation where heworked for over 20 years as anarcheologist and historic preserva-tion officer. He is currently retiredand resides in Maryland. He is amember of the Mycological Associa-tion of Washington (DC). He is alsoa member of the Long Island Myco-logcial Club where he spends mostweekends.

In addition to his recent forayinto mycological matters, Bruce isactive in Trout Unlimited, a cold-water conservation group, the

Bruce Eberle AcceptsPost as Editor ofThe Mycophile

Amanita muscaria: A Commentary”;a wry tale from Andrus Voitk on“The Rewards of IndiscriminateMycophagia”; NAMA ToxicologyCommittee Reports for 2007 and2008; and Voucher Reports for the2007 and 2008 NAMA Forays.

For these delights, and more, aswell as Guidelines for Authors, visitthe NAMA website today!

2The Mycophile, July/August 2009

The Mycophile is published bimonthlyby the North American MycologicalAssociation, 6615 Tudor Court,Gladstone, OR 97027-1032.

NAMA is a nonprofit corporation;contributions may be tax-deductible.

Web site: www.namyco.org

Isaac Forester, PresidentP.O. Box 1107North Wilkesboro, NC [email protected]

Judy Roger, Executive Secretary6615 Tudor CourtGladstone, OR [email protected]

Bruce Eberle, Editor-in-Chief6586 Guilford RoadClarksville, MD [email protected]

Judith Caulfield, Production Editor1205 Hanover StreetChattanooga, TN [email protected]

NAMA is a 501(c)(3) charitableorganization. Contributions to supportthe scientific and educational activi-ties of the Association are alwayswelcome and may be deductible asallowed by law. Gifts of any amountmay be made for special occasions,such as birthdays and anniversaries,and for memorials.

Special categories includeFriend of NAMA: $500–900Benefactor: $1000–4900Patron: $5000 and up

Send contributions toJudith McCandless, Treasurer330 Wildwood PlaceLouisville, [email protected]

Moving?Please send your new address,two weeks before you move, to

Ann BornsteinNAMA Membership Secretary61 Devon CourtWatsonville, CA 95076-1160annstitcher@charter. net

Otherwise—you may not be gettingyour newsletter for a while. Eachissue, several Mycophiles arereturned as undeliverable because ofno forwarding address on file. NAMAis charged seventy cents for eachreturned or forwarded newsletter.

K E E P I N G U P W I T H N A M A

New Editor comes on board, continued from page 1

Potomac Valley Search and Rescue Group, and Watson’s Tin Box, a Sher-lockian scion society.

Bruce intends to carry on the traditions and high standards of previouseditors; and with their assistance, the help of Regional Trustees, and clubnewsletter editors and the members of the Editorial Committee, he knowsthat it can be done.

Please let Bruce know if you have information to submit or help tooffer. You may telephone him at (301) 854-3142 or contact him at theaddress and e-mail address in the column at right.

Tell your members about NAMA!

Promote NAMA membership in your club meetings and on your website!Let your members know that you are a NAMA affiliated club. Contact DavidRust at webmaster@ namyco.org for a sample page you can easily post onthe web that lists benefits and how to join.

Also, you will find a list of NAMA-affiliated clubs in North America atwww. namyco.org/clubs/index.html; it’s the most complete list available onthe web and is constantly being updated. Create a link to this page on yourclub website!

NAMA needs to update e-mail addresses for RosterPlease contact our Membership Secretary with your current e-mail addressright away! This is very important as she has found a huge number ofinvalid e-mail addresses while trying to get information to members. SendAnn an e-mail at [email protected]. And when you contact Ann, youcan request that she send you an electronic copy of the NAMA Roster (PDF).

DUES ARE PAST DUE!If you have not paid your NAMA dues for 2009, this will be the last issue ofThe Mycophile and the last copy of FUNGI Magazine (unless you’re aregular subsccriber) that you will receive. Don’t miss out! Send your name,address, home and work phone numbers, e-mail address, and your checkfor $35.00 made out to NAMA to the Membership Secretary, AnnBornstein, 61 Devon Court, Watsonville, CA 95076-1160.

Call for nominations

Nominations are in order for the positions of President, 1st Vice-Presidentand Treasurer. Please consider members in your club who might be capableand willing to serve these important positions to keep NAMA functioningeffectively. The name, the position, and contact information should be sentto the Nominating Committee which is chaired by Adele Mehta, 2nd Vice-President. Adele’s e-mail is [email protected].

