BULLETIN OF THE PUGET SOUND MYCOLOGICAL SOC IETY Monroe Center, 1810 N.W. 65th St., Seattle, WA 98117

October 1985 Number 215

PRE SIDENT'S MESSA GE Marg ar et Di lly 1967, NAMA was incorporated, and trustees were elec­ ted from 12 regions, three from institutions and As we move into October and the best of the mushroom eight from affiliated societies. Committees were for­ season, which may be leaner than in some years, we med in all phases of mycology. Through their look forward to another fun filled, successful ex­ efforts, an annual slide contest is held, and round hibit. If the enthusiasm of our chairman and the co­ robin slide exchanges and membership slide exchanges operation of the membership are an indicator, we have become important functions of NAMA. These ex­ should have the best show ever. It is amazing what changes are of great assistance, particularly to can be accomplished with many working toward the same clubs who have no professionals available. goal. Annual forays are held all over North America. These Our club is very fortunate. Not only do we have are hosted by the local club. Each foray honors some among our ranks a mushroom expert, namely Brian person, past or present, who has made a great contri­ Luther, but we have the availability of a large Uni­ bution to mycology. In addition, a prestigious "Award versity and its Professor of Mycology, Dr. Ammirati, for Contributions to Amateur Mycology" is given which his students, and his library. Add to that many well carr�es a life-time membership and a suitable plaque. informed members who claim the late Dr. Stuntz as Our beloved late Dr. Stuntz was the recipient in their mentor, a great book committee that keeps us up 1977, and Kit Scates, a great educator and our member to date and supplied with the latest publications, a from Idaho, in 1976. Our club hosted the NAMA Foray fairly well equipped library, and, due to the dona­ at Fort Worden in 1980. tion of the Spurrs, an extensive slide library. Every several years NAMA organizes an overseas trip Those who read the board news in Spore Prints, and to such countries as England, Scotland, , that should be everyone, probably noticed in the Sep­ Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, and China. Many famous tember 1985 issue that PSMS has affiliated with the and renowned mycologists are an integral part of North American Mycological Association (NAMA) . This NAMA. We should be very proud of our affiliation. is a broadly based, nonprofit organization run strictly by volunteer effort. Its officers and trus­ In addition to making available all educational mate­ tees are located all over North America. Once a rial NAMA offers to all PSMS members, our affiliation year, NAMA meets as a group at a Foray to conduct entitles PSMS members who also hold full NAMA member­ business that requires a vote of the board, while ship to a reduction in their NAMA dues. More infor­ other business during the year is done by mail and mation about NAMA is available in our library. phone. As an affiliate member, our club is assessed at the small sum of 10 cents per member per year. This entitles us to a trustee on the board, so we, WELCOME TO THE FOLLOW ING NEW MEMBERS too, have a voice in its operation. Jennie Schmitt, our delegate this year at the Foray in West Virginia, Bigelow, Deni se 329-2266 sent back a brief report (printed elsewhere in this Bor land, Berta & Ru ssell 363-1867 issue) and the program and itinerary. From this I Emanuel, Irving 527-7349 extracted some of NAMA's history. Ferrier, Cordon & Jean 788-4518 Eichelberger , Steve 485-1491 It all began as the brain child of Harry Knighton, Hammons, Charlotte 432-1032 its present executive director and editor of its Jaques, Helga & Fredy 226-4383 newsletter, Mycophile. Finding some fungi he could Morgan, Llyle & Stayner, Don 441-4012 not identify led him to form a People to People Com­ Morrell, Dorothy 282-7042 mittee on Fungi as a part of a larger Native Commit­ Poppe , Wa lter 772-2855 tee at the Museum of Natural History. Among Seo , Connie & Jae 782-4702 the "people" were professional mycologists, plant Stenoien, Deborah 783·6483 pathologists, collectors who kept herbariums, photog­ Tatelman, David 365-1834 raphers, and mycophagists (gastronomic interest). In Valentine, Ml.ry Ann 329-8448 all, a group of about 50 received their first news­ Wasik, James & Martha 775-0917 letter in April 1960. Their first foray, held in Watanabe, Anne & Brown, Jeffrey 783-7244 Ohio, saw 13 in attendance. Growth was slow but West, Ron 878-8718 steady. By 1966 they met as a huge committee on Williams, Gerald & Karin 485-1491 fungi at a foray in New Hampshire. Later that same year, at Priest Lake, Idaho, they became America's first national amateur mycological association. In Rem ember: The gener al meeting is on October 7th. eisl1_ip

Monday, October 7, 1985, at 8:00 p.m. in the Monroe Center. auditorium, 1810 N.W. 65th St., Seattle.

