WILD MUSHROOMS - AN INTRODUCTORY PRESENTATION BY PAM MCELROY AND ANNA RUSSO LINCOLN COUNTY MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY

WILD
MUSHROOMS

An Introductory Presentation by Pam McElroy and Anna Russo
             Lincoln County Mycological Society

FIELD GUIDES
• Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora
• All That the Rain Promises, and More by
  David Arora
• Field Guide to Mushrooms from National
  Audubon Society
• Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest by
  Steven Trudell & Joe Ammirati

Mushroom Identification Traits
• Gills/Pores/Teeth: What sort of spore-
  producing structures do you see? How are
  they attached?
• Stalk description: Note the size, shape,
  color of stalk, and whether it is solid or
  hollow.
• Spore color: Extremely important for ID.

Identification Characteristics
• Bruising when touched: Does the mushroom
  change color or bleed any liquid when it is sliced
  in half or grasped firmly?
• Habitat: Anything about the surrounding area,
  including trees, temperature, soil, moisture.
• Time of year: certain mushrooms fruit during
  certain times of the year
• Cap description: Like the stalk, note all physical
  characteristics of the cap.
• Smell and taste: Great amount of information

The Good Guys………..

       Edible, delicious,
delectable…….what’s not to love?

The bad guys……….
• Like the little girl with the curl, when
  mushrooms are good, they are very, very
  good……….and when they are bad, they
  are dreadful!

• There are some DEADLY
  mushrooms….and you can’t tell which ones
  unless you educate yourself.

Let’s take a look at some of the “bad
    boys” of the mushroom world.
• Before you even consider eating a wild
  mushroom that you have picked, you
  MUST know the poisonous ones.
• In mycological circles, we say “There are
  old mushroom hunters, and there are bold
  mushroom hunters, but there are very few
  old, bold mushroom hunters.” If in doubt,
  throw it out!

Amanita phallioides
                  (“Death Cap”)

• Gilled
• White spore print
• Volva, usually buried
  in ground (from
  universal veil)
• Partial veil on stalk
• Habitat: in woods or
  on lawns, near trees

Amanita virosa
                        (“Destroying Angel”)

•   Gilled
•   White spore print
•   Volva, usually buried in ground (from universal veil)
•   Partial veil on stalk
•   Habitat: in woods or on lawns, near trees

Amanita muscaria
                          (“Fly agaric”)

•   Gilled
•   White spore print
•   Bulbous base with concentric rings
    on bottom
•   Habitat: on ground under spruce,
    pine and birch
•   Hallucinogenic

Amanita pantherina
           (“Panther Cap”)

• Gilled
• White spore print
• Very bulbous
  base and narrow
  ring
• Cap ranges from
  bronze to dark
  brown color

Galerina autumnalis
                  (“Deadly Galerina”)

• Gilled
• Spore print: rusty-brown
• Habitat: on rotting wood and debris of
  both hardwood and softwood

Poisonous Agaricus species
            (“The Lose Your Lunch Bunch”)
• Gilled, at first pallid, then
  grayish, through browns
• Spore print chocolate
  brown
• Odor unpleasant (like
  phenol)
• Many stain bright yellow
  when flesh is bruised
• Subtle differences
  between good/bad
  agaricus

The edible and delectable wild
           mushrooms
• IF A MUSHROOM HAS NOT BEEN
  RELIABLY IDENTIFIED AS EDIBLE,
  DO NOT PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH!!!!
• DO NOT EAT WILD MUSHROOMS
  RAW!
• WHEN TRYING A MUSHROOM FOR
  THE FIRST TIME, EAT ONLY A
  VERY SMALL AMOUNT.

Boletus edulis
(“King Bolete, Porcini, Cep, Steinpiltz”)

A choice edible!
•   Pored, not gilled
•   Stalk can be variable—almost round to tall
•   Spore print olive-brown
•   Habitat: on ground under conifers

Agaricus augustus
  (“The Prince”)

Another choice edible…
•   Gilled
•   Stalk with large floppy ring
•   Spore print brown
•   Smells like anise/almonds
•   Grows mainly in coniferous and deciduous
    woods, often in clumps

Cantharellus cibarius v. formosa
                   (“Chanterelle”)

• Flattened, blunted gills
  with cross-veining
• Stem very solid and
  white inside
• Spore print pale cream
• Habitat: Woodlands
  which have mossy
  clearings

Tricholoma ponderosa
                     Matsutake

• Gilled
• Spore print white
• Habitat: sandy, coastal
  areas, usually with
  conifers
• Scent of spicy
  cinnamon
• Highly prized
• Slug repellant

Agaricus campestris
                 Meadow mushroom

• Gilled
• Silky white cap, aging
  to light brown
• Gills are initially pink,
  aging to dark brown
• Spore print is brown
• Habitat: mature
  pastures

Agaricus arvensis
                   Horse mushroom
• Gilled, first white, then
  pink to dark brown
• Cap white, yellowing with
  age
• Habitat grasslands and
  pastures
• Smells of anise
• Spore print dark brown
• Larger than Agaricus
  campestris

Morchella
           Morels (Black, Blonde, Gray.

• Irregular pits
• Colors range from [ale
  brown through gray,
  yellow, and black)
• Habitat: among
  shrubs, young Noble
  fir, along path edges
• Early spring fruiter
• NEVER EAT RAW

Laetiporus sulphureus
         Chicken of the Woods, Sulfer Shelf
• Yellow tubes rather than
  gills
• Color ranging from bright
  lemon yellow through
  deep red-orange
• Spore print white
• Grows in brackets on
  deciduous an coniferous
  trees
• Tastes like chicken

Pleurotus ostreatus
                  Oyster Mushroom

• Gilled, with stubby
  stem, often fruiting in
  fans
• Spore print lilac
• Habitat: Dead alder,
  cottonwoods, other
  deciduous trees

Hydnum repandum
              Hedgehog, Sweet Tooth

• Toothed, not gilled
• Spore print cream
  colored
• Habitat: under
  deciduous or
  coniferous trees, in
  damp areas
• Season late summer
  through early winter

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
• Anti-viral            • Antioxidant
• Anti-tumor, immune-
  stimulating           • Cardiovascular/
• Anti-inflammatory       Blood pressure
• Liver tonic/liver     • Lungs/respiratory
  protection            • Nerve tonic
• Cholesterol/lipid
  regulation
• Antibacterial
• Kidney tonic

OTHER USES YOU MIGHT NEVER
     HAVE CONSIDERED
• Industrial strength fungus: mycelium as
  building material
• Mushroom-based packaging and car parts
• Fiber dyeing
• Bio-fuel
• Slug repellant
• Compost material

AND THEN THERE ARE
           RECIPES!
• Most wild mushrooms love butter, cream,
  garlic, bacon, onions, thyme.
• Match the mushroom to compatible flavors.
• Some mushrooms should not be consumed
  with alcohol (Coprinus)
• Since they contain chitin (like shrimp
  shells), they should be cooked to make them
  digestible.

JOIN A MYCOLOGICAL
           SOCIETY

Lincoln County Mycological Society
456 NW 56th Street
Newport, OR 97365