Agaricales of California

I usually only go into these when I have problems in Arora, but the spreadsheets will sort and order each genus of mushrooms by their features. I’ll have Agaricus and the Hygrophoraceae done for Albion I.

It works quite simply. Measure the cap size, the stipe thickness at the apex, or the cap’s color(s). Go to a spreadsheet with one of these features, and match your mushroom to its choices. It will give all listed features, but because of the size of the spreadsheet, it was easiest to print it out over three pages. The sorting, however, only changes with the feature, and each row begins first with a page in Agaricales, and then the species name. The spreadsheets will be in a green-covered, spiral bound (plastic ringed) notebook. Agaricus is printed on gold paper to distinguish its sections; the Hygrophoraceae uses apple green. See you at the ID table.

If you notice errors, write a note on the spreadsheet. I did edit the structure, but when I tried to re-read and compare the transcribed features, I found that my mind rebelled. Agaricus has been separated by whether it stains reddish when cut or rubbed, or yellow with application of a NaOH (sodium hydroxide) or KOH (potassium hydroxide) solution. I use an 8% solution of NaOH. You definitely want to wipe up spills, and wash off anything that gets on you. Skin feels slippery? Skin is soluble in NaOH. That’s your skin dissolving. It takes awhile, which is the point of washing it off immediately.

Apart from this, I would like to draw your attention to Agaricales’ treatment of the Russulas. Harry Thiers makes his separations based on easily observed features: Is the mushroom acrid; are its spores yellow or white; do its gills fork; is the cap particularly dense and hard; do the small gills and the big gills regularly repeat themselves? Nothing about any of this is hard to follow, once you demystify the big words. He does use microscopic features. I ignore them. I keep written notes toward where I am, as well as any places where I’ve had multiple choices. Four out of five times I will get to a single species without doing any microscopic work. When you get through the key, and the final choice for your alternative is a yellow mushroom, instead of a purple one, you know to go back and check the other choice-if you kept written notes. We had a mystery Russula at Echo Summit. It keyed out to integra. It took about five minutes.

The Russulas only require the application of FeSO4 (ferrous sulfate) solution to the stipe (yellow spores, mild taste- p.49), to see if the color becomes dark green to gray. I’ll bring the Iron (II) sulfate; Henry has some too. Simply dissolve a small pinch in a few drops of water and apply it to the stipe. This is the Xerampelina complex, and it’s your lucky day. If you wonder why you find so few of these, they, like the boletes, are early risers. Arora is up here on Thanksgiving weekend. Rain allowing, I expect his group is better placed toward their harvest.

- John Brown, Science Advisor