Michael Davis
There are many ways to identify a mushroom's genus. Several books have been written on the topic, including a series by David L. Largent, with some volumes co-authored by Daniel E. Stuntz, Timothy J. Baroni, David Johnson, and Roy Watling. These books explain the macroscopic and microscopic features used to identify mushrooms, including technical terms like imbricate and pileipellis. They also include keys to families and genera, generic descriptions, glossaries, and illustrated charts. For those looking for a more hands-on approach, there are also field guides for identifying mushrooms.
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What You'll Learn
Macroscopic features
One of the most important macroscopic features is the mushroom's cap. For instance, mushrooms in the Gyromitra genus, or false morels, are characterised by their irregularly shaped and brain-like caps. In contrast, the caps of mushrooms in the Pleurotus genus, or oyster mushrooms, are broad, fan-shaped, or oyster-shaped. Mushrooms in the Morchella genus, or morels, have distinct honeycomb-like caps. Tapinella mushrooms have reddish-brown to dark brown velvety caps, while the caps of boletes are typically convex and fleshy. Some mushrooms, like those in the Hexagonia apiaria species, have strongly pleated caps.
Another important feature is the underside of the cap. Instead of gills, Tapinella mushrooms exhibit pores, ridges, or a spongy surface. Boletes also tend to have a porous or spongy underside instead of gills. Oyster mushrooms have gills that are white or creamy and brittle. The gills of some mushrooms may ooze a liquid when damaged, such as those in the Lactarius genus.
The stem or stipe is another key feature. Oyster mushrooms have a lateral stem or almost no stem at all. Some mushrooms have a gelatinous layer over the stem, like the Hygrocybe.
The stickiness of a mushroom is also a useful characteristic. Some mushrooms are exceedingly sticky, like the Hygrocybe, while others are dry, like Suillus luteus.
The fruiting body of a mushroom can also provide clues about its genus. For example, mushrooms in the Lycoperdon, Calvatia, and Bovista genuses, also known as puffballs, have round, ball-shaped fruiting bodies that release spores through an opening at the top. The fruiting bodies of some mushrooms grow on wood, like the Chlorociboria aeruginascens, which gives an aqua colour to the underlying wood. Others grow on insect larvae or pupae, like many species of Cordyceps.
Finally, the colour of the mushroom's spores is important. Oyster mushrooms have greenish spores, for example. Before attempting to identify a mushroom, it is recommended to make a spore print of it.
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Microscopic features
The microscopic characteristics of mushrooms are important for identifying their genus. Many species of mushrooms cannot be identified without the use of microscopy.
One key microscopic feature is the spore print colour. For example, white spore prints are a significant characteristic of agarics, while orange and black spore prints are also possible. A white spore print is also essential for identifying honey fungus.
The Russula genus, for instance, can be identified by its white gills and red/white colour combination, but microscopic information is sometimes needed.
The type of pileal surface can be identified by examining a sectioned pileus under high magnification. The system of hyphae that make up the surface is called the pileipellis or cuticle. The cuticle is considered a microscopic character and is important for differentiating between similar species.
Additionally, the structure of the basidia, the spore-bearing cells, can be observed microscopically. In most mushrooms, the wall of a typical holobasidium is very thin, while some agarics have thick-walled basidia (0.5 pm or thicker), called sclerobasidia. Sclerobasidia are usually sterile, but fertile sclerobasidia can be found in some species. Basidioles are considered immature or developmental stages of basidia and are similar in shape, typically originating from the subhymenium.
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Modern genera
While modern identification of mushrooms is increasingly based on molecular characteristics, standard methods are still used by most and have developed into a fine art. These traditional methods, which hark back to medieval times and the Victorian era, involve a combination of macroscopic examination and microscopic examination.
The identification of mushroom genera often involves considering the presence of juices upon breaking, bruising reactions, odors, tastes, shades of color, habitat, habit, and season. Tasting and smelling mushrooms, however, can be hazardous due to poisons and allergens. Chemical tests are also used for some genera.
The macroscopic features of mushrooms include the width of the cap and the size of the basidiocarp. The terms used to describe the gills include "narrow" for extremely thin gills, "broad" for thick gills, "moderately broad" for gills with intermediate thickness, and "ventricose" for gills that are swollen midway between the stipe and the margin of the pileus. The color of young gills before spore maturation is also important for separating many species, especially in the genus Cortinarius.
