THE NEWSLETTER OF THE WISCONSIN MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY September 2006 Volume 23 Number 3 1 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT by Chuck Fonaas 2 DUES REMINDER 3 WMS FALL EVENTS 4 BOOK NEWS 5 WEBMASTER WANTED 6 WMS ANNUAL PICNIC AND BUSINESS MEETING by Fred Kluhsman 7 SUMMER FORAY REPORT by John Steinke 8 NAMA 06 - GOING WAY UP NORTH FOR THE WEEKEND!!! by Dann Wilke 9 MYCOBRIEFS by Colleen and Peter Vachuska 10 TRIBE FAYODIAE Kuhner = LEUCOPAXILLEAE Singer (1948) by Steve Nelsen Clitocybula familia, abundans, and lacerata Pseudoomphalina 11 RECIPE: MUSHROOM BREAD PUDDING from the book Vegetariana by Nava Atlas MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Hello again. You know it really doesn't seem as though it should be September already. It's been such an event-filled summer that time has just gotten away from me! With that in mind, it's time for the annual fall foray season. The first fall foray has already taken place, at Mauthe Lake, and a good variety of fungi were found. Hopefully, that's a good indicator of things to come. I believe I mentioned in my last "Message" that the group had made a contribution to the West Allis Public Library to express our gratitude for the use of their facilities. Well, we have received a letter from Library Director, Michael Koszalka. In it, in addition to thanking us for our "very generous" donation, he goes on to say that the library purchased the following books with it: Mushrooms and other Fungi of North America by Roger Phillips Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets The Triumph of the Fungi: A Rotten History by Nicholas Money North American Mushrooms by Orson Miller. When the books are made ready for distribution, each will have an acknowledgment inside identifying the WMS as the contributor. They should be there by the time you read this, so if you're in the area, check them out (no pun intended). It's just another way we can spread the word, so to speak, about mycology. That's about all I have this time around. See you soon, hopefully at one of our forays! by Chuck Fonaas DUES REMINDER Your 2006 WMS dues ($15) are payable by January 1st. Please send your dues to: Fred Kluhsman, Secretary/Treasurer; 5315 S. Sunnyslope Road; New Berlin, WI 53151. Note that WMS dues are $15 and that NAMA (North American Mycological Association) dues are an additional $32. WMS FALL EVENTS September 9 (Saturday) 6th Sami Saad Memorial Foray, Mauthe Lake Recreational Area. Meet near the park entrance at 10:00. (Leader: Alan Parker) September 16 (Saturday) Scuppernong Hiking Trail Foray in South Kettle Moraine, 10:00 sharp. (Leader: Chuck Fonaas) September 23 (Saturday) Monches Woods Foray. Meet north of Monches at the intersection of County Roads K and Q, 10:00. (Leader: Bill Blank) September 25 (Monday) The WMS Fall Mushroom Dinner. Riversite Restaurant on Cedarburg Road in Mequon. (Host: chef Thomas Peschong) September 30 (Saturday) Mushrooms and Lichens of BlackHawk Ridge. Black Hawk Unit of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway. Carpool at 9:30 from Middleton's Copp's on Century Avenue. (Leaders: Marie Trest, Dan Czederpiltz, and Diane Derouen) October 7 (Saturday) Tula Erskine and Fred Hainer Memorial Foray, Point Beach State Forest. Meet at parking area near entry point at 10:00. (Leader: Chuck Soden) BOOK NEWS Roger Phillips' long out-of-print book Mushrooms And Other Fungi of North America is back in print as a hardcover. (buy.com has it listed for $25.05.) Some of the photos have been color-corrected. If you are looking for books, you may be interested in Orson and Hope Miller's new book, North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible And Inedible Fungi, which just came out. (buy.com lists it for $17.81 paperback.) (Thanks to Dann Wilke and Bob Kaplan for the info.) WEBMASTER WANTED Currently the editors are looking for someone to take over the responsibility for maintaining our webpages. Experience is preferred, but we are basically looking for someone with ideas and enthusiasm. Minimum requirements are that you be able to find our webpage. WMS ANNUAL PICNIC AND BUSINESS MEETING by Fred Kluhsman Our Annual Picnic was held on Saturday, June 24, at Papa Steinke's. The sky was overcast, a few raindrops did fall, and the greenhouse was being considered as refuge. The weather did not deter our