1Fall 2006 No. 3www.wildmushrooms.ws
2006 No. 3
FEATUREMUSHROOMArmillaria... pg 1,3 &9
PRESIDENT’SMESSAGE
The mountain
pine beetle
... pg 2
NAMA FORAYHinton in August.. pg4
PHOTO CONTEST
... pg 5
GILL STURCTURE... pg 6,7,9
DEVONIAN EXPO... pg 8
(Armillaria ...continued on page 3)
The many facets of
ArmillariaThe genus Armillaria
contains about 40 species ofimportant wood-rot fungi whichare widely distributed across theworld. Their basic behaviour issimilar, because all the speciesinvade plant roots and cause aprogressive white rot. For this
reason, all these fungi were at onetime grouped into a single species,Armillaria mellea; however, theyare now separated based onmorphology, physiology,pathogenicity, and geographical
distribution.Since so many species of
Armillaria look alike, mycologistshave “mated” Armillaria species inthe lab. They grow two species, ina single Petri dish and observe theresulting reaction once the two
expanding colonies meet in themiddle of the dish. Theydiscovered that some HoneyMushrooms would take to oneanother, while others turned uptheir fungal noses at the idea ofpairing up. Thus, using the“biological species concept” (inbasic terms, if they cannot mate,they belong to separate species), wenow define ten species of
Armillaria in NorthAmerica. Fortunately,physical features doseparate some of thespecies, and the fairlywell documentedgeographical ranges ofthe mushrooms help
to separate othersThe classic
Honey Mushroom,Armillaria mellea,turns out to belimited mostly to
eastern NorthAmerica, so theHoney Mushrooms wecollect and eat inAlberta are notArmillaria mellea,but one or two other
species of Armillaria.
MorphologyCap: 3-15 cm, convexto broadly convex or
plane in age; the margin oftenarched at maturity; dry or tacky;color extremely variable, buttypically honey yellow; smooth, orwith a few tiny, dark scalesconcentrated near the centre and
vaguely radially arranged.Gills: Attached or slightlydecurrrent, nearly distant; whitish,sometimes bruising or discolouringdarker.
Photo courtesy: Martin Osis
UPCOMING EVENTS
... pg 12FORAY UPDATES
... pg 10 & 11
2 Fall 2006 No.3 www.wildmushrooms.ws
President’s Message 2006 ExecutiveEdmonton Mycological Society
President & Webmaster:Markus Thormann
(780) 432-1392
Past President:Vacant
1st Vice President: Mike Schulz(780) 939-2106
Treasurer: Loretta Puckrin(780) 458-9889
Secretary: Melanie Fjoser(780) 987-4412
Membership: Alan Fleming(780) 463-8540
Foray Coordinator: Bill Richards(780) 998-3507
Program Director: Martin Osis(780) 987-4412
Communications Coordinator:Robert Simpson
(780) 481-7905/ Wk: (780) 420-6850
Newsletter Editor: Geri Kolacz(780) 475-7927
Mailing: Diane Murray
Directors-at-large:Pieter Van Der Schoot
(780) 696-2436Robert Rogers
(780) 433-7882David Rowe(780) 469-7187
George Litven(780) 476-7912
MAILING ADDRESS:
Edmonton Mycological Society1921, 10405 Jasper Avenue
Standard Life BuildingEdmonton, AB T5J 3S2
WEBSITE ADDRESS:www.wildmushrooms.ws
Markus Thormann, president of theEdmonton Mycological Society
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
We’re in the middle of the mushroomseason and have already held a number offorays. Those of you who attended thePoplar Creek foray will remember twothings. We collected well over 50 differentspecies of fungi and enjoyed a fabulous pigroast dinner. Many thanks go out to theorganizing committee of that foray and ourmany volunteers. Reflecting back on thatforay, it occurred to me that this was myfirst Poplar creek foray. I sure won’t missany in the future!!! The second AlbertaForay is now fast approaching (July 22-23),taking place in Bow Valley Provincial Park(at the confluence of the Bow andKananaskis rivers) in beautiful KananaskisCountry. Remember last year’s AlbertaForay in Rocky Mountain House ProvincialPark – it was a great weekend foray, and Iam sure this year’s foray will be equallygreat.
