LONG ISLAND MYCOLOGICAL CLUB http://limyco.org VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4, WINTER, 2006 FINDINGS AFIELD THE USE OF NEUTRAL CHARACTERS IN MUSHROOM IDENTIFICATION by Thomas J. Volk, (by permission) from The Newsletter of the Wisconsin Mycological Society, March, 1994 (View the author’s popular website at http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/ ) 1a. Gills attached to the stipe 1b. Gills free from the stipe 20a. Odor somewhat like coal tar; taste disagreeable; stipe coated with gray fibrils or squamules. 20b. Odor and taste merely farinaceous. 22a. Pileus conic; yellow with a dingy to pale fuscous disc; Agrocybe sororia under conifers 22b. Pileus broadly expanded, some shade of drab; growing under hardwood he mushroom aficio- you have ever used the keys in "How to Know the T nado faces a particular Gilled Mushrooms" by Smith and Weber, in David challenge if he happens across an un- If Arora's "Mushrooms Demystified", or in a similar common specimen which is ignored reference, you have seen these types of characters used. Why are by the popular field guides. This was these characters that don't seem to matter used in these keys? Who exactly what happened in the case of cares if the pileus has a pale fuscous disc? What's the difference if a the above species, which was col- fungus grew under a conifer or under a hardwood? Why is the dis- lected by Dale Robins, our Web mas- tinction between two closely related species often based on some- ter, during the Mushroom Day exhi- thing that seems so... well... stupid? The reason is that fungal sys- bition at Planting Fields Arboretum tematics, as well as the systematics of all groups of organisms, is on Oct. 15th this year. A small, dull based on neutral characters. brown wood dweller with a tough But what are neutral characters? Neutral characters are consistency, it appeared to be an Ag- those that have some degree of variability between organisms, but rocybe, but its pitted and wrinkled ideally, the character will have no effect on the survival of the or- cap (not cracked as that of A. dura) ganism. For example, it impacts very little on survival if the gills made it unusual and differentiated it are attached or are free from the stipe. Spore color has virtually no from our common A. praecox. None of effect on reproduction. The structure of the pileipellis (cap cuticle) the popular field guides (Lincoff, Bes- doesn't matter. Spore size and shape are genetically controlled, but sette, Phillips, Barron, McKnight, a cylindrical spore of 10 microns X 4 microns can survive just as well etc.) make any reference to Agrocybe as a spherical spore of 6 microns X 6 microns. The survival of a spe- sororia, which turned out to be the cies does not depend on whether there is a chemical in the spore species in question, and there is but a walls that gives a blue (amyloid) or red (dextrinoid) reaction with passing reference in Arora, with no Melzer's solution. Hence, these NEUTRAL CHARACTERS are free (Continued on page 5) (Continued on page 6) MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FORM INSIDE 2 LI SPOREPRINT PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Our annual Mushroom Day was the best want to thank for their service, Paul Fox and Ken member attended one we’ve ever had. Everyone Gobright. We will miss you both at our meetings. who showed up contributed to the effort by talking We now have an official recorder: Bruce Eberle. He to the public, bringing samples, identifying, and is now a board member as is Cathy Cresko and just by being there. Thanks to you all. Tony Mish. I am so happy these people volunteered. The luncheon was very enjoyable, enhanced Thank you as well to Monique, Jacques, Dale, Joel, by Joel’s colorful fungal slide show . The food was Rita, Lyle and Lenny who have always been so good, and best of all we gathered with friends old helpful. I really appreciate having such a great and new. I did get some negative feedback about the board to help run the club in a democratic way. noise level, etc. If anyone has an alternate restau- I wish you all a happy and healthy 2007. rant suggestion, please let me know. It must be rea- Perhaps with all the warm, rainy weather, mycelia sonably priced as I do not want to exclude anyone. will be enticed to deliver some really nice fruiting (By the way, I have been asked about the bag of bodies in season. Mostly boletes I hope, as we’ve books I raffled off. These were my own books and had so few this past year. Here’s hoping! To those of didn’t cost the club anything. The $36 was donated you who haven’t attended any forays yet, think to the LIMC treasury. If anyone has books that are about it. Interesting walks, people