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An unidentified Australian puff-ball

2/12/2014

Unidentified Australian puff-ball fungi

These unidentified puff-balls were found growing on a huge log, possibly beech, in early winter. The colour was a very deep orange, quite unlike the usual Lycoperdon fungi. They appear to have short thick, white stalks and white spores that can be seen on the surface of the lower fungi. Notice how wrinkled the lower putt-ball is, yet it does not seem to have released any spores as yet.

The close up photo shows the surface of the puff ball to be finely granular and the specks to the left of the next photo are some of these grains falling off.

Sideview of unidentified Australian puff balls

It is interesting in the last photo that there is no spore stain around the apical hole that seems to have released the spores onto it's neighbour. I wondered if this suggested a rather forceful ejection of spores.

Apical hole on anorange unidentified Australian puff-ball

Apical hole on an unidentified Australian puff-ball

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Lepista nuda and a poisonous Australian look-alike, Cortinarius archeri

2/12/2014

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Lepista nuda, known as the wood blewit mushroom, is a choice edible mushroom providing it is very well cooked. It is regarded as having been introduced to Australia. Lepista nuda is a reasonably substantial mushroom with palish purple cap, stem and gills. The nuda part of its scientific name refers to the mushroom's totally smooth cap. However, those tempted to try eating Lepista nuda had better be sure that they haven't got the poisonous Australian mushroom, Cortinanus archeri, in the pan.

Cortinarius archeri

Lepista Nuda

Can you tell which of these two mushrooms is edible and which is the poisonous look-a-like?

The colour of the two can be very similar especially in dry weather. Both start out as quite purple and fade to buff colour over time. Both have smooth cap surfaces that look similar when dry and both appear ringless.

Stem Differences

Picture Cortinarius stem with rust stained stem

Rust coloured spore stains on the Cortinarius archeri stem

The most immediate difference is on the stem. Cortinanus archeri has the rust brown spores that characterise Cortinarius fungi. Though it doesn't have a ring, in reasonably mature specimens there will be rusty spore and cortina stains in place of a ring.

Bare stem of Lepista nuda

In contrast, the stem of Lepista nuda has no rusty stains.

Picture ofa young Cortinanus archeri fungi

Young Cortinarius archeri

Similarities & Differences when young.
Both mushrooms begin with a fairly swollen base and convex cap and both have solid pale lilac tinged flesh.

Being a Cortinarius, archeri's cap is initially attached to the stem via a web known as a cortina. However, as shown in this photo of a young Cortinarius archeri, the web can easily be mistaken for a ring.

The smooth, slightly rubbery cap of Lepista nuda

Cap Differences. The cap of Lepista nuda is smooth and slightly greasy to rubbery in texture but not slimy.

As shown in the young specimen as well as this one, the surface of Cortinarius archeri is shiny and slimy in damp or wet conditions.

The slimy cap of Cortinarius archeri

Smell. The edible Lepista nuda has a lovely sweet and strong smell all of its own. Cortinarius archeri has no smell.

Spore Print colour: The spores of Cortinarius archeri are copious and rust coloured whereas the spore print of Lepista nuda is a pinkish buff colour.

A last warning. Before deciding to cook up a mushroom you have decided is Lepista nuda, keep in mind that if it is not very well cooked it will have toxins that can damage red blood cells. So, the wisest choice is look, smell, enjoy but don't eat.

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Don't mistake the poisonous Cortinarius Australiensis for an edible horse mushroom.

24/11/2014

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The Horse Mushroom, Agaricus arvensis is a large field-type mushroom that is considered good eating although it can be a little tough.

The Poisonous Cortinarius australiensis can look quite like an edible horse mushroom.

However, in Australia foragers should take care not to confuse it with the large and poisonous Cortinarius australiensis. From a distance they look very similar.

Both are

about the same size

fleshy

have hints of yellow

have a ring

have a pale cream cap which may have fine scales.

