Fungus Fact Friday

Category: Fungus Fact

#107: The Banana and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense 2

Fungus Fact

#107: The Banana and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense

The banana that you know and love may soon be a thing of the past. I know, you probably think that I’m exaggerating the threat to this ubiquitous crop, but the possibility of bananas disappearing from grocery shelves forever is very real.  In fact, it nearly happened once before.  Here is a brief history of the modern banana: in the 1950’s, bananas were wiped out by a disease called Panama Disease.  To save the crop, a resistant variety was discovered.  Today, Panama Disease has evolved to attack the resistant variety, thus threatening to decimate banana production for a second time.  This time, however, there is not a fallback option.

#106: Calostoma cinnabarinum, the Stalked Puffball-In-Aspic 2

Fungus Fact

#106: Calostoma cinnabarinum, the Stalked Puffball-In-Aspic

This is without a doubt the strangest-looking puffball-like mushroom in North America. It starts out looking like the inside of an oddly-colored egg and ends up resembling a little, red balloon glued to the top of a tiny termite mound.  This description really doesn’t do the mushroom justice, so please do an image search for “Calostoma cinnabarinum” to see what the mushroom actually looks like.

#105: Pseudohydnum gelatinosum, The Toothed Jelly Fungus 0

Fungus Fact

#105: Pseudohydnum gelatinosum, The Toothed Jelly Fungus

This is one of the strangest fungi you can find in North America. Like other jelly fungi, it is characterized by its squishy, gelatinous texture.  Most jelly fungi have a fairly disorganized, globular structure.  However, Pseudohydnum gelatinosum has a distinct stipe, pileus, and spore surface.  In fact, its spores are borne on teeth, much like the unrelated Hedgehog Mushroom (Hydnum repandum)!

#103: Grifola frondosa, The Hen of the Woods 2

Fungus Fact

#103: Grifola frondosa, The Hen of the Woods

This edible mushroom has a few common names, including: “Hen of the Woods,” “Sheepshead,” and “” It is parasitic on hardwood tree roots, so look for this mushroom around the bases of hardwoods (especially oaks and maples) in the fall.

#102: The Chicken of the Woods or Sulfur Shelf Fungus 4

Fungus Fact

#102: The Chicken of the Woods or Sulfur Shelf Fungus

This mushroom is a gateway mushroom to foraging. There is no mistaking the large, bright, yellow-orange fruiting bodies of the Chicken of the Woods.  It is also a good edible that has the look, texture, and taste of chicken when cooked (which resulted in one of its common names).

#101: Golden Chanterelles 3

Fungus Fact

#101: Golden Chanterelles

These mushrooms are the mycophagist’s (fungus-eater’s) best friends. They taste great, are large enough to eat, often fruit plentifully, are easy to spot, and are unlikely to be confused with anything else (if you know what to look for).  Golden Chanterelles are very popular in Europe.  The European species is called the “Griole” in France, while Germans call it the “”  These choice edibles can also be found in North America, where they fruit from summer through fall.  Look for chanterelles near streams, in hollows, and in other tree-covered places with abundant moisture but good drainage.  I recently found some in a small park in Northern Virginia, so they may be more common than you would expect!

#100: Uncommon Mushroom Toxins 0

Fungus Fact

#100: Uncommon Mushroom Toxins

In addition to the eight common types of mushroom toxins, mushrooms produce a number of other compounds that are toxic to humans. The North American Mycological Association lists eight of these less common toxins/syndromes.  Many of these are limited to a few, closely-related species and are therefore not as frequently observed as the eight types described previously.

#099: Gastrointestinal Irritants 1

Fungus Fact

#099: Gastrointestinal Irritants

Mushrooms produce a wide variety of compounds, most of which have not been studied. Many of these cause irritation to the gastrointestinal tract.  Because this group of toxins is so varied, I doubt that scientists will ever bother to catalog all the compounds involved.  As a result, most mushroom toxins will likely remain unclassified and lumped into the “gastrointestinal irritants”

#098: Psilocybin and Psilocin 7

Fungus Fact

#098: Psilocybin and Psilocin

These two toxins are the active chemicals in hallucinogenic mushrooms (often called “magic mushrooms” or “‘shrooms”). Psilocybin and psilocin belong to the LSD family of chemicals, but they are smaller than LSD and occur naturally in mushrooms.  These compounds can be found in a variety o f mushrooms, including many species in the genera Psilocybe, Conocybe, Panaeolus, and Gymnopilus.  Most often, the mushrooms eaten for their hallucinogenic effects belong to the genus Psilocybe, which lends its name to psilocybin and psilocin.