As all of you know, I work for theCanadian Forest Service. One of theprojects I am currently working onconcerns the eastward migration of themountain pine beetle. This beetle carrieswith it a suite of specific pathogenic andsaprobic ophiostomatoid fungi, e.g.,Ophiostoma. (Incidentally, species ofOphiostoma are responsible for wiping outDutch elm trees in most of eastern NorthAmerica and are now threatening elm trees
in western Canada.) These ophiostomatoidfungi are called blue-stain fungi, since theystain colonized wood in a bluish hue. Youlikely already know that mountain pinebeetle and blue-stain fungi are responsiblefor immense losses of lodgepole pine treesin B.C. What you may not know is that thisdeadly insect-fungus combination has beenexpanding its range into western Alberta,where it has been found in Banff andJasper National Parks and in the WilmoreArea. Current management tactics employvisual inspection of pine trees and burningcolonized/infected trees on site. Well, yousay, no problem, there is very littlelodgepole pine in Alberta, we have mostlyjack pine. That’s true; however, researchin my lab has shown that jack pine isequally, if not more, susceptible to the blue-stain fungi. In fact, the blue-stain fungiappear to be even more pathogenic in jackpine than in lodgepole pine. This is ofgreat concern to Alberta and the rest ofCanada, because we do not want toexperience here what B.C. has experiencedover the past decade, i.e., the decimation ofpine stands and the subsequent significantimpacts on the forestry industry.
Earlier this year, you may have seena series of reports in local newspapers andon TV about the impending mountain pinebeetle problem in Alberta. Theinformation you saw was generallyincorrect, suggesting that the beetle solelyis responsible for the death of the tree.Unless 1000s of beetles attack each andevery tree, the beetle can indeed kill a pinetree; however, this does not happen often.It is in fact the combined action of themountain pine beetle and blue-stain fungithat kills the tree. Together they overcomethe defence mechanisms of the tree,resulting in tree death in a matter ofweeks! Researchers across Canada areworking on the ecology of the beetle andfungi, trying to come up with a means tomanage this very serious threat toCanada’s pine stands. What we need areseveral very cold winters to kill off a largeportion of the existing beetle population.That seems to be the only means of“managing” this threat at this time.Incidentally, a mountain pine beetle wasrecently collected from a spruce tree. So,other conifer species may be at risk as well.
With that I wish you a continuedsuccessful mushroom season. It’s been agreat year so far and the best is yet tocome.
Happy ‘shrooming to you all,Markus
3Fall 2006 No. 3www.wildmushrooms.ws
(Armillaria ...continued on page 9)
Stem: 5-20 cm long; 0.5-3.5 cmthick; tapering to base; clusteredgrowth pattern; tough and fibrous;smooth and pale near apex, darkerand nearly hairy below; with apersistent ring at maturity and awhite partial veil covering the gillswhen young.Flesh: Whitish to watery tan.
Taste: Mild to bitter; smell sweet.Spore print: White.Microscopic features: Basidiospores7-9 x 6-7 µm; smooth; elliptical;inamyloid (no reaction to Melzer’sreagent – a test for the presence ofstarch in fungal tissues); basidialacking basal clamp connections.
Edibility“Armillaria mellea” is usually
recommended as a good edible;however, its identification isobviously not nearly as easy as wasonce thought (though there is noevidence that any of the otherspecies of Armillaria is poisonous).More importantly, the Honey
Mushroom is one of thosemushrooms that can cause minorgastric distress to some people. Ifyou are eating Armillaria for thefirst time, you should eat only afew bites so you can judge your
reaction.
PathologySix species of Armillaria
grow in western Canada andthe northwestern UnitedStates. Armillaria sinapina isthe most widespread andcommon species of these,occurring from 49° N to about57° N. The hosts of thisspecies are primarilybroadleaved trees and shrubs.Armillaria sinapina often alsocolonizes conifer stumps.