group from enjoying the potluck, including succulent roasted chicken, grilled salmon, portobellos, and of course, the beer. Even homemade ice cream was churned there on the spot by Dave Fisher. Thanks again to everyone who helped out and contributed a dish. We also conducted our annual business meeting where Alan Parker, who stepped down from the board, was recognized for his longtime service and was voted the status of honorary director. Two additional longtime members, Sunny Rupnow and John Fetzer, also left the board, leaving three open seats. Voted in as new board members are Dann Wilke, Britt Bunyard and current secretary treasurer Fred Kluhsman. The other members of the board remain the same: President Chuck Fonaas, Vice President Dave Menke, Peter Vachuska, John Steinke, Kris Ciombor, Chuck Soden, Martin Sendera and Bill Blank. There was discussion of a laptop computer purchase for PowerPoint presentations. Several members said they might be able to acquire one at a reasonable price for the club. The laptop purchase will be brought up and decided on at the November board meeting. Bill Blank was given a round of applause for his hard work, as always, on the food committee. The socializing continued into the evening as some members chose to gather 'round the campfire. Thank you, Papa Steinke, once again for providing the club with a terrific summer picnic site. SUMMER FORAY REPORT by John Steinke What would be the best description of the "summer foray"? HOT. The temperature was very hot that day, but the collecting was right there too. It had been real dry for the past few weeks, but rain was plentiful earlier. I knew south of my place had gotten more rain and I thought if we could get into some lower ground we might do pretty good. After gathering at my place, the ten or twelve of us caravanned to a local bog for what turned out to be a very nice collecting day, but "HOT". On our way in we found a beautiful, large bolete: Tylopilus plumbeoviolaceus. The only thing that keeps this from being the prettiest bolete you will ever see is its lack of edibility, very bitter. I find this fungus so hard to discard after collecting it, with that velvety plum cap with white pores and stem, all solid and looking so edible as in "edulis". On the last part of the descent to the bog, I found a large chanterelle. I proudly showed my collection to the group and then checked it for worms. To my surprise it was solid, and I turned to declare it good, but no one heard me, for they had all vanished from the trail; the hunt was on. The best collecting was where the high ground ran into the bog. Russulas were found in many colors. One large species was found in quantity with six and seven inch caps, most likely in the R. fragrantissima group. One of the big surprises of the day was a honey mushroom. Armillaria mellea can be found early in the year, but this had no tapered stem and that would make me keep looking for a name. Two species of Hydnellum were collected, one was very distinct, blue and white with rusty coloring mixed in. This was ID'ed as H. caeruleum. The other was of the more common chocolate color and didn't generate much interest. Amanitas were at their peak on this day. A. fulva was found working its way through the sphagnum in the bog. A very picturesque collection of A. gemmata was collected and name debated, but I have to write it up, so that is what I am going to call it. I also saw a troop of A. flavoconia, but could not bring myself to disturb this little orange and yellow collection in its prime of life. The last noteworthy specimen of the day was Gyroporus purpurinus; this has that same velvety plum color, but not much bigger than a silver dollar. The stem is of the same color as the cap and the pores are very small and white as fresh snow. It comes down to location, location, location; the fungi are there, but where is there? Happy hunting, hope to see you this fall. ---John NAMA 06 - GOING WAY UP NORTH FOR THE WEEKEND!!! by Dann Wilke This year's North American Mycological Association Annual Foray was held in Hinton, Alberta, Canada - August 17th - 20th (about 3.5 hours west of Edmonton, Alberta). Thursday: Things got started with an afternoon foray to the Miette Hot Springs in the Canadian Rockies (4950 ft.) We found several mushrooms and made a mental note to return later and soak at the Hot Springs. We returned in time for