David L. Largent's book, "How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus I: Macroscopic Features," is a valuable resource for both beginners and experts in mushroom identification. It explains the technical terms used in descriptions of macroscopic features, such as "plicate", "imbricate", "mycenoid", and "lubricous." The book also includes a key to Friesian genera using only macroscopic features, an illustrated chart for separating genera based on general appearance and spore color, and descriptions of modern genera within each Friesian genus.
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Families and genera
Several books provide comprehensive guides to identifying mushroom genera and families. David L. Largent's book, 'How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus I: Macroscopic Features', is a highly recommended resource for beginners and experts alike. It explains the jargon used by mycologists and includes a key to Friesian genera, an illustrated chart separating genera by general appearance and spore colour, and descriptions of modern genera.
Largent has also co-authored several other books on the topic, including 'How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus III: Microscopic Features', which explains the microscopic features of mushrooms and the terms used to describe them. Another of his books, 'How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus VI: The Modern Genera Keys and Descriptions', provides a variety of keys to families, genera within families, and modern genera, along with detailed descriptions of recognised genera and the possibility of misidentification.
Largent has also co-authored books on the topic with other writers, including Timothy Baroni and Daniel E. Stuntz. Their books include 'How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus VI: Modern Genera', which offers a simpler explanation of modern genera, including keys to families and genera, generic descriptions, and a synopsis of families and genera.
For those seeking a more visual approach to learning about mushroom genera and families, Sharon Hadley and Kathryn Simpson's book, 'Identify Mushrooms Genus', includes illustrations by Simpson.
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Laboratory techniques
Spore Print
Spore prints are a significant characteristic for identifying mushrooms. The colour of a mushroom's spores is important for identification. To determine the spore colour, cut off the stem and place the mushroom cap, gills, or pores down on a piece of paper, glass slide, or tin foil. Cover the cap with a small bowl, cup, or wrap it in tinfoil and leave it undisturbed for 2-24 hours, depending on the mushroom's freshness (typically around 8 hours).
Microscopic Features
Every macroscopic feature used to describe a mushroom has a set of microscopic features that can be correlated with it. For example, the dark brownish colour of certain Naiicoria species is due to a pigment that encrusts the cell walls. Therefore, understanding the microscopic features of mushrooms is fundamental to identifying them.
Basidiospores
The use of spores as a taxonomic character has been widely accepted since the inception of agaricology. Initially, the emphasis was on spore print colour, but with improved optic systems, the focus has expanded to include spore shape, size, symmetry, and ornamentation. More recently, the different layers of the spore wall have been emphasized through the use of electron microscopes.
Maturity Stage
When counting the number of spores per basidium, the stage of maturity should be considered. Typically, the basidia mature in an apparent haphazard fashion, with an approximate equal number of basidia maturing simultaneously. This type of hymenium is called Aequihymeniiferous. In mushrooms with an aequihymeniiferous hymenium, the gill faces are not exactly parallel, and the gill trama is thicker near the edge of the cap. Therefore, the gills are constructed like a knife blade and are wedge-shaped in cross-section.
Other Characteristics
Other characteristics to consider when identifying mushroom genus include the presence of juices upon breaking, bruising reactions, odours, tastes, shades of colour, habitat, habit, and season. Additionally, characteristics such as gills, caps, stems, and rings on the stem can be important for identification. For example, the genus Amanita contains some of the deadliest mushroom species, and can be identified by free gills that are not attached to the stem, a ring or skirt on the stem, and a cup at the base.
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Frequently asked questions
Some books that can help with identifying mushroom genus include:
- How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus I: Macroscopic Features by David L. Largent and Daniel E. Stuntz.
- How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus II: Field Identification of Genera.
- How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus III: Microscopic Features by David L. Largent, David Johnson, and Roy Watling.
- How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus VI: Modern Genera by David L. Largent and Timothy Baroni.
- How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus VI: The Modern Genera Keys and Descriptions by David L. Largent.
Some online resources that can help with identifying mushroom genus include the websites MykoWeb and MushroomExpert.
Macroscopic features of mushrooms are features that can be seen without the use of a microscope. These features include the general appearance and spore color of the mushroom.
Microscopic features of mushrooms are features that can only be seen using a microscope. These features include the pileipellis, laticiferous hyphae, and gloeocystidia.