Armillaria nabsnona,Armillaria cepistipes andArmillaria gallica have beencollected only in the southernpart of B.C.
The four species ofArmillaria listed above areweakly pathogenic, and they
spread slowly on their host’sroot system. Usually, onlystressed hosts are killed.
A fifth species,Armillaria ostoyae, is the mostpathogenic North American
Armillaria species and occurs inwestern Canada from 49° N to about53° N. Its principal hosts areconifers; however, it can also attackbroadleaved trees, shrubs, and someherbs. Ponderosa pine (Pinusponderosa), western larch (Larix
occidentalis) aged 15 years andolder, and paper birch (Betula
papyrifera) are species with thegreatest tolerance to A. ostoyaeinfection. Armillaria ostoyae is aparasite, killing its hosts duringthe parasitic part of its life cycleand utilizing the host as a foodsource during its saprobic
(decomposer) phase. At a point ofinfection on a root initiated by arhizomorph or by root contact,the fungus initially spreads inthe outer bark and thenpenetrates to the cambial zonewithin the root. The hostresponds to the infection byproducing resin and new tissue(callus). Vigorous hosts or speciesmore tolerant of the fungus maylive for many years with dormant
root infections, but their growthmay be reduced. There are nocost-effective means ofcontrolling Armillaria rootdisease.
The sixth species, an
undescribed uncommon one
Upper Right: Oneexample of a Honeymushroom. Notice thestipe, veil and the gillstructure. Photocourtesy: LorettaPuckrin
Bottom Left: YoungArmillaria surroundingthe base of its host.Photo courtesy: MartinOsis
Armillaria (continued from page 1)
4 Fall 2006 No.3 www.wildmushrooms.ws
Some of the programs and
presentations that are tentatively
scheduled for the NAMA ForayWorkshop: Introductory beginners foray and theassociated identification session.
Presented by Dr. Walt Sundberg, University ofSouthern Illinois.
Mycophagy: The gourmet preparation of a selection ofedible fungi found on the foray. This event includestasting the various dishes.
Presented by Ursula Pohl
Workshop: Photography workshop and lecture.Presented by John Plishke
Fungi found in Sphagnum bogs and their ecological rolePresented by Dr. Markus Thormann, Canadian ForestService
Rocky Mountain Alpine fungiPresented by Dr. Cathy Cripps, University of Montana
Fungi, the strangest kingdom
Presented by Dr. B. Kendrick, author of The FifthKingdom.
Mushrooms of the Northern Rocky MountainsPresented by Dr. L. Hutchison, Lakehead University.
Revelations from 30 years of mushroom poisoningPresented by Michael Beug, Evergreen State
University
Mushroom cultivation for DummiesPresented by Ron Spinosa.
What’s eating - mycophageous insectsPresented by Britt Bunard,
Unique Fungi
Presented by Dr. Walter Sundberg, University ofSouthern Illinois
Workshop: Mushroom papermakingPresented by Kim Plishke
Mushrooms of the Gulf coastPresented by David Lewis
Fungal pharmacy - Medicinal Mushrooms of WesternCanada
Presented by Robert Rogers
NAMA photo contest prize winners. This is awonderful opportunity to get inspired and take your ownphotos for our EMS photo contest.
The biggest event in mushrooming to
come to Alberta is almost here.This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity for most of us that belong tothe Edmonton Mycological Society.
The NAMA Foray in the Hinton area
will allow mushroom enthusiasts to gatherand learn from each other as well as fromsome of the foremost experts in their fields.Whether you are a beginner, a buddingmycologist or higher up the learning ladder,there will be sessions and forays available toallow everyone to learn. Forays will be goingout to approximately 20 different locationsand will yield a multitude of fungi, manyspecies which we have never seen before andsome familiar.
What an opportunity to learn!
The sessions and presentations (right)on a variety of topics will allow participantsmany options and who wouldn’t love to tastesome delicious morsels of edibles.
