NeottiellaNeottiella vividavivida Andrus Voitk

Photo: Maria Voitk Sometimes there is no particular reason to show a mushroom. Except simply that it is beautiful, a joy to share. There are many small orange cups, whose identifi cation can be diffi cult, partly because they are not often encountered. From its picture Dave Malloch suspected this to be a Neottiella. From several quite similar Neottiella species, this fi t with either N. rutilans or N. vivida: habitat (moss on a sandy meadow), habitus (seated deep in sand among moss), macroscopic appearance (size; cup orange inside and out, hairy edge, short pale stem). Their difference is microscopic, as you learn from the new Ascomycete book by Beug, Bessette, and Bessette: N. rutilans has smooth, reticulate , N. vivda has fi nely warty spores. The spores of this specimen were fi nely warty. The asco book, already useful, is reviewed by Dave on pp. 25-27. Photo: Michael Burzynski

24 OMPHALINA BBookook rrevieweview DDaveave MMallochalloch

472 pp. Texas University Press MW Beug, AE Bessette, AR Bessette Austin TX 2014 ASCOMYCETE FUNGI An order from Amazon.ca totalled $84.00 CAD, taxes and shipping included. The discounted web Of North America $80.00 price at the publishers website, is US$56.95. A MUSHROOM REFERENCE GUIDE

This new book on North American pages for each species include a in detail. In some species there ascomycetes is a welcome surprise. simple description of macro- and may also be some comments on Treating about 600 species of microscopic features followed by edibility. The book ends with a ascomycetes it compares favorably a paragraph outlining habitat and glossary of mycological terms, with any of the larger books on geographic distribution. A fi nal a list of photo credits, an index North American basidiomycetes. paragraph, labelled for common names and one for The authors have attemptedtempted scientiscientifi c nnames. to bridge the gap between tween TThehe introdintroductoryu section is brief, beginners and ddeclaringeclaring a detailed discussion more advanced of ascomascomyceteyc biology to be enthusiasts by bebeyondyond tthehe scope of the book. taking a fairly Michael W. Beug TThehe photphotographsog of microscopic scholarly approach Alan E. Bessette ffeatureseatures aarere clear but few in to their subject ASCOMYCETE FUNGI Arleen R. Bessette numbernumber aandn not likely to inspire while at the same ETE FUNGI of North America a new gegenerationn of amateur time presenting the microscopists.microsco I suspect most material in a very A MUSHROOM REFERENCE GUIDE readersreaders wwill quickly skip over user-friendly way. thisthis secsectiont and get on with the They have arranged excellentexcelle keys, descriptions the descriptions and andand ilillustrations,lu which are the illustrations in a formatmat realreal strengthst of this unabashed that is taxonomically of North America y fi eld gguide. up-to-date and not necessarily intuitive,, TThehe keys really are good. but have provided entryntry ThThee authors undoubtedly to this system throughgh ggaveav them a great deal of a creative use of pictureture ththoughto and somehow keys that anyone cann easileasilyy mmanaged to integrate

follow. n ususeful thumbnail pphotographs with

The book includes an BEUG et al. an ttraditional dichotomous introduction to ascomycetes mycetes kkeys. Users can take an accompanied by severalvSheeral ntifi c unknown collectionc through these photographs of microscopicrmerousosco pic es “Comments” kkeyseys step bby step, or they can just characteristics, an identidentifi cation contains a discussion of the skim over tthe thumbnails until key combining texts and pictures contains a discussion of the correct name for the species and they come upon the species they and a main section made up of also a short overview of similar have in hand. As an educator, I descriptions and illustrations of species not treated by the book have long known that some people individual species. The descriptive are verbal in their approach to OMPHALINA 25 Picture Key to the Major Types 2b. Interior hollow or of thick folds of mush- of Included Ascomycetes room tissue ...... 3 of both macro- and microscopic 1a. Epigeous (aboveground) Ascomycetes features are detailed enough 3a. Interior hollow or folds of tissue, usually (see also 3b) ...... 9 buried at maturity, spores forcibly dis- to be useful to most users. The 1b. Hypogeous (below ground) Ascomycetes charged or not ...... 4 ...... 2 descriptions of microscopic 3b. Interior hollow, opening to the surface at the structures are quite precise and top by splitt ing into rays, spores forcibly dis- 2a. Interior near or at maturity ± completely charged, sometimes with an audible hiss will be useful to professional fi l l e d ...... 5 mycologists. Greater detail will only be found in technical journals. Writers of popular basidiomycete books could learn a lesson or two here. Under the heading “Occurrence” the authors outline what is known about the specifi c habitat of the species as well as its known Sarcosphaera coronaria ammophila A (sand dunes) p. 204 Chorioactis geaster W, NE p. 250 Texas p. 139 geographic distribution. Readers in Newfoundland, as well as the rest of Canada, will fi nd there are some inaccuracies regarding our country. For example, the location “northeastern North America” Geopora pellita QC p. 89 NE + CO p. 89 Geopora sepulta E p. 90 is often used when the authors really mean “northeastern USA DISTRIBUTION NOTES USED IN CAPTIONS: A = ince abbreviations are standard except that and adjacent parts of Canada”. widespread; N, S, E, W = region in North Amer- NE = northeast, not Nebraska; MX = Mexico; ica; M = mountains; C = coast; B = boreal; WC = west coast; EC = east coast. Mitrula paludosa is said to occur MW = Midwest; ? = uncertain; state and prov- in northeastern Canada, although it really is known mainly from southern Canada. Neocudoniella Beginning of thumbnail key: both word and picture guide the reader radicella is quoted as growing in to the correct identifi cation; “thumbnails” are of good size and “boreal forests across Canada and excellent quality. probably the northern portions of North America”. I suspect that they really mean “northern portions of Ascomycete Fungi of North America 16 the USA”.

