Fungi and Slime Molds
December 9, 2009
Helvella crispa
Lindsay B. wrote today's entry:
Thank you to Doug aka shyzaboy@Flickr for submitting today's photograph (original | BPotD Flickr Group Pool)! For another Flickr submission of this same species, also see tovje@Flickr's image of Helvella crispa.
This striking ascomycete is characterized by its irregular pileus and fluted stem. One might think that its ethereal appearance influenced this species' common name, elfin saddle, but it is perhaps derived from the original genus name given by Fries, Elvella.
Helvella crispa grows in grass and forest litter under conifer and hardwood forests. It is widely distributed in North America and Europe, and can also be found in China and Japan. Although closely allied with the morel, most mushroom guides suggest leaving Helvella crispa be as there have been some reports of this species causing gastrointestinal distress. It is also sometimes confused with some members of a related genus, Gyromitra, thought by some to be deadly poisonous. Fruiting times differ between the two taxa, however, with Gyromitra observed earlier in the year, followed by Helvella in late summer & early autumn.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:15 PM| Comments (8)
December 7, 2009
Squamanita paradoxa
Dr. Adolf Ceska contributed today's photographs as well as a portion of the write-up. Until his retirement, Adolf worked as a botanist with the British Columbia Conservation Data Centre. He is also responsible for Botanical Electronic News, which he's published since 1991. He and his partner Oluna are two of British Columbia's pre-eminent field botanists.
Adolf writes:
"Squamanita paraxoda, or powdercap strangler, is an extremely rare fungus and this is the first record for Canada. It is a parasitic fungus that grows from another mushroom, the common widespread Cystoderma amianthinum. The "wellingtons" at the base are in fact remnants of the host."
"Oluna and I found it on November 27, 2009 on Observatory Hill in Victoria, exactly five years after Oluna started her inventory of macrofungi of Observatory Hill. So far, her inventory has yielded about 835 species from the area of about 75 hectares."
For more on fungi parasitizing other fungi (mycoparasites), see Tom Volk's entry on Hypomyces lactifluorum, the lobster mushroom (he jokingly refers to the phenomenon as "mycological cannibalism"). If you are keen on learning more about the genus Squamanita, Ian Gibson of the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society has assembled this key to Squamanita in the Pacific Northwest; it includes historical accounts of species in the genus.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:30 PM| Comments (16)
November 19, 2009
Xylaria hypoxylon
Lindsay again wrote today's entry:
Thank you to marcella2@Flickr for today's photopgrah (particularly if fungus is your fancy)! Marcella2's photo stream on Flickr is definitely worth a gander (original image | Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool)!
Xylaria hypoxylon is a wood-dwelling ascomycete commonly known as stag's horn or candle-snuff fungus (previously featured on BPotD here: Xylaria hypoxylon). It is identified by its erect antler-like stroma; these are black at the base but whitish throughout the many body and upper branches. The branches are the site of asexual spore production, also known as conidia (note, though, that these are produced at a microscopic level).
Xylaria also produces sexual spores, via perithecia. The perithecia are embedded (in the case of Xylaria hypoxylon) in the black base of the stroma. From each perithecium, spores are released one by one when ripe through a small pore, called the ostiole.
Art resource link (added by Daniel): Three people have forwarded me the following link so far, so I thought I should share it more widely: Christopher Niemann's Bio-Diversity weblog posting on the New York Times.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 11:30 AM| Comments (5)
October 29, 2009
Macrotyphula juncea
...and a thank you to Randal Mindell of UBC Botanical Garden, who wrote today's entry:
If anyone is wondering what the term gregarious means in a mycological context, Daniel's photographs today do a fairly good job of illustrating it. Macrotyphula juncea is a relatively widespread, yet under-reported fungus, documented across both hemispheres at diverse longitudinal gradients. According to David Aurora's Mushrooms Demystified, it is typically found on decaying leaf litter. Here in the garden, we found it atop maple leaves in late October.
This genus falls within the fungal phylum Basidiomycota, better known as the mushrooms. While Macrotyphula juncea does not look like a typical mushroom, what you are seeing in the corresponding photographs are above-ground "fruiting bodies" that bear the same characteristic spore-bearing structures (basidia) as all members of the phylum. The solitary, thread-like fruiting bodies of this species are less than a millimeter in diameter and are observed in our massive population to approach 10 centimeters in height. While their surfaces appear remarkably smooth to the naked eye, under the microscope, you can see that it is entirely covered by spore-bearing basidia.
Can you eat it? In David Aurora's infamous Mushrooms Demystified, the edibility of Macrotyphula juncea is described by the author as "utterly irrelevant--a couple hundred would be needed for a mouthful!".
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:44 PM| Comments (15)
October 26, 2009
Coprinus comatus
Lindsay wrote today's entry:
Thank you to Marianne aka marcella2@Flickr for submitting today's photo (original image | Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool)!
Since Daniel has already highlighted self-digestion previously on Botany Photo of the Day with respect to Coprinus comatus, I thought I would expand on the scandal caused by a little thing mycologists call autodeliquescence.