Registration form and info are on ourwebsite www.wildmushrooms.ws. If you need
more details, contact Martin [email protected] or at home780-987-4412.
See you in Hinton!!
5Fall 2006 No. 3www.wildmushrooms.ws
Name: _________________________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________________
City: ________________________________________ Postal Code: _______________
Phone Number: _______________________ Email: ___________________________
EMS Annual Mushroom Photo ContestClosing Date: September 30, 2006
Competition Categories1. Best overall mushroom photo.
2. Best edible mushroom photo.
3. Best mushroom identification series
Every entry should have aphoto number (if you aresubmitting more than one) andthe date taken.
Entry Fees:Registration fee: covers the first photo $ 5.00Additional entries: ___ x $ 1.00 = $_____ Total: $_____
Submit entry fee by mail to:
Edmonton Mycological Society,1921 - 10405 JasperAvenue
Standard Life Building,Edmonton, AB T5J 3S2
Payment should accompany entries.Any entry not paid in full by thedeadline date may be disqualifiedfrom the competition. Entries maybe submitted by mail to the addressabove or emailed to [email protected]
You may also submit as many photos for the data base as you would like.Please indicate that they are for this purpose and NOT for the photocontest. There is NO fee for database photos. Your participation and entryautomatically give the Edmonton Mycological Society permission to useyour photos for EMS activities.
PrizesBest Edible
Fungi PhotoSorrentinos Dinner
Party for 10
Best Documentary
Photo or Series$300.00 cash
Best Overall Photo60% of the entry fees.
Martin Osis
Chr
isto
pher
Kol
acz
John Thompson
Martin Osis
6 Fall 2006 No.3 www.wildmushrooms.ws
The Gill Structure
If you look in any mushroomidentification book, you will findsome symbols that represent thestructure of the mushroom fruitingbody. These terms and symbols arethe basis of identification and it isimportant that you learn thevarious ways of describing fungi ifyou are to learn which ones areedible – or even to learn aboutmushrooms in more general terms.
The terms we will address inthis issue are:Free (not attached)Adnexed (narrowly attached)
Sinuate (notched)Adnate (broadly attached)Decurrent (running down the stalk).
As you can see there can besome confusion as to the properterm to apply. For example what is a
narrowly attached as opposed to abroadly attached. You can’t judge bymeasurement as a small cap fungusmight be broadly attached wherethe same physicalmeasurement in a large cap
species could be considerednarrowly attached. Thistype of judgement comeswith experience andconstant attempts toidentify unknown species(at least unknown to you)will prove to be the besttactic in gettingidentification under control.
FreeThis term is fairly self
explanatory. Just be carefulthat you don’t considersomething narrowlyattached because youhaven’t looked closelyenough! When in doubt cutthe mushroom in half
longitudinally (seephoto – sideview).This often help yousee the actualattachment. In freespecies the gills donot attachthemselves to thestem (or stipe) butrather they stop withthe cap of themushroom. Examinethe photo of theunderside of aMeadow Mushroom - Agaricus
campestris (photo #1). In thisexample you can clearly see that thegills are free of the stipe with aslight indentation between the endof the gills and the stipe itself. Thisis not notched as the gills simply
stop before the stipe. David Aroradescribes this gill as “close, free atmaturity” which you can see doesfit this example.
AdnexedIn this case the gills lightly
touch the stipe. Because the gillsare generally rounded at the ends, itcan appear that they are free. Agood hand-held magnifying lenshelps to determine which is the
case. When in doubt ask your foraypartner what they see. A secondopinion is always worth havingwhen it come to identification.Photo #2 is of a Rusulla species.This entire family is described as
Sideview of mushroom - cutting the sample in half sometimeshelps in determining the gill attachment.
Note the gill attachement on themushroom commonly know asthe fairy ring mushroom.Photo #1 - Agaricus campestris is an example of a
mushroom with free gills.