and knowledge of duplicates or not useful anymore, kindly think of fungi await you! Please come. giving them for next year’s raffle.) We have two outgoing board members that I EDITOR’S NOTE I would like to thank all those who lightened my exciting finds, and odd encounters. Please let us task as editor in the past year by contributing arti- hear from you; this is a democratic club, and democ- cles and suggestions, foremost among them Dom racy is made up of a polyphony of voices. Any form of Laudato, our former president, whose writings are text or graphics ( poems, art work, puzzlers, photos, always of interest to our readers. Others who con- factoids, etc.,) would be welcome. tributed articles, suggestions, and references include Additionally, I would like to solicit suggestions Claudine Michaud, Dennis Aita (NYMS), Lance for both our newsletter and our website. Are there Biechele, Bunny Aisenson, and Ruth Davis. I’m sure any features that you would like to see added to ei- there are many more of you out there who have in- ther of them? Feedback is necessary in order to im- teresting tales to tell of successful mushroom hunts, prove any product. Do let me know. MATERIAL FOR THE SPRING, 2007 EDITION SHOULD REACH THE EDITOR BY FEBRUARY 28TH (Submissions should preferably be typed or submitted in Rich Text Format on PC floppy disk or by e-mail) LI Sporeprint is published quarterly. Material herein may be freely copied by any non-profit organization if appropriate acknowledgements are made. LONG ISLAND MYCOLOGICAL CLUB President:Peggy Horman Sporeprint Editor: Joel Horman Treasurer & Membership Secretary: Peggy Horman 11Ramblewood Rd., Ridge, NY 11961 (631) 744-4965 e-mail: [email protected] Tel: (631) 744-4965 Recording Secretary: Monique Dussault e-mail: [email protected] Foray Chairman: Jacques Brochard Editorial Ass’t: Peggy Horman Species Recorder: Bruce Eberle Board Members: Rita Blinderman, Webmaster: Dale Robins Cathy Cresko, Tony Mish, Lyle Peters Leonard Schecter. WINTER, 2006 3 THE COMA CLARK ROGERSON fied only after spores are examined although both spe- cies are edible. (Editor’s note: Because of the difficulty FORAY - AUGUST 24th- 27th, 2006 of identifying this group in the field, they are, “better BY DOM LAUDATO viewed than chewed”, as Bessette remarks.) Every afternoon at about 4 PM edible species he COMA (Connecticut- West- found on the forays were cooked by David Work, a chester Mycological Association) part-time professional chef and NAMA photography foray was a resounding success. T award winner, who also showed color slides of many This is astonishing since 282 separate species of fungi of the mushrooms he photographed. Merlots and had been collected and identified, after having been Chardonnays were available in quantity, compliments plucked from relatively arid areas that had received of COMA. Fruit, cheeses and other snack foods were no rain for two weeks prior to the start of the foray, as also provided. we also experienced on Long Island. Moreover, it The evening events were varied and quite in- rained on Friday morning, Aug. 25 and continued formative: A presentation was given by Ed Mena of throughout the day. This was a steady rain that drove LifePharm*, his research company that is searching just about every forager out of the woods. Sunday, the for useful chemicals in mushrooms. David Rose of last day of the foray, was a major washout. Therefore, COMA presented an enlightening and humorous pro- all the mushrooms were collected during a time span gram entitled, "The History of Amateur Mycology in of one and a half days by approximately 90 dedicated the United States " . Elinor Shavit, also of COMA en- mushroomers. thralled the audience with her talk on "Truffles of the Except for the afternoon walk on the Cave Hill Desert". Her photos included truffles that grow in Is- properties on Aug. 24, all foraying was done in the rael as well as in Egypt. John Rahart, president surrounding Connecticut State Parks. Although we emeritus of the New Mexico Mushroom Club, spoke on did encounter park personnel, we were not questioned mushroom toxins and toxic mushrooms. Interestingly, as to our purpose for being in the forests with baskets. he mentioned that Morchella esculenta and Blewits The presence of mushroomers appeared to be well tol- must be cooked well since they contain labile toxins; a erated. note of warning went out to pregnant women not to The following mushrooms will be briefly ingest Lyophyllum connatum due to its mutagenic touched upon since they may be of interest to LIMC compounds. Wild plants were presented and dis- foragers. Not new to us yet spectacular, was a 3 ft. cussed by Carol Levine of COMA. On a number of across by 18 in.