Our speaker for October will be Dr. William Cibula of ( NASA's Earth Resources Laborat-0ry in Mississippi. Dr. Cibula will speak on "Gulf Coast Fungi," with an emphasis on boletes. Dr. Cibula is a. S.!'lnior Botanist at the Earth Resources Lab., where he is currently working on satellite mapping of the earth's vegeta­ �\\(J� tion .

is published monthly, except July and August, by the PUGET SOUND MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL EXHIBIT Dennis Bowman Monroe Center, 1810 N.W. 65th St., Seattle, WA 98117 Direct all mail to this address All of us on the exhiblt staff would like to welcome all of you PSMSers out there to the upcoming mushroom

.OFFICERS: Margaret Dilly, President, 19.86 (1) show. We are being bJessed with bountiful rains, a. _,_n�d_ __ Gilbert Austin, Vice President, 1987 (1) we expect an exceptional collection for the display. Ferris Anderson, Treasurer, 1986 (2) Bett.y (2) Hamilton, Secretary,- 1987 Please come and enjoy a mushroom extravaganza where you can see mushrooms collected from coast to desert TRUSTEES: Term expires March 1986: Ed Bush (1 ), and Mt. Baker to Mt. Rainier. All in one stop. Sally Ann Hansen (l ), Betty Okura (1 ), Pacita Roberts ( 1), Ron Skoor ( 1). Term expires March 19 87: Ernie Boa (2), We are expecting a busy exhibit, and if any of you Judi Boa (2), Dennis Bowman (1), Andy PSMSers out there can lend an hour of your time, it Green (l),Charlotte Turner-Zilla (2). would be muchly appreciated, Just stop in at mush­ room headquarters, Room 104 Monroe Center, and look . Morley McCall, Brian Read like you might like to do something.

Dr.,Joseph F. Ammirati All exhibit workers, please stop at Room 104 to pick Room 104 of the Monroe Center. up your name tags. (Thanks, Sarah) Hours: Tuesdays 6 - 9 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Our poster is spectacular and the mushrooms should be plentiful. See you all at the exhibit. Agnes Sieger, 15555 14th N.E., Seattle, WA 98155

1985 . NAMA FORAY

Past PSMS president (and current NAMA delegate) Calendar? Jennie Schmitt writes that the 1985 foray of the North American Mycological Association was a big success. Each year, the foray is held in a different Oct. 5 & 6 Field Trip to Lake Wenatchee State Park region of the country. This year's event, sponsored Oct. 7 Membership meeting by the Mycological AssociaJion uf Washington (D.C. , Oct. 12,13 PSl'v5 22nd Annual Mushroom Exhibit that is), was held 1-4 August at C11:naan Valley Resort Oct. 14 Beginner & lntenned. classes, 7-9 p.m. State Park in West Virginia. Accor-Oing to Jennie, Oct. 15 Beginner class, 10 a.m. - noon -· 260 people were registered, not counting families, Legislative Committee Meeting, with 450-500 specimens brought in and tallied. Be­ 7:30 p.m. Library sides Jennie and her husband, Dave, the foray was Oct. 19,20 Field Trip to Crystal Springs attended by three other long-time PSMS member..s, Ben Oc • 21 Beginner class,_ 7-9 p.m. Woo 11nd George and Tatiana Roats._ Board meet ing Oct. 22 Beginner class, 10 a.m. - noon Jennie reports that there were lots of learning ses­ Oct. 25 Spore Prints deadline- sions, ali led by knowledgeable mycologist.s, too Oct.' 26,27 Field Trip to the Dal les Fo rest Carp many, in fact, to att.end all they wanted to. Jennie Oct. 28 Beginner & Intermed. classes, 7-9 p.m. didn't get to any of the field trips, but she and Oct. 29 Beginner class, 10 a.m. - noon Dave more than_ made up for it on the wine and cheese Legislative Canni ttee �eting, parties and the NAMA silver anniversary banquet. As 7:30 p.m. Library Jennle says, "Pie and cake at every meal. " Nov. 2,3 Field Tr ip to Deception Pass Nov. 4 Beginner & Intenned. classes, 7-9 p.m. For fJrst-ha.nd details, see Dave anci Jennie when they Nov. 5 Beginner class, 10 a.m. - noon get back to Wash1ngt�n (State) next J�nuary. page 2 J

