North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi (Falconguide)

by Orson K. Miller Jr.

Amanitaceae and Gomphidiaceae are all ectomycorrhizal with tree species. It would not be possible to find an Amanita or a Gomphidius, for example, fruiting in a grasslands, devoid of the tree hosts.

a given tree, a pine for example, grows over its lifespan, which may be 200 or 300 years, it associates with different mushrooms, some only colonizing the roots of young trees and others not until the tree is much older. Old growth trees may have a mushroom associated with the roots that is never found in young forests. As we gain additional knowledge of these ecological associations, we become more aware of where and when to hunt for and find certain species of mushrooms.

However, the most important microscopic character is the anatomy and size of the spores, as well as the type and kind of ornamentation when present.

mycelium (the vegetative minute threads of the fungus vegetative plant) and hyphae (individual cells in the mycelium) are mentioned as part of the description. The mycelium is usually seen surrounding the base of the fruiting body and the plant from which the fruiting body initiates and fruits. In addition rhizomorphs (stringlike cords of fungal hyphae) are mentioned when they are present and sometimes is the key to the identification of a given species.

How the Fungus Operates

Laetiporus sulphureus

Also called “chicken of the woods” (Paul Stamets Stamets)