dinner and the evening program: "Introduction to the Foothills Forest", a presentation about an ongoing grizzly bear study and a review of local tree species. Our host Martin Osis followed with information regarding foray sites for the next few days. Later, I met up with some friends from the New York club and we rode back to the Miette Hot Springs to soak away our cares as we watched the sun disappear into the Rockies. A surreal experience! Friday: After breakfast it was time to choose between going on one of eight forays offered that day (at different altitudes and hiking levels) or attend the programs. In the past it was either fish or cut bait, that is, decide to attend a lecture that appeals to you or go out and foray at a new site. (This year, many of the programs were taped by a professional crew and are available from the Edmonton Mycological Society for about 20 dollars). I chose "Revelations of Thirty Years in Mushroom Poisoning" by Mike Beug, Professor Emeritus at Evergreen State College. It was an informative talk looking back on mushroom poisoning and what really happened. Next it was on to: "Role of Fungi in Peat Land" by Markus Thormann who got his Ph.D. in Mycology from the University of Alberta and also is president of the (EMS), the host club. Lunch followed with a walk around the vendors' tables and purchase of a new mushroom T-shirt and added titles to my book wish list. The afternoon sessions attended were: "Mushrooms of the Gulf Coast" by David Lewis, a retired chemist and president of the Gulf States Mycological Society, and a cultivation workshop with Ron Spinosa (mushroom cultivation for dummies??) who is the chairperson of NAMA's Cultivation Committee and former president of the Minnesota club. After dinner, Dr. Cathy Cripps, Chief Mycologist for the 2006 Foray, did a presentation entitled: "Rocky Mountain High-Elevation Fungi" featuring fungi that grow near (or in some cases on) snow. There was an abbreviated showing of the slides from the photo contest (with winners from our club). Due to technical difficulties, the digital portion was not available. Saturday: It was still raining after breakfast, but we went on a foray to the Cardinal Divide at 6500 ft. We drove through some old mining communities and upon our arrival the rain ceased. While the view was breath-taking, we didn't find a lot of mushrooms. After lunch, I took a Paper Making Workshop with Kim Plischke (wife of award-winning photographer, John Plischke III) and later caught Robert Rogers' presentation: "Fungal Pharmacy, Medicinal Mushrooms" which was so entertaining and informative that I purchased a signed copy of his new book for my collection. That night the after dinner speaker was Bryce Kendrick, who gave a presentation entitled: "Microscopic / Macroscopic" and encouraged us to buy a microscope or at least learn how and why we use them. A raffle and NAMA social followed (including singing around a campfire). Sunday: After breakfast, two encore speakers, Steve Trudell with "A Hundred Years in the Deep Freeze - The Hard Life of a Northern Mushroom" and Leonard Hutchison's "Macro Fungi of the Northern Rockies" wrapped up the talks. A walk around the display tables followed lunch, to see what we had collected over the past few days. A Community Open House was held for people in the Hinton area that afternoon. All in all a very successful foray, and to think that most of you missed it.... I would like to encourage all club members and their families to try and attend a NAMA foray. The people you meet, what you learn, and where you get to hunt will stay with you forever. I look forward to seeing all of you next year at Pipestem, West Virginia! MYCOBRIEFS by Colleen and Peter Vachuska * NEW MUSHROOM NUTRIENT DATA: Recently, the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) branch of the USDA developed nutrient profiles for seven of the most commonly eaten commercial mushroom varieties. The mushroom varieties analyzed were: white button, oyster, shiitake, enoki, portabella, crimini, and maiitake. Samples of these mushrooms were collected at retail outlets in 12 US cities so as to get a nationally representative sampling. All mushrooms were analyzed raw, except for shiitake which was analyzed only after stir-frying. In addition, portabella mushrooms were analyzed after grilling, and white button mushrooms were analyzed after stir-frying