LEG ISLATIVE COMMITIEE Lori Koox CONGRATULATIONS, GREG A. A. s.

The next two legislative committee meetings will be By the time you read this, PSMS member Greg Mueller held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15, and Tues­ will be settling into his new job as curator of myco­ day, October 29, in the PSMS library. logical collections at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, where he will be working with The meetings will include assignment (and completion) Rolf Singer. For those of you who might not appre­ of subcommittee projects and preparation of material ciate how great a plum this is, Singer is generally for the speakers bureau, plus some surprises, too. regarded as the most prominent mushroom taxonomist in All members are welcome. Show you care. the world today.

The honor may be Greg's, but some of the congratula­ FIELD TRLPS Andy Green tions belong to Singer on an excellent choice. Greg received his B.S. at the University of Southern Illi­ October 5, 6 Lake Wenatchee State Park nois, his M.S. at Southern University at Go east on route 2 over Stevens Pass. Twenty Carbondale under Walter Sundberg (his wife, Betty miles east of the summit, turn left on route 207. Strack, also received a Master's in mycology under Go to the she! ter in the park's day use area. Sundberg), and his Ph.D. at the University of Tennes­ see under Ron Peterson. He did visiting research in

October 19, 20 Crystal Springs Camp Sweden for 7 months under Nils Fries, and came to Se_attJe J Janua_ 984, e.r�. he has been working t.J-se 1-90. -in�He east o he summ-it, . take the Stampede Pass exit #62. Turn right at the with Dr. Ammirati at the University of Washington, stop sign. After a quarter mile, before the under a grant from the National Science Foundation bridge, stay right to enter the camp. (with the aid of a small stipend from PSMS).

October 26, 27 Dalles Forest Camp The Field Museum is one of the largest in the U.S., From Enumclaw, travel south on State Highway 410 with four research wings -- Zoology, Geology, Anthro­ for about 25 miles. Turn right at the sign. pology, and Botany -- as well as large public exhib­ its. Part of Greg's job will be overseeing loans of mushrooms to qualified researchers from the museum's November 2, 3 Deception Pass State Park 150,000 dried collections. He also gets to teach a From 1-5, take exit #226 and go west on route 536 continuing education class for amateur mycologists at (becomes 20). Turn south, away from Anacortes and the museum and a regular mycology class at the Uni­ toward Whidbey Island. Cross Deception Pass to versity of Illinois at Chicago. His most important the park and follow PSMS signs. Alternatively, responsibility, though, is acquiring and "working up" take 1-5 exit #189, continue west on route 526, new specimens. Currently, the museum's emphasis is cross to Whidbey Island on the Mukilteo ferry, and on , and Greg is already anticipating go 50 miles north on route 526 (becomes 20). catching up on his vaccinations.

CAMANO ISlAND FIELD TRIP AndyGreen

BLEW ITS Wen dla McGovern, Mycena New s Our first trip of the year -- to a new location, Camano Island State Park -- yielded few edible mush­ The blewits are here, there, and everywhere (so it rooms for most hunters, but some struck it rich! seems), cropping up in parks, gardens, and woodlands. Walter and Lori Knox went just off the island and They keep popping up until frosts come, fruiting found 10 gallens of beautiful-Ag-ar-Jcu-S -Gampest.,r..is�­ scattereci�or greganotrsly:- Blewits are-recogntze

