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SPOR E PR I N TS BULLETIN OF THE PUGET SOUND MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY Number 522 May 2016 INSIDE THE CATERPILLAR FUNGUS FARM IN 2,000–3,000 jars of fungi. During the cultivation time, technicians SAIGON http://english.vietnamnet.vn/, April 17, 2016 regularly check to eliminate defective products damaged by mil- dew. If fungi jars are well cared for, the success rate is up to 99%. The HQGANO caterpillar fungus farm in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, regularly holds free tours for visitors to learn about After 55–60 days in the cold room, fungus develops fully and is the process of growing caterpillar fungus. ready for harvest. On average 1,000 jars will produce approximate- ly 20–25 kg of fresh fungi. The long fibers have the best quality and In English, it’s called caterpillar fungus. But it’s better known will be sold at a high price. The remaining throughout Asia by the Tibetan term yartsa gunbu, which means parts are used to process other products such “summer grass, winter worm.” as fungi tea bags and biomass powder. This fungus (Cordyceps sinensis) makes its living by getting inside After being sorted, the fungi are dried and a host insect and ultimately killing and consuming it. In this case, sterilized by UV light and ozone and pack- the insect that’s invaded is the caterpillar of the ghost moth. This aged for sale. pinky-sized mummified caterpillar is the most expensive fungus in the world. The farm’s director, Duong Van Thiet, said in the past three months, the farm earned more It is known as a medicinal mushroom, and its use has a long his- than VND3 billion (US $134,700) in revenue tory in traditional Chinese medicine. The hand-collected fungus/ and had a profit margin of about 15 percent. caterpillar combination is valued by herbalists as a status symbol; Sorting. it is used as an aphrodisiac and treatment for ailments such as fa- tigue and cancer, although such use is mainly based on traditional If low sex drive is making us blue, Chinese medicine and anecdotal evidence. We invest in some yartsa gunbu That’s found just in Tibet, In the world, caterpillar fungi exploited in the wild are extremely Though there’s zero proof yet rare, mainly at an altitude of 3,200 meters in the Himalayas and Of what Cordyceps sinensis can do. Tibet. Each year the output is only 80 kg, so the price is very high, from $60,000 to $80,000 per kilo. — MikeAq, OEDILF Some farms in Vietnam are now able to produce caterpillar fungi MEMBERSHIP CHAIR NEEDED Kim Traverse in an artificial environment, including the 700 sq. m farm in HCM City. Membership Chair Ann Polin has decided she needs to step down In the first step, red brown rice is poured into soon owing to increasing family obligations that require more of sterilized glass jars. Next, the jars are filled her time and energy. She hopes that we can find a replacement with a mixture of silkworm pupa powder soon, so she will be able to train that person and make the transi- and soy germ extract. A sufficient amount tion easy for everyone. of coconut juice is then poured into the jar. Ann has been Membership Chair for quite a number of years After being sealed, the jars are sterilized now and brought PSMS membership into the digital age as well for 30 minutes, time enough to ensure the as being the face of membership and the prompt responder to all mixture is sterile while still retaining the queries regarding membership. I remember one year Ann flew in nutrients needed to grow fungi. from West Africa late one evening and was at the Fall Show the Next, the fungus is implanted into the jar. next morning, sitting at the membership table when we opened to This is one of the most important stages, Adding red brown the public! She has done a fabulous job for PSMS and deserves rice. which requires high expertise of technicians. our praise and heartfelt thanks! This process requires a closed, sterile Membership isn’t a mere detail of the organization—it is the struc- room environment to ensure that the tural network (think mycelium!) that connects every part of the products are not contaminated. Puget Sound Mycological Society and out to the larger world. The The jars are then sealed and placed Chair manages new members and longtime members, interfaces in cold rooms. A room of about 6 sq. with our website host and listservers, and works with the Board m equipped with air conditioning, to always improve operations. temperature and humidity control, and Implanting fungus under If you are interested in this position, please contact me in person sterile conditions. automatic light is enough to cultivate or at [email protected]. MEMBERSHIP MEETING Spore Prints Tuesday, May 10, 2016, at 7:30 pm at