Witches butter

Andy's Northern Ontario Wildflowers Mushrooms or Fungi

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While I will try to answer questions related to the content of www.ontariowildflower.com, please do not ask me questions about fungi, because I am not an expert on fungi.  This page is added only to illustrate some of the more common fungi that grow in the Sudbury area. Click here to go to an excellent web site describing Fungi (George Barron's Website on Fungi: http://www.uoguelph.ca/~gbarron/). Dr. Barron is a Professor Emeritus at University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Another excellent site is entitled "The Fungus Among Us". What is a fungus? A fungus is an organism that grows mostly below the ground.  Only a small part of the fungus grows above the ground.  A mushroom represents a small part of the fungus organism.  Perhaps as much as 90% of the fungus grows below the ground.  The underground part of the fungus consists of a network of very thin "threads".  Individual "threads" are called hypha.  A network of hypha are called mycelium.  The fungus, with its mycelium, spread throughout the soil. The mycelium remain in the ground year round, where it feeds on soil nutrients and expands continuously.  Under certain conditions, usually annually, the mycelium produce mushrooms, which we see above the surface.  The role of the mushroom is to produce and disperse spores.  New fungi develop from these spores.  The mycelium feed by producing enzymes that break down organic in the soil, or dead log.  That broken down organic material is the source of food for the fungus. So, when we speak of fungus, we are really describing both that part of the organism that grows underground - as much as 90% of the organism - and that part we see above ground - the mushroom.  These two components comprise the fungus. Fungi grow in a range of organic material - soil, live trees, dead trees, and scat.  The fungi that grow in coniferous trees differ from those growing in deciduous trees.  Saprotrophic fungi feed on dead organic matter.  Parasitic fungi feed on living organisms. Mycorrhizal Association Some fungi live in a special, co-dependent relationship with other plants. This relationship is called symbiotic and these fungi are called mycorrhizal fungi.  The mycorrhizal fungi obtain some of their nutrients from the plants that photosynthesize their "foods".  The plants provide carbohydrates formed by photosynthesis in its leaves.  In return, the root fungi provides nutrients derived from the soil to the photosynthetic plants.  The root fungi do not harm the plants.   There are several plants that grow in bogs that live in a mycorrhiza association.  Heaths, Labrador tea, Leatherleaf, laurels (plants in the order Ericales) are examples.  Similarly, many orchids depend on Mycorrhiza fungi to germinate seeds and to grow after germination. There are some common mycorrhizal mushrooms.  The edible Golden Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) is one example that is commonly picked for culinary purposes.  The Black Truffle (Tuber Melanosporium) is another example that is harvested in Europe.  Click here for expert information on fungus. Fungi are cool.  Have you ever wondered if mushrooms (fungi) can help restore a state of balance to the Earth? Paul Stamets presents several mycological solutions, based on fungi mycelium, to help improve the state of the Earth and at the same time achieve other benefits to humans.  He points out that fungi mycelium: a)  infuse all landscapes; b) holds soils together; c) is extremely tenacious; and d) holds up to 30 thousand times its mass. They generate humus soils and facilitate multi-directional transfer of nutrients between plants. The solutions discussed by Paul Stamets include the use of mushroom mycelium to: bio-remediate soil saturated with diesel and other petroleum waste to create an environment where the fungi spores attracted insects, the insects laid eggs, eggs became larvae, birds then came, bringing in seeds, and the contaminated pile became an oasis of life; bio-remediate soil contaminated with coliform bacteria or other wastes that leads to habitat restoration; destroy certain types of viruses; kill (entomopathogenic fungi) or repel certain types of damaging insects, such as carpenter ants; make ethanol from cellulose using myceliuma. Have a look at this video of Paul Stamets: Paul Stamets: Fungi to save the Earth (TED.com)   Habitat: Mushrooms grow in various habitat, including: woodlands or associated with trees on the ground in grasslands on trees, stumps, or woody debris bogs or marshlands on burnt ground or burnt wood on other fungi Warning: Some fungi are deadly poisonous. Please follow these rules if you seek out fungi: always be absolutely certain about fungus variety you touch always wash your hands after touching fungi learn to recognize the deadly poisonous species, such as Death Cap and then avoid these species if you suffer any ill effects after touching fungi, seek medical attention immediately, especially if there is a delay in the onset of the symptoms Disclaimer: Fungi can be difficult to identify with certainty. I cannot guarantee that I have correctly identified the fungi illustrated on this page.  Please do not use these images as a guide to identify edible fungi. When did fungi appear on land? Fossil evidence of an ancient fungus, named Prototaxites (pronounced pro-toe-tax-eye-tees), was discovered in 1859.  The fossils lived on Earth from 420 to 350 million years ago, spanning the Silurian and Devonian periods of geologic time.  Prototaxites may have been up to 5 metre tall, taller than the tallest plants that co-existed on Earth at that time. Prototaxites has been classified as a conifer, a lichen, and a tree. The suggestion that Prototaxites was a fungus was fist made in 1919 by Francis Hueber of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C..  Recent research published in the journal Geology by Scientists at the University and the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., reaffirms that Prototaxites was a giant fungus - a giant mushroom. Prototaxites existed across the Earth's landscapes for tens of millions of years. There is mounting evidence that fungi survived several major extinctions of life on Earth, including the big one at 65 million years ago, when the Earth was hit by a huge asteroid.  This event is called the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event, or the K–T extinction event for short. The mass extinction of animal and plant life on Earth was attributed to the ejection of a huge amount of debris into the atmosphere. Sunlight was reduced or cut off.  Interestingly, fungi survived because fungi do not need light to survive!  Fungi use radiation as a source of energy, much like plants use light. Interestingly, Canadian paleontologist Charles Dawson published the first research on Prototaxites in 1859, based on specimens found along the shores of Gaspé Bay in Quebec, Canada. Fungi List: Bracket Fungi Birch polypore or razor-strop fungus (Piptoporus betulinus) Jelly crepidotus or Soft slipper toadstool (Crepidotus mollis) Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) Red Tree Brain fungus (Peniophora rufa) Artist's conk (Ganoderma applanatum) Light-spored Mushroom Oyster Mushroom (Oyster Caps) (Plueritus ostreatus) Rufous milk cap or Red hot milk cap (Lactarius Rufus) Scaly lentinus (Lentinus Lepideus) Sac Fungi Ascotremella faginea Devil's Urn (Urnula craterium) Half-free morel (Morchella semilibera) False morel (Gyromitra esculenta) Lemon drops (Bisporella citrina) Orange Peel (Aleuria aurantia) Gill Fungi Oyster mushroom (Pleuroyus ostreatus) Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) Jelly Fungi Witches butter or Yellow brain fungus (Tremella mesenterica) Black Witch's Butter (Exidia glandulosa) Coral fungi possibly Grey coral  (Clavulina cinerea) Coral fungi, possibly Clavariadelphus sachalinensis