Attention mycophotographers!!The Photography Committee will be providing the rules and the applicationform for the 2009 Photography Contest on the NAMA website. Please checkthe site for all the information you will need to enter and potentially WINthis contest.


NMMS ForayTaos, New MexicoAugust 23–25

Registration is still open. This year’sforay will feature microscopy andvouchering on the 23rd and 24th,and on the 25th if necessary. Foraymycologist is Vera Evenson.

For more details, check theNew Mexico Mycological Societywebsite or e-mail Libba Campbell [email protected].

Simms CampNewfoundlandSept. 11–13, 2009Visit www.nlmushrooms.ca formore information.

36th Annual Cain ForayToronto, OntarioSept. 18–20, 2009

See www.myctor.org/cainforay.htmlfor details.

Wildacres Regional ForayWildacres, North CarolinaSeptember 24–27

Registration filled! Note to self: applyearlier next year.

NEMF Sam Ristich ForayCape Cod, MassachusettsOct. 15–18, 2009

Hosted by the Boston MycologicalClub. Registration is still open. Formore information: nemf.org/files/2009/2009.html.

Plus a pre-foray workshop withGary Lincoff at Eagle Hill, ME,October 10–15, 2009.

A C T I V I T I E S & A N N O U N C E M E N T S

25th Annual MushroomGatheringBrightenbush Hot SpringsResort, near Detroit, OregonOctober 22–26

The 2009 Mushroom Conferencewill focus on mushrooms as food.Patrice Benson will sharetechniques about gourmet cookingand mushroom preservation. Dr.Tom Odell will teach propermushroom identification for thepurposes of eating wild foragedmushrooms safely. Mushroomfeasting will be directed by ChefMichael Blackwell at the Cookingand Tasting event.

More info about the conferenceis at www.mushroominc.org andwww.breitenbush.com

NAMA Annual ForayLafayette, LouisianaNovember 26–29, 2009

Hosted and coordinated by the GulfStates Mycological Society—NAMA’svery first foray in the state ofLouisiana. The Gulf States Myco-logical Society will treat us to thefascinating and colorful culture ofAcadiana and the experience of thisunique section of our country. Theregistration form is on pages 5–6 ofthis issue. Look for more informationon our website: www.namyco.org.

Note: You must be a memberof NAMA to attend.

New Educational Programs!Michael Beug has revised thefollowing programs in the Loansection of NAMA’s EducationalPrograms list:

#32 Introduction to Mushrooms

#33 Naming Mushrooms: Who’sMy Daddy?

#34 Morels and Other SpringAscomycetes

#35 Snowbank Mushrooms andWestern Spring Ascomycetes

#36 Reflections on PoisonousMushrooms

Michael has also prepared a newprogram:

#53 Mushrooms of Idaho: InMemory of Orson Miller

These programs will be available onloan only to NAMA members andaffiliated clubs, through the NAMAWeb site: www.namyco.org. EachDVD contains a PowerPoint® presen-tation with embedded narration. Theprograms are designed so that theycan be customized by individualclubs, and the DVDs include Instruc-tions for deleting slides or addingadditional slides of special interest.

Ordering information for NAMAmembers can be found on thewebsite (www.namyco.org), andwhile you’re there, be sure to checkall the other great programs for rentand purchase.

—Sandy SheineNAMA Education Chair

.

NAMA Speakers & Foray Mycologists Bureau Now Online

NAMA has launched a comprehensive online Speakers and Foray Mycologists Bureau. Over 45 professionaland amateur mycologists have offered their services for club meetings and forays. Each mycologist has listedhis or her general topic of interest or sample talk titles, a web page with details, and contact information,generally an e-mail address.

You can find this page at www. namyco.org/education/speakers_ bureau.html in the NAMA Educationsection. We would like to thank Dr. Michael Beug for putting this list together.


