The Gilled Fungi
In
order to recognize a fungal species it is important to
learn the various
characteristics of the fruiting bodies of each family of fungi. Fungi are
grouped by the way they produce their spores. These may be internal as with a
puffball, on gills as with agaricus, on the exterior as with the morel or in
pores as with the boletes.
Perhaps
the most well known of all mushrooms is the bright red-capped (with white spots)
fungi, Amanita Muscaria. It is often 
described in literature and was seen in
“Fantasia’ and many other stories. This drawing shows the development of the
fruiting body. The cap, the veil, the gills, and the volva are all shown. Some
varieties of this species are noted for their hallucinogenic properties but
our local species is not known to be psychoactive.
Many of the higher fungi have this general form. Only a few genera however, have the cup or volva at the base of the stalk. When collecting any fungi with a cap it is important to collect all of the mushroom, especially the base of the stem, because the volva may be under the surface and not be noticed. The volva or cup is the remnants of the universal veil, which envelops the fungi as it grows from the primordia.
How
can you determine whether a mushroom is deadly or will just make one ill?
There is no easy method. There are no tests that will determine this for you.
You must learn the traits of each edible and each poisonous mushroom.
Moreover, many of the toxic mushrooms will make a person ill but only a
few are deadly. A few of the amanitas are the most deadly of all the
mushrooms. Only with a liver and/or kidney transplant can a patient recover
after eating one of the deadly amanitas. Less toxic ones will only make the
patient ill. Of course, the amount eaten is a determining factor so a tiny
taste the first time is always a good rule. If in doubt of a species’
toxicity, throw it out.
Since fungal families are often divided by spore color it is helpful to make a spore print.
To make a spore print:
- Remove a stem
from a cap and lay the cap on a piece or two of paper (as in the photo
above) and cover it with a
cup.
- Leave it
overnight. The next morning you will see the pattern made by the spores if
they are being released.
- Using a dark and a white paper makes it easier to see the color of the spores.
Because they are so dangerous it is important to learn the traits of the amanitas, which have white spores, striate cap edges, and a volva or cup at the base of the stem. The dangerous amanitas are usually found in forests but there are many other amanitas that are not poisonous that are very good edibles. You should avoid eating or even tasting any of the amanitas until you are able to easily identify each species. The Amanita pictured above is one of the edible ones. It is named for Caesar Augustus who was murdered by his wife using some of the deadly mushroom in a meal with this edible one.
12/12/2004