Category: Home Feature
Wanted: Phaeolus schweinitzii
Phaeolus schweinitzii (Dyer’s polypore) is (as mentioned by our September speaker, Alissa Allen) often collected as a choice dye mushroom. It is also a tree pathogen, causing root rot and butt rot in conifers [1][2]. So if you are not collecting P. schweinitzii for…
Amanita muscaria poisoning report
A recent report in the Journal of Clinical Toxicology describes a case of severe Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) poisoning. The victim said that he consumed about 8 caps of Amanita muscaria. Friends later found him “covered in vomit, urine and feces”. They took him…
Introduction to Mushrooms, Class 1
Introduction to Mushrooms, Class 1, is now available on demand to OMS Members via the OMS Media Center. Introduction to Mushrooms is OMS’s Beginner Identification Course, created by OMS Education co-chairs Dick Bishop and Sallie Jones. The Course has three Classes. Dick Bishop has created audio-visual…
Can Golf Balls Grow On Trees?
Although they resemble golf balls, this is actually the mushroom Cyttaria darwinii (Darwin’s fungus). Cyttaria darwinii grows in the southern tip of South America. It was collected and described by Charles Darwin. It’s edible and can grow in large quantities, with dozens of mushrooms…
Pucciniales (Rust fungi)
Although Pucciniales (Rust fungi) are tiny — often appearing as just discolorations on leaves — they have some of the largest fungal genomes, with a complicated and fascinating life cycle, and are an important plant pathogen. To learn (a lot) more about them, try…
Know your trees
Many mushrooms, including some of our prime edibles, are associated with particular kinds of trees. The ability to identify trees can help you identify mushrooms and narrow your search for edibles. In order to help OMS members with tree ID, OMS has held specialized…
Morels: Where did they start?
With the start of Morel season, it’s interesting to contemplate where Morels themselves started. Studies published within the last 11 years suggest that Morels originated in North America. A Study published 18 March 2021 reexamines the evidence. There are over 80 Morchella (Morel) species…
OMS Scholarship Winner Michael Bradshaw — update
2019 OMS Scholarship winner Michael Bradshaw just published two papers in prestigious mycological journals. The latest print issue of Mycologia — the journal of the Mycological Society of America — includes:Michael Bradshaw et al. (2021). Phylogeny and taxonomy of powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe species on Corylus hosts, Mycologia, 113:2, 459-475, DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2020.1837568. And Michael…
A Bolete Story: 50 Years of Macrofungi
A March 12 talk by Roy Halling, a world-renowned bolete expert, has been put online by the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG). Dr. Halling explores some highlights of 50 years of researching boletes and other macrofungi, including photos of some of the species he…
2021 NAMA Mushroom Poisoning Report
The North American Mycological Association periodically issues reports on mushroom poisonings in the NAMA database. These well-written and lively reports always make for interesting and informative reading. The 2021 report covers cases from 2018 through 2020. You can find the Executive Summary in the…