B O O K S R E V I E W E D

Mushrooms and Other Fungi of theMidcontinental United States,2nd ed., by D.M. Huffman, L. H.Tiffany, G. Knaphus, and R. A.Healy. Iowa City: University of IowaPress, 2008. ISBN-10: 1-58729-627-6.ISBN-13: 978-1-58729-627-7. $39.95paper. www.uiowapress.org

For manyyears mush-room fieldguideswritten forNorthAmericaattempted tocover all, ornearly all, ofthe continent.This led tomuch dupli-

cation in coverage of species andfrustration on the part of users, whofrequently could find only a smallpercentage of their local mushroomsin these guides. Beginning in thelate 1980s, however, a number ofall-color regionally oriented guidesbegan to appear. Mushrooms andOther Fungi of the MidcontinentalUnited States was one of the first ofthese more focused treatments.Amazingly, nearly 20 years havepassed since the publication of thehard-to-find first edition; happily, anew enlarged edition is now avail-able. As is true for most regionalpublications, precisely delineatingthe region where the book will beuseful is not easy; however, itgenerally corresponds to the areaencompassed by Iowa and thesurrounding Midwestern prairiestates, a region once covered mostlyby tall grass prairies and woodlandsof the eastern deciduous forest andlake states forest.

Many NAMA members willrecall that lead author Don Huffmanis one of our past presidents andemeritus professor of biology atCentral College (Pella, Iowa). LoisTiffany and the late George

Knaphus were professors of botanyat Iowa State University (Ames).New to this edition is RosanneHealy, last seen glued to hermicroscope in the identificationroom at the 2007 Pipestem foray,who is currently pursuing a graduatedegree in mycology at the Universityof Minnesota.

The content and structure of thebook are typical for a field guide.The first 30 pages comprise anintroduction to basic mushroombiology and morphology, generaldescriptions of major morphologicalgroups, names and classification,edibility and toxicity, and mushroomhabitats, followed by keys to themajor morphological groups. Thismaterial is supported by attractiveline illustrations. The mushroomdescriptions, photographs, anddetailed keys cover over 300 pages,and the book winds up with aglossary, lists of general andtechnical references, and index. At370 pages, the book is nearly 50pages longer than the first edition,and the page size is about 10%larger.

Keys are provided to nearly allof the species covered. They arefairly simple, based on macrocharacters; and when I tested someof them, they worked well. Thespecies descriptions cover theessentials in a concise, readablefashion. Over 250 species arefeatured, including a number oftruffles and false truffles, awelcome addition. Comments formost species are brief, but manyprovide good updates on currentclassification issues and recentname changes. This portion of thebook is attractive and well-produced;however, it includes an over-abundance of white space. Manypages are half blank. I would like tohave seen this space used forlengthier comments or, better yet,additional species. The speciesphotos are of good size, and mostillustrate the critical features of the

mushrooms clearly. Many of themare also quite attractive; and,overall, the photos are noticeablyimproved compared to those in thefirst edition.

In summary, this is a fine,reliable field guide for an area notoften visited by NAMA forays andmycologists in general, and it shouldprove indispensable for mushroom-hunters in the mid-section of ourcontinent.

—Steve Trudell, Seattle, Washington

(continued on page 7)

Mushrooms of the PacificNorthwest, by Steve Trudell & JoeAmmirati. Portland, Ore.: TimberPress Field Guide, 2009. 349 pageswith more than 450 species and over500 color photographs plus picturekeys and drawings by Marsha Mello.ISBN-13: 978-0-88192-935-5, $27.95,paper.

This beautiful book is a must to ownfor anyone planning to hunt mush-rooms in the Pacific Northwest, anarea that encompasses all of Idaho,Oregon, and Washington plus partsof northern California, westernMontana, and southern BritishColumbia, as well as southernAlaska. The writing is informative,the photography is excellent, and thetaxonomic issues are so up-to-datethat mushroomers from other areasare also going to want to add a copyto their library.

The book appears sturdy andwell bound, and at 6"x 8.5"x 7/8" it issmall enough to fit into a day pack.

Steve Trudell, an affiliateprofessor in the College of ForestResources at the University ofWashington, is an award-winningphotographer who has been studyingmushrooms and mushroom ecologyfor over 30 years. Joe Ammirati isprofessor of biology and teachesmycology and botany at theUniversity of Washington.


Name of each participant as you wish it to appear on your name tag. Deadline for registration October 19, 2009.

Name(s):

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Phone: Day ( ) Evening ( ) e-mail:

Local club affiliation(s) for name tags:

I/we prefer: ❏ One bed ❏ Two beds ❏ Nonsmoking ❏ Smoking ❏ Please find me a roommate.

