Mushrooms And Other Fungi Of The Midcontinental United States

This completely revised second edition provides all the information necessary to identify mushrooms in the field in the midcontinental region of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin: the tallgrass prairies and the western parts of the eastern deciduous forests. The first edition has been improved in significant ways. The authors have updated scientific names, added photos where there were none and replaced poor photos with better ones, improved the keys, added some species and deleted others, added a section on truffles, and annotated the bibliography. There were originally 224 species; now there are 248. Some of the new photos—125 in all—serve as a second photo for a species, where it is helpful to show details that cannot be viewed in a single photo. The authors describe each species’ cap, gills, stalk, annulus, and season when it is most likely to be seen as well as such characteristics as edibility and toxicity. In their detailed and lively introduction they discuss the economic and environmental aspects of fungi, basic mushroom biology, nomenclature, edibility and toxicity, and habitats and time of fruiting. Most important are the keys, which lead the dedicated reader to the major groups of fungi included in this guide. The section on mushrooms includes keys to their genera in addition to the species within each family discussed, and each of the subsequent sections has a key to the genera and species except where so few species are discussed that a key is not necessary. The volume also includes a glossary and two bibliographies, one with general and one with technical references. Through their detailed technical descriptions and captivating color photos the authors convey their passionate fondness for these diverse and colorful organisms, whose mysterious appearances and disappearances have long made them objects of fascination.

This completely revised second edition provides all the information necessary to identify mushrooms in the field in the midcontinental region of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin: the tallgrass prairies and the western parts of the eastern deciduous forests. The first edition has been improved in significant ways. The authors have updated scientific names, added photos where there were none and replaced poor photos with better ones, improved the keys, added some species and deleted others, added a section on truffles, and annotated the bibliography. There were originally 224 species; now there are 248. Some of the new photos--125 in all--serve as a second photo for a species, where it is helpful to show details that cannot be viewed in a single photo. The authors describe each species' cap, gills, stalk, annulus, and season when it is most likely to be seen as well as such characteristics as edibility and toxicity. In their detailed and lively introduction they discuss the economic and environmental aspects of fungi, basic mushroom biology, nomenclature, edibility and toxicity, and habitats and time of fruiting. Most important are the keys, which lead the dedicated reader to the major groups of fungi included in this guide. The section on mushrooms includes keys to their genera in addition to the species within each family discussed, and each of the subsequent sections has a key to the genera and species except where so few species are discussed that a key is not necessary. The volume also includes a glossary and two bibliographies, one with general and one with technical references. Through their detailed technical descriptions and captivating color photos the authors convey their passionate fondness for these diverse and colorful organisms, whose mysterious appearances and disappearances have long made them objects of fascination.

Fungi is a richly detailed and beautifully illustrated book which tells you everything you need to know about these fasciating organisms. Fungi are an indispensable part of the great chain of life: more than 90% of the world’s plant species depend on them for their nutrition. There are believed to be about 1.5 million species, thriving in virtually every habitat, from temperate to tropical, Antarctic to marine. Using beautifully coloured illustrations, this book dips into the whole range, showcasing the unusual, the familiar, the poisonous and the delicious, and sharing the stories of puffballs, deadly webcaps and devils’ fingers, among others. Some are cultivated for use in different cuisines, while others are heralded for their hallucinogenic properties, or valued for use in medicine. Essential information on distribution, uses and growth partnerships is included for each species featured, as well as stunning. Weird, alluring and mysterious - get to know what makes mushrooms magic in this handy, colourful book.

“The lurid photographs and enticing, offhandedly witty descriptions make the reader want to go out collecting specimens right away."—Popular Science From morels to chanterelles, toadstools to truffles, fungi have been a source of fascination since the earliest hunter-gatherers first foraged for them. Today there are few, if any, places on Earth where fungi have not found themselves a home—their habitats span the poles and the tropics, mountaintops and backyards. Packed with facts and photos, this book introduces you to fungus in many forms—some parasitic, some poisonous, some hallucinogenic and some with healing properties that can be tapped for pharmaceutical products. Then of course, there are the delicious mushrooms that are prized by epicureans and gourmands worldwide. Each species here is reproduced at its actual size, in full color, and accompanied by a scientific explanation of its distribution, habitat, association, abundance, growth form, spore color, and edibility. With information on the characteristics, locations, distinguishing features, and occasionally bizarre habits of these fungi, you’ll find in this book the common and the conspicuous, the unfamiliar and the odd—including a fungal predator, for instance, that hunts its prey with lassos, and several that set traps, including one that entices sows by releasing the pheromones of a wild boar. “How dazzling is the world of mushrooms? The fan-shaped cinnabar oysterling looks like something you would find undersea. The violet webcap is vibrant. These are among the more than 600 fungi described and illustrated in this scholarly and beautiful book.”—TheNew York Times “Anyone with an appreciation of the beauty of nature will enjoy.”—Grand Forks Herald

Hawai‘i is known for its verdant mountains and colorful ocean ecosystems, but few realize the depth and range of the islands’ mushroom diversity. In fact, Hawai‘i is home to over 230 species of mushrooms that are prized by foragers from around the world. In Mushrooms of Hawai‘i, Don Hemmes and Dennis Desjardin present a beautiful and comprehensive guide to the treasure trove of mycological life in the Aloha State. Inside you’ll find information on Mushroom identification; Culinary and medicinal uses of Hawaiian mushrooms; Where to find the best mushroom-hunting spots; The seasonality of Hawaiian mushrooms; And everything else you might need to make your foraging adventure a success. Mushrooms of Hawai‘i also includes beautiful illustrations to help you identify familiar treasures like morels, well-known dangers like Amanita muscaria, and exciting species unique to the islands. Whether you’re hunting Copelandia cyanescens (“magic” mushrooms) in the pasture grasses high in the mountains of Maui, or foraging for Laetiporus (chicken of the woods), an edible mushroom sought after by foodies for its uniquely delicious taste, this book is the must-have guide for fungophiles.

This book is a comprehensive guide to many important fungal species with a focus on their phytochemistry, potential sources of bioactive compounds, known chemistry and toxicology.

With Common Interior Alaska Cryptogams, Gary A. Laursen and Rodney Seppelt offer the first field guide to cryptogams of the Denali National Park and Preserve. Useful to both lay and professional investigators, this fully illustrated compendium covers mushroom fungi, lichenized fungi, lichenicolous fungi, slime molds, mosses, and liverworts. This field guide to commonly seen cryptogams will provide a basis for understanding their vast diversity of taxa, speciation, edibility, relative abundance, and utility, as well as the ecological roles played by these organisms.