7Fall 2006 No. 3www.wildmushrooms.ws
“adnexed to adnate and sometimesfree” as to the gills. The exampleshow would be classified asadnexed. The same range ofdescription is applied to the fairyring mushroom. How would youdescribe the gill attachment in thisspecies?
SinuateThe notched gills have a
definite ‘step’ before they join thestipe. Whether they actually touchthe stipe or not is of less importancethan knowing there is a notch. Inphoto #3 you can clearly see thenotched shape near the stipe of the
sample mushroom. The gillsdo not continue down thestipe therefore they are NOTdecurrent.
AdnateIn many cases the
adnate gills are broadlyattached and they don’t havethe rounded inside shapewhich makes it easy to see ifthey are attached. In this
case it is important that theattachment does not gosubstantially down the strip
as that would be considereddecurrent. Check out the gillsstructure of the honey mushroom(photo #4). You can see why the
description in David Arora’s“Mushrooms Demystified” is“adnate to slightly decurrent orsometimes notched”. There is adefinite ‘step’ in the gills beforethey attach to the stipe. There isno question but that they doattach their full depth – therefore
(Gill Structure ...continued on page 9)Photo #3
Photo #2 is an example of adnexed gillstructure as shown here in a Rusullaspecimen.
Phot #4. A honey mushroom showingslightly decurrent gills.
Photo #5: The shaggy parasol gills are easily broken.
broadly attachedand adnate. In thisexample there is a
‘trailing edge’ of thegills that works itsway down the stipetherefore thedescription of‘slightly decurrent’.
DecurrentFor this
category the gillsare not onlyattached to the
stipe but theydecend the stalk to
some degree. Chanterellemushrooms are a good example ofdecurrent gills.
There are 2 other ways of
describing the gill structure.One deals with the spacing
between the gills – so you can haveclose or widely spaced, andeverything in between. Which of thespecies shown here would you
8 Fall 2006 No.3 www.wildmushrooms.ws
The City of ChampignonsMushroom Exposition is fastapproaching. The day before - July 29 --members are asked to pick as manydifferent types of mushrooms as arewilling to be found. Simply go to theareas where you know there aremushrooms and pick samples. Allspecies of mushrooms are accepted --edible and non-edible. Please pickcarefully and take the entire stalk withsome of the surrounding natural area.It is great to display both themushroom and where it was found (asmall pine branch, grass, leaves). Thisadds to the visual display as well. Tokeep the specimens fresh pack them in
moss to preserve the moisture level. Alsoremember that different stages of the samemushroom species are also important, especiallywhen showing the general public what to expectwhen they go out looking for mushrooms ontheir own. Of course we will all encourage themto join our club and learn more about the fungifamily before they go on forays by themselves.
EMS will have display tables set up at thePine Pavilion as well as tables with labelledmushrooms for all to see and enjoy. Some of thedisplay tables will include - membership, SporePrint, mushroom books and a newly releasedbook by one of our members - Robert Rogers.
Enjoy special, fresh-cooked mushroomdishes and check out the ones that are availableto buy and take home.
Short forays will also be happening. Thiswill be a chance for everyone go for a walk andexperience a mini-foray.
Needless to say, volunteers are needed tohelp set up the display tables, assist at thevarious display areas, welcome and talk to thevisitors that will be arriving. Please respond to a
Request for Volunteers message that has beenemailed out. Contact Melanie [email protected] or at home780-987-4412
With enough volunteers, everyone will havea chance to sample the mushroom recipes, check
out the foray findings and learn a little bit moreabout some of the varieties of mushrooms. It is afun, educational and interesting event that helpsto promote our association.
TThheeEEddmmoonnttoonn MMyyccoollooggiiccaall SSoocciieettyy
pprreesseennttss
“City of Champignons” Mushroom Exposition 2006
Sunday, July 30 (11 am – 4 pm)
Devonian Botanic GardenHighway 60, North of Devon
DISPLAY TABLESSee specimens of WILD mushrooms – Would you like to know which are
edible, poisonous, medicinal?Check out the scientific displays, photographs, field guides, cookbooks, and more….