I want to share a room with Assign roommate: ❏ Male ❏ Female

❏ I require vegetarian meals or have other special concerns:

❏ I am a VENDOR. # display tables needed____ Items for sale:

The North American Mycological Association Presents Foray 2009:

In the Heart of Cajun CountryNovember 26–29, 2009 • Lafayette, Louisiana

Hosted by the Gulf States Mycological Association

REGISTRATION

Conference: Thurs. Nov. 26 to Sun. Nov. 29

a room for 3 nights, 8 meals (Thurs. dinner–Sun. breakfast), ......... #_______ @ $320 each $_____________all programs and forays

Waiver reason ...................................................................................... # ______ @ 0

Single supplement .............................................................................. #_______ @ $120 $_____________

Off site (meals, programs, forays, no rooms) ................................... #_______ @ $199 each $_____________

NAMA Trustees Meeting: Tues. Nov 24 to Thurs. Nov. 26

a room for 2 nights, 6 meals (Tues. dinner–Thurs. lunch) ............... #_______ @ $155 each $_____________

Single supplement .............................................................................. #_______ @ $ 80 $_____________

Microscopy Workshop: Sun. Nov. 22 to Thurs. Nov 26

a room for 4 nights, 12 meals (Sun. dinner–Thurs. lunch), ............. #_______ @ $400 each $_____________microscopes and all materials

Single supplement .............................................................................. #_______ @ $156 $_____________

NAMA membership (required if not current) .......................................... #_______ @ $ 35 $_____________(You must be a NAMA or GSMS member to attend.)

Mycology student discount: Subtract ..................................................... #_______ @ –$100 each $ (___________)

University:

Professor:

Make checks payable to GSMS/NAMA 2009. Mail to GSMS/NAMA 2009, Patricia Lewis, 262 CR 3062, Newton, TX 75966-7003Questions? Call Pat at 409-423-3776; e-mail to [email protected].

E


If you are interested in arriving early or staying late at the Holiday Inn-Lafayette at the conference room rate, pleasediscuss this with Patricia Lewis.

We must have a signed release for each person attending the foray.

Liability Release and Promise Not to Sue

I understand there is some risk in participating in a mushroom foray and conference: all those risks one assumes bybeing away from home, risk associated with moving about in fields and woods, risk involved in eating wild mush-rooms, risk of losing personal property by theft or misplacement, and all other expected and unexpected risks. Inregistering for or attending this foray, I agree to assume total responsibility during this event for my own safety andwell-being, and that of any minor children under my care, and for the protection of my and their personal property.I release The North American Mycological Association (NAMA), and The Gulf States Mycological Society (GSMS),their trustees, officers, employees, contractors, and all other persons assisting in the planning and presentation ofthis event from liability for any sickness, injury, or loss I or any minor children under my care may suffer during thisevent or as a result of attending and participating. I further promise not to file a lawsuit or make a claim against anyof the persons listed above, even if they negligently cause me or my minor children injury or loss. Finally, I agree tohold NAMA and GSMS harmless from any liability they may incur as a result of any damages to any property I maycause. This release and promise is part of the consideration I give in order to attend this event. I understand it affectsmy legal rights. I intend it to apply not only to me but to anyone who may have the right to make a claim on mybehalf.

Signature 1: Date:

Print Name 1:

Signature 2: Date:

Print Name 2:

VOLUNTEER OPTIONS

If you can help in any way, please let us know. The volunteer time of our members is what continues to make NAMAforays such a success and great time for everyone. The coordinator will contact you with details prior to the foray.

Display & Identification Area: ❏ Set up ❏ Assist identification ❏ Clean up

Mycophagy: Saturday

❏ Set up ❏ Preparation ❏ Clean up

❏ Bring mushrooms: specify type and species:

Presentations: ❏ Assist with audio-visual set-up

❏ I have a digital projector I will bring for back-up.

I will bring the following items for the silent auction:


are probably over 5,000 species inthe Pacific Northwest, far more thancould be included in any affordablefield guide. Drs. Trudell andAmmirati chose to describe andillustrate those species that wereencountered frequently enough thatthey could obtain good-quality colorphotographs and that met severaladditional criteria, including

• a wide variety of mushroomtypes and species;

• the more common characteristicPNW species, especially goodedibles and notorious poisoners;

• species that occur only, ormainly, in the PNW;

• species mentioned but notillustrated in other field guides;

• unusual or rare species notcovered in most other fieldguides.

