Mushroom Church?
Oregon Mycological Society
by Joseph Cohen
1y ago
September 4, 2023 In France, local governments and religious organizations are looking for ways to save disused churches. A recent Christian Science Monitor article discusses how many of these historic sites are being preserved by converting them to other uses like are concert venues, hotels, and nightclubs. © Colette Davidson One unusual use is mushroom farming. Some of these old buildings have perfect environments for mushroom cultivation: the right humidity and warm, stable temperature. The 19th century Martray Chapel in Nantes, France was converted a mushroom farm. It’s now one of the loca ..read more
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Update: Montana Morel Deaths
Oregon Mycological Society
by Joseph Cohen
1y ago
August 12, 2023 I earlier reported[1] a mass mushroom poisoning which sickened 51 people and resulted in 3 hospitalizations and 2 deaths. The Montana Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), working with FDA, has now issued its final case report.[2] The culprit: consumption of uncooked or undercooked (including marinated) Morchella sextelata.[3] All of the illnesses resulted from consumption of mushroom dishes in a single restaurant during a 3-week period. The severity of symptoms correlated with the amount of mushrooms consumed. MDHHS and the FDA were able to eliminate other probable ..read more
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OMS Scholarship Winners publish new papers
Oregon Mycological Society
by Joseph Cohen
1y ago
Recent issues of Mycologia1 feature brand-new publications by past OMS Scholarship winners. Korena Mifune is the lead author of a paper2 published online in Mycologia on June 1. The paper details findings about mychorrizal fungi in “canopy soils” — thick mats of organic matter on tree branches. Korena was a 2016 OMS Scholarship Winner. She presented her preliminary research at at the OMS February, 2018 General Meeting. She is now a Ph.D. and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Washington. Michael Bradshaw is the lead author of a Mycologia paper3 published online on May 9 ..read more
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Montana Morchella Morbidity
Oregon Mycological Society
by Joseph Cohen
1y ago
May 28, 2023 After eating in the same restaurant, 50 people were sickened, several were hospitalized, and 2 died. Morchella (morels) are the likely cause. (“[P]reliminary analysis strongly suggests that … morel mushrooms were the food item that caused the outbreak.”1 “Available epidemiological evidence indicates that imported cultivated morel mushrooms, consumed at a single Montana restaurant, were the likely source of illnesses.”3) The mushrooms were cultivated Morchella, imported from China.2 For more details read the References below. And remember: All Morchella contain toxins and should ..read more
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Mushroom Mixes: Do you know what you’re buying?
Oregon Mycological Society
by Joseph Cohen
1y ago
An FDA Alert reminds us about buying mushrooms based on someone else’s label, especially mushroom mixes. Import Alert 25-021 lets the government seize and detain certain imported mushroom products containing “morels”. The alert explains: In the past, shipments of canned and dried morel mushrooms have been detained due to the presence of Gyromitra esculenta. This mushroom species is known to produce monomethylhydrazine (MMH), a substance which causes severe gastrointestinal disturbance and, in some cases, death. In addition to Gyromitra esculenta, [the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Ap ..read more
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Fantastic Fungi? Baudoinia compniacensis (whiskey fungus)
Oregon Mycological Society
by Joseph Cohen
1y ago
Baudoinia compniacensis (whiskey fungus) is a little-known, recently newsworthy fungus. It’s a crust-like organism that likes humid, warm micro-environments. It grows on a wide variety of substrates, including building walls, road signs, patio furniture, bark, and leaves. It has been found in North America, Europe, Scotland.1 Its common name — whiskey fungus — comes from the fact that it thrives on ethanol vapor. As a result, B. compniacensis can fruit abundantly near distilleries or whiskey-aging warehouses. Examples: the Hennessy distillery in Cognac, France; Jack Daniels warehouses in Kentu ..read more
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Can Golf Balls Grow On Trees?
Oregon Mycological Society
by Joseph Cohen
1y ago
Although they resemble golf balls, this is actually the mushroom Cyttaria darwinii (Darwin’s fungus). Cyttaria darwinii grows in the southern tip of South America. It was collected and described by Charles Darwin. It’s edible and can grow in large quantities, with dozens of mushrooms fruiting from the same tree. Darwin said that it was “eaten by the Fuegians, in large quantities.” Cyttaria darwinii © 2016 Giuliana Furci Cytarria darwinii is an ascomyte, as are Morchella (Morels). As the C. darwinii  fruiting body matures, the white spots turn into dimpled tiny cups — apothecia. They se ..read more
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Introduction to Mushrooms, Class 1
Oregon Mycological Society
by Joseph Cohen
1y ago
Introduction to Mushrooms, Class 1, is now available on demand to OMS Members via the OMS Media Center. Introduction to Mushrooms is OMS’s Beginner Identification Course, created by OMS Education co-chairs Dick Bishop and Sallie Jones. The Course has three Classes. Dick Bishop has created audio-visual presentations of Class 1. They comprise three separate audio-visual Sections. Each Section is a PowerPoint slide with audio narration. The Sections are available through the OMS Media Center. Logged-in OMS members can access the Media Center by clicking this link, or by selecting: OMS R ..read more
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Big Fleas Have Little Fleas
Oregon Mycological Society
by Joseph Cohen
1y ago
Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ’em,And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum. Many of you know about “Zombie Ants” — ants whose bodies and brains are taken over by a Cordyceps fungus. See, for example: Zimmer, “The Zombie Ant Staggers Up a Tree. Then It Explodes.” New York Times (Oct. 24, 2019); Attack of the Killer Fungi (from BBC Planet Earth). Scientists have now confirmed that the zombie-ant fungi Ophiocordyceps can itself be parasitized by a fungus. In fact, scientists have discovered and described two new genera of fungi that parasitize Orphiocordy ..read more
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Announcing Hebeloma.org
Oregon Mycological Society
by Joseph Cohen
1y ago
Hebeloma is mushroom genus that we often fail to notice. After all they are drably colored, not large, generally reported as not “edible” or as positively toxic, and difficult to identify to species. But they’re an important, common, ectomycorrhizal genus with worldwide distribution (every continent except Antarctica). Professional mycologists, with significant help from citizen scientists, have now taken a giant step toward decoding and organizing this genus. The results are collated on a new, open access website, Hebeloma.org. The website provides a direct public view into a database of 10,0 ..read more
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