How to tell the difference

If the mushroom is young start by inspecting the unbroken ring. The horse mushroom has a kind of cogwheel ring as shown in this photo. This partial veil is distinctive enough but the inner spokes are fine and web-like like a cortina.

Picture of the unbroken ring of Cortinarius australiensis

Close up showing the ring of Cortinarius australiensis to be a cortina

The picture to the left identifies the ring of the actual poisonous mushroom as a rather thick cortina that extends over the whole cap from low on the stem. However, the cortina threads are so thick that they look more like an agaricus veil.

If the mushroom is older check the colour of the gills. The gills of the Horse mushroom change from cream to pink to dark brown with age.

The gills of the poisonous look-alike are initially very pale mustard and darken to a distinct rust brown due to the typical rust coloured spores of Cortinarius mushrooms. The specimen in this photo shows both a section of newly exposed, pale mustard gills. Notice in this photo how much the still attached parts of the cortina looks like an agaricus ring rather than the usual fine threads a Cortinarius web. However, the gill colour identifies this mushroom as a Cortinarius.

Differences in the mature mushroom

The photo on the left below shows a mature Cortinarius australiensis mushroom. Here, the gill colour could be mistaken for those of the horse mushroom pictured on the right. However, the Cortinarius gills are more rusty than the Agaricus gills and the real give-away is the distinctly rust coloured spore stain on the stem of the Cortinarius. Notice also the chiselled shape of the Cortinarius base.

The gills of the horse mushroom are chocolate brown even at this fairly early stage. Notice also how much longer the stem is in the horse mushroom.

Side-view of mature Cortinarius australiensis mushroom

Side view of a mature Cortinarius australiensis mushroom showing rusty spore stains on the stem.

A maturing horse mushroom showing chocolate brown gills.

In conclusion, if this comparison makes you rather more wary about any "horse mushroom" you might throw in the pan, it is probably a good thing. These two species can look very alike.

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Ganoderma Lucidum - Asian Mushroom of Immortality

29/10/2014

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This mushroom has been extensively used in Asian medicine for 2000 years. In Asia it is known as the lingzhi or reishi mushroom. It is regarded as "the mushroom of immortality" and is used as a symbol of longevity on Chinese ceramics . Reishi comes from the Chinese name ruizhi 瑞芝 which means "auspicious mushroom". Both Chinese Ling and Zhi have multiple meanings so Lingzhi has English translations that include, Possessed of soul power, Herb of Spiritual Potency or Mushroom of Immortality, Numinous or divine mushroom, Magic Fungus and Marvelous Fungus.

A Translation of the Divine Farmer's Materia Medica, a Chinese book written down between 200 and 300 BC said the reishi mushroom "mainly treats binding in the chest, boosts the heart qi, supplements the center, sharpens the wits, and [causes people] not to forget. Protracted taking may make the body light, prevent senility, and prolong life so as to make one an immortal.

Western science has studied Ganoderma Lucidum species extensively and found they contain approximately 400 different bioactive compounds and a very wide range of medical effects. The list is astounding.

Ganoderma Lucidum has been found to:

promote sleep
relieve pain
slow aging
lower blood sugar and help treat diabetes
be antibacterial, antiviral, anti-oxidative and anti-ulcerative
lower cholestrol
support the immune system
protect liver function and treat hepatitis

protect against the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation
be an effective add-on treatment for leukemia and carcinoma

Description: Ganoderma Lucidum is a polypore mushroom that is soft (when fresh), corky, and flat, with a conspicuous red-varnished, kidney-shaped cap with white to dull brown pores underneath.

Where it is found: Ganoderma Lucidum is found worldwide in both tropical and temperate climates. It is a parasite that causes white rot on the many types of trees on which it grows at their base. However, it is extremely rare in the wild, only being found on old trees and on only two or three out of 10,000 of these.

As early as the Liang Dynasty 502-587 the Chinese were growing national mushrooms, as demonstrated by an illustrated text of that period, called Zhong Shenzhi 種神芝 "On the Planting and Cultivation of Magic Mushrooms".