The first mushrooms discussed arethe Chanterelles. The section beginswith a discussion of their generalphysical features followed by adescription of our currentunderstanding of the evolutionaryrelationships of Chanterelles to eachother and to other major groups offungi. This pattern of giving thereader an overview of the physicalfeatures of the genera in the section,followed by a discussion of how thegenera are related to each other andto other mushrooms, is continuedthroughout the book and is welldone. I found it most interesting.

Moving on to the descriptions ofthe individual species, I really like

Mushrooms of the PacificNorthwest more than doubles thenumber of species covered by itspredecessor, while at the same timeproviding updated taxonomic,toxicological, and ecologicalinformation.

In “Preliminaries” the authorstell the reader what mushrooms areand how to hunt for them andcollect them safely and in a mannerthat they can be identified later.They go on to discuss mushroomecology and mushroom toxicology.This section is followed by adiscussion of how to identifymushrooms and how to use thebook. These sections are well-written and useful to beginners.

Individuals unfamiliar withmushrooms can start theidentification process with thepicture key to mushroom typesinside the front cover. For moreexperienced individuals, the startingpoint is the written key tomorphological groups (page 38),which leads the reader to thevarious color-coded sections of thebook. Each section begins with a keyto the genera included in that group.There are no keys to species, whichin my view makes sense. In myclasses I have long observedstudents struggling through keys tospecies and trying to fit theirmushroom into a key which coversthe mushrooms in the book but notnecessarily the mushroom theindividual is trying to identify. Asthe authors so aptly point out, there

Books reviewed, cont. from page 4 the way important edible specieslike Cantharellus formosus arediscussed in considerable detail withmultiple illustrations, including aphotographic comparison to non-edible look-alikes (pages 43–44,which are illustrated). Page 88illustrates how the authors deal witha poisonous species and warnsreaders about the possibility ofmistaking Amanita smithiana forMatsutake.

The descriptions of species donot follow the usual pattern ofgiving the dimensions, features, andcolor of the cap, then gills, thenstalk, etc.; instead they follow adiscussion format that provides thereader with a good sense of what tolook for in each species described.They also give the most recent oldername for species that have recentlybeen renamed. Where a mushroomhas an accepted common name, thecommon name is given; but noattempt is made to make up acommon name when one is notalready widely accepted.

I appreciated the insights intotaxonomy scattered throughout thebook. The authors talk about when aspecies or even a group ofmushrooms needs more studybefore a name or names can beaccurately applied. In several cases,the authors give the reader advancednotice of, and reasons for, namechanges that are on the horizon;thus, the reader learns aboutmushrooms in the context of an

(continued on page 8)


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North American Mycological Association61 Devon CourtWatsonville, CA 95076-1160

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evolving science. Individuals maywell be inspired to take up one ormore of the taxonomic questionsraised throughout the book.

As an individual who hascollected, photographed and studiedmushrooms in the Pacific Northwestfor over 40 years, I was surprised atthe number of species included thatwere new to me. All of my favoritegroups of edibles are present, as areall of the poisonous mushrooms thatI worry about people accidentallypicking. The photographs, mostly bySteve Trudell, are excellent

educational images, generallyshowing the critical features neededfor identification, though in somecases the small size of the imagesmakes it hard to discern an impor-tant feature. The images were thesame size as those found inMushrooms of Northeastern NorthAmerica (A. E. Bessette, A. R.Bessette, & D. W. Fischer) and inNorth American Mushrooms(O. K. Miller & H. H. Miller) butsubstantially smaller than thosefound in The New Savory WildMushroom or Mushrooms

Books reviewed, cont. from page 7

Demystified (D. Arora). I would alsolike to have seen 500 or 600 pagesdevoted to PNW mushrooms so thatthe authors could have squeezed inmore than two species of Leccinum,more of the diversity of falsetruffles, more of the diversity ofpolypores, etc. However, given thelimitations of space and budget, theauthors did a great job of choosingwhat to illustrate while still givingthe reader a sense of what is outthere that could not be described injust one book.

—Michael W. Beug

Mushroom of the Month will be back next time!

Documents

Volume uly ⁄ August NAMA’s journal goes ...The Mycophile, July/August 2009 4 B O O K S R E V I E W E D Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States, 2nd ed., by