V OMPHALIN ISSN 1925-1858 Vol. VI, No 4 Newsletter of Jun. 14, 2015 OMPHALINA OMPHALINA, newsletter of Foray Newfoundland & Labrador, has no fi xed schedule of publication, and no promise to appear again. Its primary purpose is to serve as a conduit of information to registrants of the upcoming foray and secondarily as a communications tool with members. Issues of OMPHALINA are archived in: is an amateur, volunteer-run, community, Library and Archives Canada’s Electronic Collection <http://epe. not-for-profi t organization with a mission to lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/300/omphalina/index.html>, and organize enjoyable and informative amateur Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Queen Elizabeth II Library mushroom forays in Newfoundland and (printed copy also archived) <collections.mun.ca/cdm/search/ collection/omphalina/>. Labrador and disseminate the knowledge gained. The content is neither discussed nor approved by the Board of Directors. Therefore, opinions expressed do not represent the views of the Board, Webpage: www.nlmushrooms.ca the Corporation, the partners, the sponsors, or the members. Opinions are solely those of the authors and uncredited opinions solely those of the editor. ADDRESS Foray Newfoundland & Labrador Please address comments, complaints, contributions to the self-appointed editor, Andrus Voitk: 21 Pond Rd. Rocky Harbour NL seened AT gmail DOT com, A0K 4N0 CANADA … who eagerly invites contributions to OMPHALINA, dealing with any aspect even remotely related to mushrooms. E-mail: info AT nlmushrooms DOT ca Authors are guaranteed instant fame—fortune to follow. Authors retain copyright to all published material, and submission indicates permission to publish, subject to the usual editorial decisions. Issues are freely available to the BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONSULTANTS public on the FNL website. Because content is protected by authors’ copyright, editors of other publications wishing to use any material, should ask fi rst. No picture, no paper. Michael Burzynski Material should be original and should deal with the mycota PRESIDENT of Newfoundland and Labrador. Cumulative index and detailed Information for Authors available on our website. Geoff Thurlow MYCOLOGICAL TREASURER COVER Dave Malloch Tina Leonard NB MUSEUM Polyozellus multiplex, Mount Desert, Seal Harbour, SECRETARY Maine, USA, August, 1897. Phound by Mrs Jim Cornish AUDITOR Elizabeth W. Woodward, fotografed by Mr Wright. Jamie Graham Gordon Janes Who was this lady, who at age 56 walked the woods, BONNELL COLE JANES observed and discovered natural history phenomena, Anne Marceau hired (?) a photographer to record this fi nd, knew Faye Murrin LEGAL COUNSEL and corresponded with the leading mycologists Michele Andrew May in her area, sent them photos and specimens? Piercey-Normore BROTHERS & BURDEN Unfortunately, we don’t know much of her. What we do know, you can read inside. Of Mr White we only Helen Spencer know that he was a photographer. Other than that, we Marian Wissink do not even know his fi rst name. OMPHALINA V Vol. VI, No 4 OMPHALIN ISSN 1925-1858 Jun. 14, 2015 CONTENT Editor’s comments .................................. 2 Foray matters ......................................... 3 New faculty, 2015 ................................... 3 Detective in the herbarium Andrus Voitk ...................................... 4 Bishop’s sketchbook Glynn Bishop ..................................... 9 Tricholomopsis sulphureoides update Saar, Voitk ......................................... 10 Ze’ev’s mushroom chèvre tart Robin McGrath ................................. 12 Hunt for Morchella norvegiensis Andrus Voitk ...................................... 13 Gyromitra toxicity Michael Beug ....................................... 20 Partners ......................... inside back cover Notice ...................................... back cover This issue and all previous issues available for download from the Foray Newfoundland & Labrador website <nlmushrooms.ca>. OMPHALINA Midsummer approacheth, the hard winter is is mired in a considerably more primitive age. The phorgotten, and all nature prepares for autumn outward aesthetics of our provincial museum are phruiting. Take a breather before the main mushroom second to none. Alas, an empty shell! Inside, this season and join us for a look inside herbaria: two Provincial Museum is without a curator for Natural detective stories and one chase, to give you an History!!! We do not have space to house collections glimpse into the sort of problems encountered on the or the staff to look after them. The Foray’s collection taxonomic side of mushroom science. can not be curated at the Rooms. Imagine—so Taxonomy is an attempt by mankind to classify far this invaluable resource is handled out of