ACTIVITIESB.Y.O.F.: “Bring Your Own Fungi” for identification
Slide Show: “Introduction to Mushrooms” (Noon & 2 pm)Mushroom walk: On the Devonian Garden Trails (1 pm)
The display table at the Mushroom Exposition in 2005
9Fall 2006 No. 3www.wildmushrooms.ws
termed NABS X, has so far only beencollected in southeastern B.C., whereit occurs primarily on conifers.
MycorrhizasSome Armillaria species can act
as mycorrhizal fungi to support thegrowth of orchids and other non-
photosynthetic plants. Orchid seedsare so tiny, that they hold virtuallyno food reserves for the developingseedling. Consequently, without thepresence of the appropriateArmillaria species in their
developing root systems, theseorchid seedlings would not surviveand reach maturity. The fungusproduces coils in the cells of theorchid tubers. Later, these coils aredigested by the orchid as a source ofnutrients. Also, Armillariarhizomorphs that infect the orchidare also sometimes attached to rootsof nearby trees. By doing so, thefungus essentially acts as a bridgebetween the tree and the orchid,shuttling nutrients from the tree tothe orchid.
BioluminescenceBioluminescence is defined as
the production and emission of light
by a living organism asthe result of a chemicalreaction during whichchemical energy isconverted to lightenergy. The wholesubject ofbioluminescence iswanting for anexplanation, especiallyas it pertains tomushrooms.
The greenish light,known as “foxfire”, isgiven out not only by themushrooms themselvesbut also by themycelium. The surfacelayers of the mycelium ofsuch impregnated wood,which is called
“touchwood”, can be seen to glowfairly brightly for one or twoweeks. This property has inspired
fear and wonder since timeimmemorial. Legends describingsuch eerie encounters can be foundin ancient Greek, Roman, andIndian texts. People from manyparts of the world have found uses
for these natural lanterns. In 1652people in the far north ofScandinavia would place pieces ofrotten oak bark at intervals whenventuring into the forest. Theycould then find their way back by
following the light. Similarly,during World War I, soldiers in thetrenches placed touchwood on theirhelmets to keep from bumping intoeach other in the dark.
As you can see, the Honey
Mushroom is a multifacetedbasidiomycete. It is edible (withcaution!), glows in the dark, assistsorchids by supplying them withnutrients, and is the mostsignificant tree pathogen in
Canada. This diversity ofcharacteristics makes Armillaria atruly amazing individual in a trulyamazing kingdom.
Another example of Armillaria at the base of its hosttree. Notice the environment. Photo courtesy: LorettaPuckrin
Markus Thormann
describe as close? I am sure that theRussula sample was one. The fairyring and honey mushrooms areexamples of widely spaced gills.
The other method ofidentifying when applied to gills iswhether all the gills are the samelength or whether some go all theway to the stipe while others stoppart way there. The fairy ring is agood example of a mushroom thathas intermediate gills – gills thatare not all the same length. You canalso see this in the honeymushroom and the Rusulla whilethe meadow mushroom, as well asthe shaggy parasol (photo 5 on page
7) have gills all the same length.
How would you describeour mystery mushroom (below)?It certainly has specific
characteristics.
Loretta Puckrin
Gill Structure
(continued from page 7)
10 Fall 2006 No.3 www.wildmushrooms.ws
Bisporella citrina
Coprinus micaceusFomes fomentariusLentinus sp.Morchella elataNectria cinnabarinaPhellinus punctatusPleurotus ostreatus (last year’s)Phyllotopsis nidulansPluteus sp.
Our Annual Morel Foray on May 13, 2006 in Rannach ProvincialGrazing Reserve, north of Two Hills, was well attended. After a somewhatconfusing breakfast venue, we spent most of the next several hours underwet clouds and on the wrong side of the North Saskatchewan River. We didfind a few morels and several other species (see below) but the soil
temperature was just too cold for generous fruiting. The temperaturesrecorded averaged 8°C, which is nearly 5°C colder than it should be foroptimum fruiting. After a group photo in the Rannach Reserve, most of thegroup crossed the river to try their luck on the south facing river valleywithin the St. Paul’s Grazing Reserve. There was an immediate change inthe increased flowering and of course in the quantity of morels.