the Graham Visitor Center is published monthly, September through June by the at the Arboretum PUGET SOUND MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY Our speaker for May is Anna Bazzicalupo, Center for Urban Horticulture, Box 354115 MSc, and her talk is titled “Ben Woo’s Russula University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 Collection— A Lay Mycologist’s Contribution (206) 522-6031 http://www.psms.org to Science.” OFFICERS: Kim Traverse, President2015–2017 Russula is a genus of mushrooms that is found [email protected] (206) 380-3222 all over the world and that is notoriously diffi- Daniel Winkler, Vice President2016–2018 [email protected] (425)-822-5080 cult to identify to species. Ben Woo, an expert 2016–2018 amateur, was a founding member of the Pacific John Goldman, Treasurer Anna Bazzicalupo [email protected] (206) 933-0838 Northwest Key Council and a founder and the Luise Asif, Secretary2015–2017 first president of PSMS. For over 30 years, he carefully sampled (206) 364-6741 [email protected] and documented over 1000 specimens of Russula from the Pacific TRUSTEES: 2016–2017: Northwest. Sweta Agrawal, Paul Hill, Donna Naruo, James Nowak, To help resolve Western North American Russula species, Anna Alyssa Panning and colleagues from the University of British Columbia in Vancou- 2015–2017: ver, B.C., analyzed Woo’s collection to gain a better understanding James Ardena, Carlos Cruz, of the variation in genetics and field characters among the species. Brady Raymond, Erin Raymond, The study matched DNA sequences of specimens to species in Milton Tam Europe, species described from the Pacific Northwest, and species that were potentially new to science. Among other things, Anna ALTERNATES: Shannon Adams, Anne Tarver will show how two of the three species of Russula with a shrimp IM. PAST PRES: Marian Maxwell odor (one new to science and all highly variable in appearance) can SCI. ADVISOR: Dr. Steve Trudell sometimes be distinguished. Do all three species taste the same? Should one be prized above the others for the table? She’ll be EDITOR: Agnes A. Sieger, 271 Harmony Lane, looking forward to your conclusions about which is best in butter. Port Angeles, WA 98362 [email protected] Anna Bazzicalupo is a PhD student in Mary Berbee’s lab at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, who works on Russu- las of the Pacific Northwest. Anna grew up in Naples, Italy. She CALENDAR did her undergrad degree in Biology at the University of Aberdeen May 7 Field trip (see website) in Scotland and her Masters at the Royal Botanic Garden in Ed- inburgh, where her interest in fungi blossomed. May 10 Membership meeting, 7:30 pm, Graham Visitor Center at the Arboretum (see website) To augment Anna’s talk, Ron Post will offer a short introduction May 14 Field trip (see website) on Ben Woo. May 16 Board meeting, 7:30 pm, CUH board room Will people with last names beginning with the letters L–Z please May 17 Spore Prints deadline bring a plate of refreshments to share after the meeting. May 20 Field trip (see website) May 22 Mushroom Maynia, 10 am–4 pm, CUH May 27 Field trip (see website) OKANOGAN-WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST June 4 Field trip (see website ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO SPRING June 7 Membership meeting, 7:30 pm, CUH MUSHROOM COLLECTION PROGRAM Mick Mueller, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF and PSMS member BOARD NEWS Luise Asif The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (NF) has changed some IMPORTANT CHANGES: To accommodate CUH, the May 10 of its policies and regulations concerning collection of mushrooms Membership Meeting will be held at the Graham Visitor Center this spring (2016). at the Arboretum. Address and map will be posted on the PSMS website. The June Membership meeting is back at CUH but on Background: After two years of significant burns on national the first Tuesday, June 7. forest land in Chelan and Okanogan counties (nearly 136,000 acres in 2014 and almost 175,000 in 2015), there has been intense New board members Sweta Agrawal and Alyson Panning and interest in morel picking in the subsequent years. alternates Shannon Adams and Anne Tarver were welcomed to their first meeting. Welcome and thank you for your enthusiasm. In 2015, exclusive commercial and recreational picking areas At the forefront of the Board’s focus at this time are Mushroom were designated as well as camping areas explicitly for the use Maynia, Sunday, May 22; the All Sound Ben Woo Foray, October of commercial pickers. This was done in an attempt to minimize 21–23/2016, and this fall’s annual PSMS Wild Mushroom Show. potential or perceived user conflicts in the pursuit of morel picking page 2 in these large but finite areas.