The board meeting on September 16th was short and MycoMedia Conference: October 25-27. Andrew Weil, sweet, since Dennis Bowman reported that preparations David Hosford, Gary Lincoff, David Arora, Ohara Hiro­ for the Annual Exhibit are going like clockwork, with moto, Paul Przybylowicz, Johathan Ott, Dale Leslie, no problems apparent or anticipated. The posters for Kote Lotah. $150 (meals & accommodations). 1-426- the Exhibit will be on sale, and the original paint- 9337 . ing will be raffled off. ·Wild Mushroom Conference: October 31, November 1-3, Brian Read reported that preparations for the banquet Breitenbush Community, Detroit, Oregon. James are coming along fine. Judi Boa said books are also Jacobs, Gary Lincoff, Gary Menser, Kent Powloski, Kit fine. Ed Bush said that he will have the library Scates, Paul Stamets, James Trappe, and Mike Wells ready soon to check out books. mycologists. $125 (meals & lodging) . 1-503-854- 3501. Interest has been expressed in having the general membership meeting at an earlier time. A motion to Gourmet Truffling Tour of , , and Morocco: move it to 7:30 p.m. will be brought before the mem­ 1-18 March 1986. Gary Menser, Kit Skates, Spanish bership at the next meeting. mycologist Isabel Alvarez and epicurean cook Pilar Alvarez. 1-312-767-0477 or 1-312-767-9076. Someone is needed to chair the Spore Prints mailing cannittee. Halley's Comet & Mushroom Study Tour: April 3-20, 1986. New Zealand, Australia, Papua. Emanuel Salz­ man, Gary Lincoff. 1-303-296-9359.

BOOK SALES Judi Boa

Our popular 8-1/2" x 11 " mushroom posters are still Wanted -- for forthcoming morel cookbook: literary available. We reproduced four wood-cuts from Nova references to morels - stories about hunting/cooking, Plantarum Genera published in 1729. Each costs poems, etc. (I am not looking for scientific infor­ $1.00, and the set is $3.50. Add $1.00 for mail mation or field guide sources.) Send complete cita­ orders!. tion and brief description: author, publisher, page number, etc. If used, the first citation will You may order, for $24.95 plus $2.00 postage, Kit receive a $10 gift certificate and a copy of the Scates' Diagnosis and Treatment of Mushroom Poisoning cookbook. Deadline October 31, 1985. Malfred on Basis .Qf Symptoms and Mushrooms. This splendid Ferndock, Box 86, Dennison, MN 55018. chart may be seen in our library.

Purchase books at the next membership meeting. At the Exhibit, members won't get their usual discount. NEEDED: A Few More Helping Hands

Members of other societies are invited join us in Dr. Pat Winter needs two or three able bodies to put ordering North American Species of Clitocybe, Part up and take down the freeze-dry cabinets before and II. We are trying to get enough orders to sell the after the show. Setting up should .take about an hour monograph for $25.00, a substantially reduced price. and a half, beginning around 7:30 p.m. Friday. Take­ down is only 45 minutes or so. Remember, Dr. Pat can't do this herself, so offer to lend a hand. Her tetephone number is 486-4264. (A few more people to R.E.S. NEW BOOKS keep the crowd from leaning too hard on the cabinets after they're up would be nice, too!) NAMA's The Mycophile lists some recently published books . Ethel Bennett could also use a few more people to man the Preservation booth. (No, you don't have to be a Mycologists � Other Taxa by Martha Singer, $7.00 canning/freezing/drying expert; you just have to show up.) The Curious Morel by Larry Lonik, $7 .95 Remember: No committee can have too many people. Field Guide to Southern Mushrooms by Nancy Smith Mostly, they have too few. Weber and Al�ander H. Smith, $16.50. VOLUNTEER Mushrooms & Truffles by Rolf Singer with added chap­ - ters by Bob Harris, $35.00 It's Fun! Dictionary .Qf the Fungi by Ainsworth & Bisby, 7th edition, $26.50

Atlas Der B.asidiomyceten by Meinhard Moser & Walter Juelic�Vol. I, $40.00. - FLASH: PSMS T-shirts go on sale at the Exhibit - page 4