the nature into manageable and defi ned units, so that we basements of a few individuals! can speak intelligibly about them with each other. Regular readers of OMPHALINA know how much It is inherently hopeless, because we impose an work has come out of this collection. Clearly, these artifi cial system on nature, who has no need for our three articles, discussing various aspects of solving rules or our system. But if we wish to communicate taxonomical problems, are but by-products of other with each other, we must eschew the luxury allowed research, based on the Foray collection. Although nature to thwart our system; we have to respect it. we have an institution with a mandate to curate the natural history artefacts of the province, this Over a quarter millennium, many taxa have been institution is not able to manage a valuable collection proposed, and many of them have undergone several of specimens —photographed, databased and interpretations. There are a myriad of names for what professionally identifi ed. Furthermore… may be the same thing. Adding new names in this setting often adds more confusion. At the same time, … Oops … our apologies, dear reader, somewhere we do need to have names for things to talk about we slipped off track. It happens more frequently with them. A great responsibility goes with proposing our new medications. Just ignore this last bit. If your nomenclatural novelties—fi rst we should do all we own heart pills are topped up, enjoy this potboiler of can not to trample the work of investigators who suspenseful cliffhanging thrillers. went before us. The coin of herbaria are type species, those See you at the Foray! collections that bear the name of the species and its description. All scientists refer to these collections andrus to study a species. Herbaria become the stewards of stability in the biosciences; the collections entrusted to their safekeeping are priceless. But, just like PS: our rules, herbaria, because they are built, fi lled We have received a few comments that there is too and managed by us, mere mortals, may run into much content to absorb. As you may have noticed, problems—and we need to solve them. both the frequency and content has been reduced Cultures that understand the value of herbaria recently. Comments? Enough trimming? More? take pride in them. Governments fund them and benefactors support them. People are proud to house a them in edifi ces like the one shown on p. 4. In this regard, it is tragic that the culture of our province 2 OMPHALINA Foray matters… ForayForay 20152015 inin GrosGros MMorneorne SquiresSSquiuirees MMeMemorialemomoriialal PProvincialrorovivinncciaial PaPPark,arkrk, lelleavingeava iinng thtthehe parkingpap rkrkini g areaarareaea aatt exeexactlyactltly 11111:00:000 AMAAM,M, FFrFri.,rii., SeSSep.pp. 225,55, IfIf youyou planplan to jjoinoin us fforor tthehe FForayoray tthishis yearyear,, 20152015 (see(see pp 10-11).10-11).) IfIf youyou come,come, bringbring youryour please try to register as soon as you can. We own lhlunch. have not been able to take all comers these Participation fee covers room and board from past 6 years, and it looks the same again. Fri supper to Sun lunch. Bedding is provided, Registrations are being fi lled apace, and in the but bring your own towels, soap and shampoo. words of our Registrar, “…when the music stops Alternately, these may be purchased from there’s going to be some disappointed regulars.” Killdevil for $3.50. Please note that for those able to make it, we Michael Burzynski begin the foray with a mycoblitz of Sir Richard President Faculty, 2015. As always, faculty bios will be in the Program Booklet. Here we introduce those faculty, who join us for the fi rst time. Andy Methven is an emeritus professor of mycology Andy Miller is the mycologist at the and lichenology in the Department of Biological Illinois Natural History Survey at the Sciences at Eastern Illinois University. Among his University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He research interests are systematics and ecology of fl eshy specializes in the identifi cation of fungi using fungi, mycogeography, the application of molecular morphology and molecular DNA sequencing methods. Having traveled throughout techniques to fungal systematics, and the identifi cation the world, he is especially interested in and distribution of lichens in the Midwest. His fungal biodiversity and the discovery of current research program is examining the distribution new species. His lab is currently studying of the mushroom genus Lactarius in the Northern the relationships of a wide variety of fungi Hemisphere, and the application of molecular techniques ranging from false morels and earth tongues to phylogenetic studies in the mushroom genera to pyrenomycetes and loculoascomycetes. Clavariadelphus, Lentaria and