Mycology Demystified

 This Page is Under Construction

by Wil Franklin 

 

 

 

Mycology Demystified

 

 

 

 

 

 

 “Going to the woods is going home, for I suppose we came from the woods originally”

John Muir from  The Atlantic, April 1900.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, in many ways Mycology is about going into the woods:

 

Fungi - 

• Benefit the very trees that make up the forest via mycorrhizal relationships
• Decompose and recycle organic matter (Decomposition Cycle)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also Fungi in Medicine -

• Surgical bandages with chitin
• Fungal disease
• Yeast genetics in combating human disease
  
• Antimicrobial and anti-tumoral properties

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fungi in Food and Wine - 

• The bread and wine giving Yeast, Native Yeast vs Laboratory Strains
• Noble Rot and Sauterns of d' Yquem
• Cheese - Penicillium roqueforti
  
• Tempeh 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also about Arts and Crafts (Wild-crafting) -

• Dyeing fabrics with mushrooms
• Hunting & Cooking wild edibles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overview

 

• Fungal Biology & Ecology

• Identifying Fungi & Local Mushrooms

• A tour of local edible and poisonous mushrooms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fungal Biology & Ecology

 

 

What Unites all of these Organisms?

 

Chytridomycota Aquatic Zoosporic molds	Zygomycota   Common Molds	Ascomycetes Cup Fungi, Truffles and Others	Basidiomycetes Rusts, Bracken, Mushrooms and Others

 

 

 

 

 

Fungi have chitin

• Chitin vs Cellulose

• Chitin outside of Fungi

 

 

 

The large multicelluar Fungi, Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes are united by:

 

• long  narrow cells called hyphae.....  

• that branch and multiply to form a web-like mass (the fungal body) called mycellium.
  

 

 

And are separated by:

 

An Ascus in Ascomycetes

A Basidium in Basidiomycetes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Fungal Biology

 

• Life Cycle of a Mushroom

• Table Comparing Major Fungal Groups

• Saprobes/Decomposers

• Parasites on Insects, Trees and Humans (you don't want to see theses)

• Arbuscular mycorrhizae  
  

• Ectomycorrhizae

• Endophytes and visible when cultured
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identifying Fungi & Local Mushrooms:

 

• Mushroom Field Guides

• Diagram of a Mushroom

• How to set up a spore print
  
  • spore prints

• USDA Suggestions for Hunting and Picking Wild Mushrooms

 

 

Summary of Key Characteristics for Identifying Mushrooms:

• Spore producing structure - Gills, pores  or teeth 
  

 

• Shape

• Color

• Size

• Presence of Annulus or Cortina

• Spore color

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tour of Local Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms

 

 

 Quadrangle Fungi - Compliments of Weecha Crawford. 

 

 

Edibles

• Golden Chantrelles, Cinnamon Chantrelles and Black Trumpets 
• Lion's Mane
• Boletes
• Chicken of the Woods
• Hen of the Woods/Miatake
• Oysters

 

Poisonous Mushroom

• Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
• Death Angel (Aminita bisporigera)
• Death Cap (Aminita phalloides)
• Galerina (Little Brown Mushrooms - LBMs)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dyeing Wool, Silk and other Fabrics with Fungi

 

 

• Using Mushrooms for Natural Dyes

• Dyeing with mushrooms

 

 

 

 

Great Fungal Recipes

 

 

Easy Oyster Mushroom Pate':

• 1 part Philly Cream Cheese
• 5 parts Fresh Oyster Mushrooms (cooks down to about 2 parts)
• 2 gloves of garlic
• crushed walnuts or almonds
• salt & pepper to taste
• splash of fresh lemon juice

1. Sautee mushrooms with butter and garlic until volume is reduced about 3-4 times.
2. Puree.
3. Mix in cream cheese, allow to cool.
4. Roll and form into desired shape.
5. Drizzle with lemon juice.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Roll in crushed nuts and serve.

 

Politically Correct Frois Gras

Many More at Mushroom Recipes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Links to Fungal Resources and Images

 

• Teaching the Fungal Tree of Life

• FungiPhoto.com - by Taylor Lockwood

• University of Wisconsin Botany - Fungal Image Archive

• University of California, Berkeley: CalPhotos - Fungal Image Database

• LichenLand

• My Fungal Image Gallery

• Taxonomic Key to Courtyard Organisms

• Entomophagus Fungi

• Poisonous Fungi (Scroll down at this link)

• Ant Fungal Gardening