Bracket Fungi
Birch polypore or razor-strop fungus Found: on living or dead birch trees. Identification: Smooth, rounded caps. Cap: 5-20 cm diameter, round, hoof-shaped with narrow attachment to tree; surface is white. Season: all season. Location: Burwash Date: October 14, 2007 Return to list
	Jelly crepidotus or Soft slipper toadstool Found: on dead or rotting branches. Identification: Elastic layer observed when cap is pulled apart. Cap: 2-7 cm in diameter, kidney-shaped to shell-shaped with narrow lateral attachment; pale yellowish brown, drying to paler colour. Gills: Radiating from lateral point. Stem: None. Season: Summer and fall. Return to list
Turkey Tail Fruitbody: Like shelving, overlapping, thin, tough, 3-8 cm long and up to 5 cm wide, 1-3 cm thick; variable colour from light brown to brown. Stem: None; bracket fungi Other: Common on hardwood logs and stumps. Location: Burwash Date: May 20, 2001 Return to list
	Turkey Tail on rotting log. Location: Paddy Creek Date: September 29, 2002 Return to list
Artist's conk Found: Living trees or on recently cut hardwood stumps or logs. Identification: Bracket-form, up to 50 cm long by 30 cm wide, woody. Fruit body: smooth, and concentrically grooved; grey-brown to dark brown zones; underside is white to cream coloured; underside becomes brown when bruised; narrow 4-6 mm layers on upper side. Stem: None, broadly attached to the tree. Other: A favourite for children to draw on the cream coloured underside. The stumps are about 40 cm or 15 inches in diameter. Return to list
Light-spored Mushrooms
	Oyster Mushroom or Oyster Caps Found: On dead hardwood logs, stumps, and rarely standing trees. Identification: Cap: 5-20 cm across, convex to flat, shell-shaped to semi-circular, smooth, white to grey-brown in colour; thick flesh; gills close to well-spaced and white in colour. Form: Grows in overlapping clusters. Stem: Short, white, hairy near base; often stems are absent. Fruiting time: June to October in this area. Interest: The dead logs that support Oyster mushrooms are rich in sugars, but deficient in nitrogen and other nutrients.  These mushrooms capture and digesting worm-like animals called nematodes as a source of nutrients. Return to list
Rufous milk cap or Red hot milk cap Found: On soil under coniferous trees or in sphagnum moss. Identification: Reddish brown cap. Cap: 4-10 cm diameter; convex to flat or depressed core with raised centre; dull red colour. Stem: 5-8 cm tall x 0.5-1 cm diameter; purplish-brown with white base. Interest: This is a Mycorrhizal mushroom. Return to list
	Scaly Lentinus Found: Forms groups on decayed conifer wood. Identification: Whitish toadstool. Cap: 3-15 cm diameter; firm, convex to depressed core; white to pale yellow; dry, smooth or breaking into fibrous scales; margin in-rolled initially. Stem: 2-11 cm tall x 1-2 cm diameter; cylindrical, solid, white coloured. Return to list
	Red Tree Brain fungus Fruitbodies: Brown to red-orange; flat, scattered, 1-2 mm thick, 2-4 mm wide; raised edge and wrinkled surface. Gills: None. Stalk: Not obvious. Other: A common bracket fungus that occurs on dead branches of poplar and willow. Location: Burwash Date: October 19, 2003. Return to list
Sac Fungi
	Sac fungi - variety Ascotremella faginea Fruit body: Swollen, gelatinous, purplish to brown, violet tints, tightly clustered. Form: Complex, lobed mass up to 5 cm across and several cm tall. Stem: None Other: Not common. This specimen occurs in an area that was logged and contained mixed hardwood and conifers. The soil was clay-rich and moist. Location: Burwash Date: April 15, 2001 Return to list
Sac fungi - variety Devil's Urn Fruit body: Black coloured, up to 12 cm tall and 3-8 cm across; circular mouth and goblet-shaped; toothed margin; supported by a slender stalk that is seldom seen because the stalk is often deep in moss. Form: Goblet-shaped and circular. Stem: Stalk is not often observed because the stalk is buried in moss. Other: Develops on buried wood and fruits in spring. Location: Killarney Highway Date: April 28, 2007 Return to list