Supplies today are cultivated both indoors and outdoors on logs or woodchip beds. Growing gourmet and Medicinal mushrooms by Mycologist Paul Stammets, tells you how.

How it is prepared: Thinly sliced, finely chopped or powdered fresh or dried reishi is added to a lidded pot of boiling water and simmered for two hours or more, yielding a very bitter and dark liquid which is drunk.

Supplements: These days Reishi extract can be taken as a capsule available from Fungi Health.

Further reading

Xie, J.T.; Wang, C.Z.; Wicks, S.; Yin, J.J.; Kong, J.; Li, J.; Li, Y.C.; Yuan, C.S. (2006). "Ganoderma lucidum extract inhibits proliferation of SW 480 human colorectal cancer cells". Exp Oncol 28 (1): 25–9. PMID 16614703.
Müller, C.I.; Kumagai, T.; O’kelly, J.; Seeram, N.P.; Heber, D.; Koeffler, H.P. (2006). "Ganoderma lucidum causes apoptosis in leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma cells". Leukemia Research 30 (7): 841–848. doi:10.1016/j.leukres.2005.12.004. PMID 16423392.
Gao, Y.; Tang, W.; Dai, X.; Gao, H.; Chen, G.; Ye, J.; Chan, E.; Koh, H.L.; Li, X.; Zhou, S. (2005). "Effects of water-soluble Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides on the immune functions of patients with advanced lung cancer". J Med FoodTimo H. J. 8 (2): 159–168. doi:10.1089/jmf.2005.8.159.
Lindequist, U.; Niedermeyer, T.H.J. ; Jülich, W.D. (2005). "The pharmacological potential of mushrooms.". Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2 (3): 285–99. doi:10.1093/ecam/neh107. PMC 1193547. PMID 16136207.
Tanaka, S.; Ko, K.; Kino, K.; Tsuchiya, K.; Yamashita, A.; Murasugi, A.; Sakuma, S.; Tsunoo, H. (1989). "Complete amino acid sequence of an immunomodulatory protein, ling zhi-8 (LZ-8). An immunomodulator from a fungus, Ganoderma lucidum, having similarity to immunoglobulin variable regions.". J. Biol. Chem. 264 (28): 16372–7. PMID 2570780.
Murasugi, A.; Tanaka, S.; Komiyama, N.; Iwata, N.; Kino, K.; Tsunoo, H.; Sakuma, S. (1991). "Molecular cloning of a cDNA and a gene encoding an immunomodulatory protein, Ling Zhi-8, from a fungus, Ganoderma lucidum.". J. Biol. Chem. 266 (4): 2486–93. PMID 1990000.
Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2009 Dec;10(8):717-42.Ganoderma lucidum: a potent pharmacological macrofungus.Sanodiya BS1, Thakur GS, Baghel RK, Prasad GB, Bisen PS.
Paterson RR (2006). "Ganoderma – a therapeutic fungal biofactory". Phytochemistry 67 (18): 1985–2001. doi:10.1002/chin.200650268. PMID 16905165.
Reishi mushroom, Reishiessence.com.
Smith JE, Rowan NJ, and Sullivan R (2001) Medicinal Mushrooms: Their Therapeutic Properties and Current Medical Usage with Special Emphasis on Cancer Treatments Cancer Research UK, p. 28.

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Australian Fungi

Australia is estimated to have 200,000 fungi species compared with only 6,000 European. However, only about 12,000 Australian mushrooms have been identified with about 6,000 named and described. This website and Fungioz app are dedicated to increasing knowledge of both known and unidentified Australian mushrooms.

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About Me

I am not a mycologist but have been fascinated by fungi since childhood sheep farm forays.. After moving to the northern edge of Australia's Otways National park I realised how many more wonderful species there are on uncultivated land.. I began photographing and researching and now sharing the ongoing results via FungiOz website and FungiOz app. Fungi identification via field characteristics alone is tentative as are any suggested identifications in FungiOz app and website.

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