Fungi 2012

[ronm]

Why? - because it may be fatal if eaten raw or wrongly cooked, apparently. Seems many poisoning cases are reported annually in Scandanavia and Eastern Europe.

You know better than me though Olga. Obviously the gathering and eating of these is part of your heritage.

[Hoy]

We have had a discussion on this theme in Norway now http://www.biologforeningen.org/enbiolog/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23350&whichpage=2
Some eat it and some don't.  I've never tried it although it grows in my garden.

[Hoy]

Here is a rather striking coral fungus I found today near Dunedin. I will be attending the NZ Fungal foray next week so may have some more pictures then.

Very striking indeed, David! I've seen yellow, orange, yellow and red, white and similar colours but never blue

[Stephenb]

I remember in the 80s attending a talk at the local botanical club here given by Olav Gjærevoll, who was the world's first environmental minister (and botanist). He told us that he had eaten so much False Morels during the last war and afterwards that the next time could be fatal (he believed that the poison built up in the liver). That put me off!

[David Lyttle]

Hello Olga,

I was very interested in reading your post on Gyromitra esculenta and you comments on its edibility. We have a very similar species here in New Zealand, Gyromitra tasmanica, which my reference catergorically states as being poisonous. I dont know if anyone has ever tried eating it as presumeably it contains the same toxin, hydrazine, as the European species and could be rendered safe in a similar manner. The violet coral fungus I posted is an undescribed species of Ramaria.

Trond,

Coral fungi are plentiful here and can be white orange, yellow or sometimes a muddy purple. The violet one is fairly exceptional. Most people tell me to go away when I ask for an identification of any from this group.

[David Lyttle]

Here is a selection of some of the fungi that we found on the 25th New Zealand Fugal Foray last week. We were based at Riverton which is on the southern coast of the South Island just to the west of Invercargill. We collected on the Longwood Range, Lake Hauroko, Lake Monowai and the Kepler Track at Rainbow Reach. The group contains both professional and amatuer mycologists. This year we had a visitor from the New York Botanic Gardens amongst our number who was an expert on boletes. So I will start with a couple of boletes.

1,2 Chalciporus piperatus an exotic bolete that seems to be associated with Amanita muscaria another exotic that is abundant here. The Amanita seems to be moving into native Nothofagus forest which was where I found this specimen.

3. Austroboletus lacunosus a NZ native associated with Nothofagus - this is the first time I have seen this species

4. Cortinarius cretax associated with Nothofagus.

5. Gallacea scleroderma a purple, truffle-like fungus found under Nothofagus

6. A coral fungus, Artomyces turgidus

7. Cantharellus wellingtonensis

8, 9 Clitocybe nothofaginea

10 Weraroa virescens,  a saprophyte

[johnw]

David

re: 5. Gallacea scleroderma a purple, truffle-like fungus found under Nothofagus

The leaves surrounding the fungus, they look like N. antarctica leaves or is there a similar NZ species?

johnw

[Hoy]

A nice collection, David!
Is the Cantharellus edible and tasting as good as C cibarius (the common one here)?

The purple "truffle" is strange. Did you have to dig for it or do they grow like that?

I just read they had done some DNA tests on the previous 9 "known" species of coral fungi here in Norway. Now we have 35 species!

[David Lyttle]

John,

The leaves with toothed margins are from silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii) and the leaves with smooth margins are from mountain beech (Nothofagus solandri var cliffortiodes). The other beech found in the area is red beech, Nothofagus fusca, but it is less common being found on warmer better-drained sites.

Trond,

I have no idea as to the edibility or otherwise of the Cantharellus; however the individual caps are quite small. The Gallacea is as it was found on the surface.

I am not surprised that DNA sequencing has revealed a lot of diversity in Norwegian coral fungi. The truffle like fungi found in New Zealand are quite diverse and do not form a natural group arising independently from multipe genera.  Nothilepiota = bolete, Thaxterogaster= Cortinarius, Macowanites = Russula

[johnw]

Thanks David. I love the Nothofagus.  Too bad we can only grow N. antarctica, a gem though and does well in wet soils and seems to love wind.  Several notable ones about and have always missed the seed when ripe.

johnw

[Anthony Darby]

Apparently, there's a new,  fruity-smelling fungus, which looks and acts more like a sponge than a mushroom, that has been found in the jungles of Borneo. Its scientific name is Spongiforma squarepantsii.

[zvone]

Hi!

First this year's Leccicinum scabrum from my garden:




Best Regards!  zvone

[ronm]

In case anyone thought you were joking Anthony,  -

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/16/weird-wild-spongebob-mushroom-named/

Not sure of its name, but thought this little fungi ( only 15mm across ) worthy of a look, as it doesn't take up much room!

[daveyp1970]

Nice mosaic pattern Ron a few from me.

[ronm]

Weird and wonderful Davey, 

Are these from your garden, or somewhere nearby?

I think the first one is Polyporus squamosa, as most likely is the second ( an older fruiting body ),
the third a Bolbitius sp, possibly titubans ( perhaps too early for this though ).

Seems you have a very active Fungi group in your area, with a very nice homepage

http://www.nottsfungigroup.org.uk/home.html