We’re going on a mushroom hunt!

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Dr. Mata examines a specimen on the Pinecote Pavilion, after last year’s fungi foray. Patricia Drackett
Peter Drackett takes a quick measurement on a bolete mushroom. These mushrooms are important symbiotic partners with pines and oaks, and therefore beneficial to our coastal vegetation types. Patricia Drackett

August 25, 2010

Special to the Item The Picayune Item Picayune Item Wed Aug 25, 2010, 09:22 AM CDT

PICAYUNE — When people think of fungi, they usually picture mushrooms. But mushrooms are only a small fraction of the fungal diversity found in our coastal woodlands. When you see a mushroom, you are actually looking at the above ground fruiting bodies of a fungus, and the vegetative body is an underground network of tubular filaments called a mycelium.

A strikingly beautiful group of mushrooms, the genus Amanita, contains some of the most toxic species in the world. Some, species such as A. muscaria (Fly Agaric) are not deadly, but will result in symptoms that resemble alcohol poisoning, and can cause delirium and coma. The orange eastern form of Fly Agaric is very common in the woodland and savanna exhibits at the Arboretum. The caps come in brilliant shades of orange dotted with whitish warty spots. There are a few edible species of Amanita in North America. They do, however, closely resemble the poisonous species.

The Arboretum is host to many species of mushrooms, both edible and non-edible varieties. Sampling any mushrooms without knowing exactly what is being ingested is a recipe for trouble. For those who are fascinated with fungi, and yearn to learn more, a group such as the Gulf States Mycological Society (www.gsmyco.org) will offer opportunities for year-round education, and field walks.

At the Crosby Arboretum, we are counting down the days to Saturday, August 28, when we will journey down the pathways for a mushroom walk with Dr. Juan Luis Mata. This type of program is not new to the Arboretum. Many of you in the community will remember local mycophile Dr. Bill Cibula, who passed away in 2005, and for many years led legendary fungi forays down the Crosby Arboretum paths. Our newest trail, The Cibula Trail, was named in his memory. This woodland trail contains interpretive signage on fungi topics, and is located adjacent to our north savanna. At the trail’s dedication ceremony in April 2008, Dr. Mata, a biology professor with the University of South Alabama in Mobile, led a field walk and gave an informative presentation of Dr. Cibula’s fungi photographs. Dr. Mata first became acquainted with Dr. Cibula’s work while conducting his master’s research at the University of Costa Rica. Juan returned to the Arboretum last year for a successful mushroom walk, during which several dozen different species of mushrooms were collected, identified, and discussed.

Saturday’s field walk promises to be a fun event. Families and children of all ages will enjoy joining in on the mushroom hunt. The program will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a brief introduction to fungi’s fascinating ecology, taxonomy, and relationship to mankind, before Dr. Mata leads a short guided walk. Participants will then have a chance to do some collecting on their own. After regrouping on the Pinecote Pavilion, specimens will be identified and discussed. Bring your favorite basket, a towel, knife, and gloves if you would like to collect. The program is free to Arboretum members, $5 for non- members, and $2 for children of non-members. For more information on the walk, or to sign up for this program, please call the Crosby Arboretum office at (601) 799-2311.

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