Half-free morel Fruitbody: up to 15 cm tall; head is brown to dark brown; up to 5 cm tall, bell-shaped; margin of cap is free from stalk. Stalk: Yellowish; up to 10 cm tall. Other: Widespread and common in deciduous forest. Note the small spring beauty wildflower at the bottom left for scale. Location: Burwash Date: May 13, 2001 Return to list
	False morel Fruitbody: Up to 25 cm tall; heads are dark brown, folded and wrinkled like a brain and red-brown to brown. Stalk: Paler brown compared to cap and up to 15 cm tall. Other: Widespread in spring in deciduous and coniferous forest. Poisonous. See following photograph. Location: Burwash Date: May 13, 2001 Return to list
Several individual false morel growing in a area that was recently logged. The size of the cluster is about 20 cm wide. Location: Burwash Date: May 13, 2001 Return to list
	Lemon drops Fruitbodies: Bright yellow; 3 mm across; saucer-shaped; smooth. Gills: None. Stalk: Short and not obvious. Other: A common woodland cup fungi; the fruits may occur in large numbers. Location: Trout Lake Road area Date: October 11, 2003. Return to list
Orange Peel Fruitbodies: Bright orange; up to 8 cm across; cup-shaped; wavy margin as they age. Gills: None. Stalk: None. Other: A common cup fungi; occurs on disturbed soil at the edges of roads in summer and fall. Location: Paddy Creek Road Date: October 11, 2003. Return to list
Gill Fungi
	Fly agaric; Also known as Fly Agaric or fly Amanita. Caps: 7-20 cm across; looks warty; hemispherical to convex initially and becomes flat; covered with white to buff patches; cap is pale yellow to orange-red in the boreal forest, but is reported to be bright red in colour on the west coast. Gills: Free, close, white to cream coloured. Stalk: Up to 15 cm tall and 2-3 cm wide, white or yellowish, scaly near base. Habitat: Common in coniferous and deciduous open woods. Other: Poisonous. Interest: The common English name may have been derived from: a) the use in European as an insecticide, because of the fly-killing agent named ibotenic acid; or b) delirium that results from eating the fungus, based on the medieval belief that flies could enter a person's head and cause mental illness. Location: Elbow Lake area. Date: September 1, 2001. Return to list
Fly agaric profile. Location: Elbow Lake area. Date: September 1, 2001. Return to list	Fly agaric fungi - new growth Location: Elbow Lake area. Date: July 27, 2009. Return to list
Jelly Fungi
	Witches butter or Yellow brain fungus Found: Dead branches of deciduous trees Identification: Orange-yellow colour, gelatinous flesh, and irregular brain-like shape. Fruit body: 1-8 cm across, folded and lobed; drys to dark orange colour and horny shape. Stem: None Season: Fall and winter.   Return to list
Black Witch's Butter Found: Found on twigs and branches of hardwoods. Identification: Olive-brown to black in colour; forms a series of cone-shaped, gelatinous masses that coalesce; masses may extend up to 25 cm. Stem: None This example was growing on Speckled Alder. Location: Burwash Date: January 3, 2004.   Return to list
Coral Fungi
	Coral fungi, possible Grey Coral Found: Found on the ground in conifer and mixed forests. Identification: Fruitbodies are branched, up to 5 cm tall, pale grey; masses may extend up to 10 m. Stem: None Location: Highway 69, south of Sudbury, but north of Estaire. Date: August 2001.   Return to list
Coral fungi, possibly Variety Clavariadelphus sachalinensis Family: Clavariaceae Found: Found on the ground in hardwood forests. Identification: Yellowish, club-shaped bodies; fruitbodies are unbranched, up to 12 cm tall and up to 6 mm wide; occurs in dense clusters; pale flesh-coloured to pale grey. Stem: None Location: Burwash. Date: October 15, 2005. Return to list

Page Created By:		Date last modified:
Andy Fyon		November 7, 2009

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