identifi cation while others are more Sphaeronaemella helvellae. In The comments on each species visual. This book takes both by the turning to the page indicated by the are again far from condescending. hand and walks them through to thumbnail, we come to the main Some readers will get more than their goal. Wonderful! The keys page for Gyromitra infula, where they need here, while professionals do not take the identifi er just to a under the Comments paragraph and advanced amateurs will fi nd featured species, but may include there is a detailed description a great deal of useful information. species not given a major entry of S. helvellae, a very small Discussions of nomenclature but nevertheless included in more ascomycete growing parasitically and are carefully detailed comments. By and large, within the cap of G. infula. documented by current literature the thumbnails are large enough There are no photographs of the citations. Occasionally the to be useful but a few may be Sphaeronaemella and it is doubtful descriptive pages have a short somewhat unclear to those not the thumbnail in the key would be paragraph dealing with edibility. already familiar with the species. chosen by a person who actually This seems a little inconsistent: One unexpected diversion is observed it. with morels and similar fungi found among the thumbnails of this makes sense but it can be The main descriptive pages are spotty elsewhere. For example Gyromitra species, where a rather nicely organized. The descriptions mutilated fruiting body is labelled Sarcoscypha austriaca is declared

26 OMPHALINA to be “nonpoisonous but not recommended”, but there is no comment on the edibility of S. coccinea on the following page. Some species of Helvella have comments on edibility while others do not. The treatment of morels is right at the cutting edge of our knowledge and lays out, perhaps for the fi rst time in such a book, the baffl ing array of known species. These species are hard to tell apart and are still mostly the territory of molecular biologists. However, most readers who have searched for morels will probably fi nd the discussions fascinating. Fortunately, according to these authors, all morels are edible if well cooked, so taxonomy should not interfere with the delight of eating these little morsels. There are several pages devoted to species of truffl es and truffl e- like fungi. These may be less useful to Newfoundlanders than to western Americans but are great Example of text page: 17 x 25 cm, ample room, legible text, beautiful photo, full to see. Most books simply ignore description, discussion includes similar species. them. One practice here I do not condone is the use of so-called “nomina nuda”, that is, names that have yet to be formally published well thought out. The glossary on North American ascomycetes. according to agreed-upon of terms is thorough, as is the The authors understate its procedures. In this book several bibliography. The authors are to importance by citing Seaver’s unpublished names are introduced be congratulated on their efforts to monumental North American Cup in the Elaphomyces with the be as up-to-date as possible. The Fungi in its 1978 reprint rather than comment “in preparation”. Once indices of common and scientifi c pointing out that this was originally these illegitimate names make names are thorough. The scientifi c published in two volumes in their way into the wider literature index even includes some plant 1942 and 1951. We have waited they become confusing. Should species although not all. I would a long time for such a book. It someone publish names for these have preferred to see the scientifi c may contain a small percentage species before the ones used here index to be alphabetized by species of the ascomycetes we are likely are published we will have yet as well as genus, since many of to fi nd and is mainly restricted to another set of useless names to us have yet to adapt to the latest the larger and more conspicuous deal with. While nomina nuda can generic names and may have species but is nevertheless a be sorted out by professionals, diffi culty fi nding the entry for a wonderful aid to identifi cation. I they can become a nightmare for species we are familiar with. enthusiastically recommend this amateurs and non-specialists. In summary, despite a few small book to amateurs and professionals alike, and congratulate its authors The fi nal sections of the book are quibbles, I like this book very much. It is a landmark publication on a job very well done. OMPHALINA 27