and microwaving. Most vitamins and minerals were found to be well-retained during cooking (at levels of 80-100%). Results of this study show that mushrooms are a good source of several nutrients. All of the varieties tested were found to provide significant amounts of copper. Copper helps the body produce red blood cells and is necessary for proper iron metabolism and for the maintenance of blood vessels and bones. The mushrooms tested were also found to be good sources of potassium, a mineral that helps the body maintain normal heart rhythm, fluid balance, and muscle and nerve function. For example, while bananas are considered a good source of potassium, two-thirds of a cup of sliced, grilled portabella mushrooms contains the same amount of potassium as a medium banana. These new nutrient values for mushrooms will appear in this year's update to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19, available soon at http://www.ars.usd a.gov/nutrientdata/. (ARS press release and abstract) * MOLDY BUT TASTY COFFEE: New Brazilian research has found that naturally occurring fungi in coffee beans contribute to coffee's flavor. Dr. Martha Taniwaki of Brazil's Institute of Food Technology presented her research at the August 2006 International Mycological Conference in Cairns, Australia. "We are doing a project to correlate the presence of certain species of fungi in coffee with coffee flavour," Dr. Taniwaki said. The research team collected raw coffee beans from farms in Brazil, disinfected them, incubated them for 7 days and isolated the fungi. Then they roasted, ground, brewed and drank the samples, rating them for body, aroma, acidity, bitterness, astringency, and sweetness. Some of the flavours associated with molds included floral, citric, caramel, chocolate, and toast. Dr. Tanawaki says her research is currently focused on isolating the various fungi and how they are metabolised, but it may be possible to use the knowledge to produce coffee with particular flavours. "We can encourage the good fungi to grow and use it to produce good flavors, like wine or other food like cheese where you use mould or yeast to give a special flavor", she said. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation Science Online, August 25, 2006) * THE RIGHT MUSHROOM EATEN BY THE RIGHT PERSON: A psilocybin mushroom experience can be one of the top spiritual or personally meaningful experiences for an individual and can have long-lasting positive changes in attitudes and behavior. This was the general conclusion of a study published online in Psychopharmacology (Springer) by researchers mostly at John Hopkins University. The participants in this study, however, were carefully screened. From an original 135 volunteers, only 36 were deemed mentally and physically healthy enough to participate. The study was double-blind, involving 2 or 3 sessions, with the control group given methylphenidate hydrochloride (Ritalin). All participants were given a supportive environment and instructed to close their eyes and direct their thoughts inward. While there were some side-effects in the hours following the dose: fear and momentary paranoia, after two months the experience was judged to be at least among the top ten most meaningful of their lives in almost 80% of the psilocybin group, while over 80% of the control group judged the experience to be no better than a once-a-year experience as far as being meaningful to them. The psilocybin group also reported moderately or greatly increased well-being or life satisfaction after two months. The hope of this study is that it may lead to therapies for pain, depression or addiction. * MAKE YOUR OWN MYCO-LAB Make magazine is a relatively new zine for the hacker, focusing on building projects for the do-it-yourselfer. So we were surprised to find tucked between how to build a Stirling engine out of tin cans and how to build a head-mounted water cannon, a nine page spread on how to build a home mycology lab. Construction of the hood uses a plastic file box with a home air purifier. They explain making the agar plate and all the stages to growing jars of mushroom culture at home in sterile conditions. A good list of hints and resources is provided for the enthusiast who really wants to jump in. Also in the issue is how to make a kitchen counter DNA lab including extraction, making and operating the gel box, and running