Rannach Provincial Grazing Reserve
Foray - the Morel Hunt
Species list from Spring foray at
Rannach Provincial Grazing Reserve near Two Hills
Psathyrella hydrophilaPsathyrella sp.Sarcoscypha coccineaSchizophyllum communeStereum hirsutumStereum purpureumTrametes elegansTrametes hirsutaTrichaptum biformisTrichaptum abietinum
Verpa bohemica
One of ourexecutivemembers, RobertRogers, has justcompleted a bookabout fungi thatconcentrates onthose found inWestern Canada.Entitled “TheFungal Pharmacy,MedicinalMushrooms ofWestern Canada”
the book covers tradition and historicalreferences as well as traditional medicinaluses and modern medicine research. Thehoney mushroom entry has this comment“Traditionally, it was boiled in milk oralcohol for inflammations of the throat. “This refers to the use in China forthousands of years! Or “Lumberjacksfrom Bohemia consumed the mushroombelieving it protected them against cancer.They were right!” I’ll let you check out TheFungal Pharmacy to find out whichmushroom was preferred in this case. Forthose who are having problems with thescientific names, you might find thederivatives of interest. For example, whentalking of our featured mushroom in thisSpore Print, the honey mushroom, youfind that “Armilla means “ a ring” andmellea “ honey coloured”. That nowmakes sense and gives you clues as to howto identify the species and remember thescientific name. For anyone who likesmushrooms or believes in herbal therapy,this book makes for great reading and auseful resource. Copies of the book will beavailable at the “City of Champignons”exposition at the Devonian Gardens at theend of this month. See you there.
Sorrentino’s
Mushroom Festivalwill be happening
September1-30, 2006
Bill Richards
EMS participates in thisevent. Martin Osis will beinterviewed at Sorrention’s onGlobal TV on September 13 byLorraine Mansbridge.
11Fall 2006 No. 3www.wildmushrooms.ws
Chondrostereum purpureumClavicorona pyxidataClitocybe gibbaCoprinus micaceusCortinarius sp.Cortinarius trivialisCrepidotus mollisExidia glandulosaFomes fomentariusFomitopsis cajanderiFomitopsis pinicolaFomitopsis roseaGloeophyllum sepiariumGymnopus dryophilusGyromitra esculentaGyromitra gigasHeliocybe sulcataHelvella lacunosaHericium coralloidesInocybe sp.Irpex lacteusLeccinum borealeLenzites elegansLycogala epidendrumLycoperdon nigrescensMarasmius pallidocephalusMarasmius sp.Melanoleuca sp.Mycena adonis var. adonisMycena galericulataMycena haematopusMycena sp.Omphalina epichysiumPeziza repandaPhellinus igniariusPhellinus tremulaePholiota flammansPhyllotopsis nidulansPiptoporus betulinusPleurotus ostreatusPlicaturopsis crispaPluteus cervinus var. cervinusPluteus romelliiPolyporus alveolarisPolyporus leptocephalusPsathyrella sp.Pycnoporus cinnabarinusRussula sp.Schizophyllum communeStropharia sp.Thelephora terrestrisTremella foliaceaTrichaptum abietinumTrichaptum sp.Tricholoma saponaceum var. saponaceumTricholomopsis rutilansXeromphalina campanella
Species list Poplar Creek
June 17-18 2006Poplar Creek Foray Report
Though the Annual Poplar Creek Foray is no longer an oystermushroom foray, it is still well attended. Once again the New MooseHill Hall was sold out for what was the Second Annual Pig Roast.Unlike previous years the weather was cooperative with pleasantsunshine. Fortunately it had been wet prior to our visit so there was adiversity of fungi (see side bar). This year information was alsocollected on the vascular plants - thanks to Janette Malton. This veg-list will be forwarded separately as part of the club’s volunteersteward commitment to Alberta Parks & Protected Areas.
