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Fascinating Fungi

An unidentified Australian puff-ball

2/12/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture of Unidentified Australian puff-ball fungiUnidentified 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
Sideview of unidentified Australian puff balls
Picture


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



2 Comments

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

2/12/2014

5 Comments

 
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.


Picture of Cortinarius archeri
Cortinarius archeri
Picture of wood-blewits
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 stemRust 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.

PictureBare stem of Lepista nuda











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



Picture ofa young Cortinanus archeri fungiYoung 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.

Picture of The smooth, slightly rubbery cap of Lepista nudaThe 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.

Picture showing  the slimy cap of Cortinarius  archeri
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.
5 Comments

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

24/11/2014

5 Comments

 
A. arvensis showing cogwheel
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 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

Picture
 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 australiensisClose 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.

Picture
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.
Picture


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.
Picture
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.
5 Comments

Ganoderma Lucidum - Asian Mushroom of Immortality

29/10/2014

0 Comments

 
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.

0 Comments
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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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    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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