PCR. Fun stuff! (Make volume 07, pp. 102--110.) TRIBE FAYODIAE Kuhner = LEUCOPAXILLEAE Singer (1948) by Steve Nelsen This continues the article by Steve which started in the previous newsletter. Clitocybula familia, abundans, and lacerata In his second year of collecting, Peck described the new species Agaricus familia, with a thin, hemispherical or convex pileus, smooth and whitish, often tinged with yellow, the disk darker; lamellae narrow, crowded, reaching the stem, almost free; stipe slender white, smooth, hollow; plant caespitose (Rep. 23, for 1869). It was followed in Rep. 29, for 1875, by Agaricus (Collybia) abundans, pileus thin, convex or expanded, subumbilicate, innate-fibrillose, whitish inclining to fuscus, often a little darker and more densely fibrillose on the disk, the thin margin easily splitting, lamellae narrow, close, adnate, sometime veiny, white; stem equal, smooth, hollow, easily splitting, often curved, colored like the pileus, pruinose at the top. Plant gregarious or subcaespitose. A rather similar species described as hygrophanous, with no mention of being subumbilicate, and as caespitose, was described in Rep. 50 for 1896 as Collybia uniformis, and illustrated in Rep. 56 for 1902, but it has been equated with abundans by Halling. Finally, Peck reported (Rep. 60, for 1906) seeing the European species Collybia lacerata Lasch, (more recently attributed to Scopoli ex Lasch) although he reports the specimens were umbonate (that is, raised over the disk), whereas Bessette, Bessette and Fischer in the only US book I have seen that illustrates lacerata, report that its cap is "typically depressed". Bon notes that the pileus is radially streaked, and has the aspect of Megacollybia platyphyllus, a much more familiar species. These three species all also occur in Europe. Because they have amyloid spores, they do not fit modern concepts of Collybia, and Singer transferred them to a special section of Kuhner's 1930 genus Fayodia in 1943, and in 1952 to a new section of his 1936 genus Cantharellula, but the nomenclatural move that has been accepted was Metrod raising his Fayodia subsection to a genus, Clitocybula (Singer) Metrod in 1952. Pseudoomphalina Peck described Agaricus (Clitocybe) compressipes in the 33rd annual report (for 1879): "Pileus thin, convex or expanded, umbilicate, glabrous, hygrophanous, brownish when moist, whitish or pale-alutaceous when dry, margin thin; lamellae close, subarculate or horizontal, adnate or subdecurrent, stem firm, hollow, generally compressed, spores 5.1--6.4 microns x 4.1--4.6 microns, Plant 2.5--3.8 cm. high." The same fungus was described as Clitocybe farinacea by Murrill and as Omphalina gaveolens by Petersen. It was moved by Singer to a new subgenus of Cantharellula in 1948, and raised to a genus in 1956. For several years I have been trying to convince myself that this amyloid-spored species that indeed had a compressed stem (not shown) is this species. RECIPE: MUSHROOM BREAD PUDDING from the book Vegetariana by Nava Atlas[1] RECIPE: MUSHROOM BREAD PUDDING 1 tablespoon butter 1 pound mushrooms, sliced 3 eggs, well beaten 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon dried summer savory Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Fresh French or Italian bread, as needed, cut into 1/2 thick slices Preheat the oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit. Heat the butter in a large skillet until it foams. Add the mushrooms and saute over moderately low heat until the mushrooms are just tender. Remove from the heat and drain off any liquid that the mushrooms may have given off. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until bubbly, then stir the sour cream into them. Add the mushrooms and all the remaining ingredients, except the bread, and mix thoroughly. Oil a deep, 9 by 9 inch casserole dish and line the bottom completely with a single layer of the sliced bread. Pour half of the mushroom mixture evenly over it. Repeat with the remaining bread and mushroom mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. 4 to 6 servings. Enjoy! [1] Vegetariana: A Rich Harvest of Wit, Lore, and Recipes, Dial Press, 1984, is a charming cookbook with many beautiful illustrations.The book also includes a similar recipe for Broccoli Bread Pudding. (also see the author's website: http://vegkitchen.com/). Reprinted with the permission of the author.