There has been a great change in the number of healthy trees inthe Poplar Natural Area, resulting in fewer oyster mushrooms.During the first years of foraying in this area there were manystanding dead aspen poplar. This standing dead forest was as theresult of several repeated infestations of the forest tent caterpillarsthrough the region. These weakened trees became home for oystermushrooms in the spring and in the fall for innumerable honeymushrooms.
Dr. Bryce Kendrick
Seminar
Topic: “Fungi - The Strangest Kingdom”
Date: August 23Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Northern Forestry Centre
5320 - 122 Street, Edmonton, Ab
Bryce Kendrick hails from Liverpool, England and completedhis Ph.D. in Mycology at the University of Liverpool. He sailed toCanada where he was awarded a Post-Doctoral Fellowship of theNational Research Council. While working on moulds in Ottawa hewas offered a position by the Federal Government and spent thenext six years at the Biosystematics Research Centre where hecontinued to acquire more mycological knowledge. As Bryce statedin his biographical sketch “ I soon learned that a Ph. D is only thebeginning of one’s professional education”. Bryce eventuallyobtained a teaching position at the University of Waterloo. Here hisinterests broadened, research support grew and he continued withteaching, research, writing and environmental activism.
We are very fortunate to have a speaker of his calibre atour meeting so please mark August 23 on your calendar andplan to attend. Please note that this is our general meetingwith a location change. Please check your email for moredetails. Hope to see everyone there.
Bill Richards
12 Fall 2006 No.3 www.wildmushrooms.ws
AugustNorth AmericanMycologicalAssociation(NAMA) Foray
Events: Speakers, workshops andforays
Location: Hinton & Area
Meeting:Dr. Bryce Kendrick.Location: Northern ForestryCentre
Summer Evening foray in theEdmonton River ValleyMushrooms: Various
Location: TBA
SeptemberFoothills Campout andForayMushroom: HoneyMushrooms, Hedgehogs
and Chanterelles
Location: Lambert Creek Area
Meeting: Honey mushrooms -the multiple faces of Armillariaby Markus Thormann
OctoberMeeting: Scary and nastymushrooms by Martin OsisPhoto Contest Recap
NovemberPresident’s Dinner
Meeting: Mushroomidentification DVD/Video byTaylor Lockwood
JulyNew Members FieldOrientation and Camp-outMushroom: Various seasonal
Location: Ashland Dam Site
Mid-Summer Evening Foray inthe Edmonton River ValleyMushrooms: Various
Location: TBA
Southern Alberta ForayMushrooms: Leccinum,Russula, Lactarius andother Agarics
Location: Bow Valley Provincial Park
Meeting: Mushroomidentification aids - stains andother chemicals Final discussions and plans for themushroom exposition at theDevonian
Pre-exposition forayMushrooms: As many differentvarieties as possible.Location: Members choice.
“City of Champignons”Mushroom ExpositionMushrooms: Any and all typesof fungi
Location: Devonian Botanic Garden
MarchMeeting: New memberorientation by Alan Flemingand Introduction to FieldGuides by Martin Osis
AprilMeeting: Foray FashionShow and some do’s anddon’ts by Bill Richards
MayAspen Parkland / BorealForest RegionsMushrooms: Morels,Verpas and Spring AgaricsLocation: RannachProvincial Grazing Reserve
Meeting: Morels and otherspring mushrooms by MikeSchulz
JuneVolunteer StewardCommitment and Pig RoastMushroom: VariousseasonalLocation: Poplar Creek
Natural Area
Summer Evening Foray in theEdmonton River ValleyMushroom: Variousseasonal
Location: TBA
EMS Calendar of Events for 2006
General Member Meetings
Fourth Wednesday of every month -Time: 7:00 pm Location: Riverbend Library
Please Join Us!!All forays are undertaken at your ownrisk. You are responsible for transpor-tation and accommodation.
22
26
13
24
17
21
28
8/9
19
29
30
26
22/23
17-20
23
9/10
30
27
25
TBA
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