Coprinus was once thought to be one of the easiest mushroom genera to identify for its defining feature of self-digestion, until a graduate student at Duke University sequenced a gene in 1994. This placed former members of Coprinus into 4 different genera. Imagine the controversy at the Mycological Society of America meeting! The proposal to split up the genus was met with such outrage that it was not published until 8 years later. The majority of the species of Coprinus were subsequently reclassified in the genera Coprinellus, Coprinopsis, and Parasola. Coprinus and its former members still retain a superficial grouping, however, and are collectively referred to as coprinoid fungi. Consequently, the ring found on the stipe and the string-like strand of fibers inside the stem's hollow cavity (not shown) are better identifiers of Coprinus than the deliquescing gills.
Botany resource link (added by Daniel): "Mushroom Poisoning : The Role of Careless Identifications", recently published in the Botanical Electronic News. There is also additional discussion about this article on the UBC BG forums.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:30 PM| Comments (12)
October 1, 2009
Agaricus augustus
Randal Mindell contributes today's photos and write-up. Thanks Randal.
Right around the turn of September, staff here at the garden noticed these viscerally impressive giant mushrooms emerging from leaf litter beneath a western red cedar and evergreen oak in the David C. Lam Asian Garden. Then the slugs discovered it. Then we photographed it. Who else is eating this? It strikes me that the study of fungivory remains wide open. Perhaps some readers might have some personal experiences.
The giant agaric (also known as "The Prince"), Agaricus augustus, grows to about 30cm wide. It is collected all over the Northern Hemisphere, where gourmands prize it as much for its "meaty" flavor as for its bulk. If the generic name sounds familiar, that's because this species is in the same genus as the supermarket button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus.
In these pictures, you can see the dark, spore-bearing gills lining the underside of a fully-opened cap. Younger stages would have lighter gills and a dome-shaped cap. The pattern of brown tissue on the surface of the cap is a product of the older surface cells darkening with age while the underlying mass of younger cells continues to expand, isolating the patches of older cells.
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 7:00 AM| Comments (13)
August 31, 2009
Spathularia flavida
Thank you to Anne (aka annkelliott@Flickr) of Alberta for sharing today's photograph with us (original image on Flickr via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Much appreciated!
One of the reasons I like fungi is because of their common names: who doesn't love righteous red waxy cap, or black jelly roll, or insidious gomphidius? The fungus in today's photograph? Yellow fan (pretty good), yellow fairy fan (better), or yellow earth tongue (perfect).
Spathularia flavida is a ascomycete, or sac fungus. Like other ecologically successful spore-producing organisms, it has a broad distribution that spans continents, with occurrences in Britain, India, Germany, Turkey and montane & northern parts of North America (though Michael Kuo implies it is restricted to North America -- perhaps modern phylogenetic studies have revealed multiple species where there was previously thought to have been one?). Assuming one species (so I can use the singular), it is a species of coniferous forests; a close look at the photograph will reveal some conifer needles.
More photographs of Spathularia flavida are available via the Fungi of Saskatchewan and a Germany gallery of fungus photographs.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 9:27 PM| Comments (11)
April 2, 2009
Cordyceps sp.
Thank you to San of the UBC Botanical Garden Forums for sharing today's photograph and entertaining write-up with us (original thread posted here). San also authors a weblog, Hort Log -- Horticulture in the Far East; it contains many fascinating posts about both horticulture and nature in Singapore.
San writes:
Death at Calamus Avenue
A gruesome murder along the jungle trail...
Synopsis of crime: The accused is a species of Cordyceps, a parasitic fungus that had infected a Euglossa bee some days/weeks back. Slowly, its mycelial filaments had spread into the internal organs and sucked the bee dry. But the depleted zombie bee must complete one last act before it was allowed to rest in peace. By not ingesting the vital muscles for movement and manipulating the nervous system of its host, the fungus drove the bee to stagger towards the direction of bright light, in this case an elevated stem of a rattan (Calamus sp.), before pulling the final trigger, destroying the brain and locking its host eternally in a characteristic rigor mortis with limbs and wings outstretched. Its fruiting bodies then sprout from the cadaver as shown in the photo, and are unhindered and free to release the spores at a high and exposed location to cause greatest distribution of its progeny.
Verdict: Guilty of murder and body snatching.
Daniel adds: According to Wikipedia, approximately four hundred species of Cordyceps have been described, primarily from eastern Asia. All members of the genus are entomopathogenic, and some have been used as biological control agents.
For additional photographs of Cordyceps and related fungi, you can visit the Cordyceps site. And, for those of you who prefer video, the BBC has posted this clip from The Plant Earth: Cordyceps: attack of the killer fungi (sorry, can't embed this one).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 9:54 AM| Comments (23)
February 5, 2009
Lycoperdon perlatum
Ruth has written today's entry:
We here at UBC Botanical Garden thank marcella2@Flickr for today's chilly but gorgeous photo (original via BPotD Flickr Pool). Thanks!
How do you locate Michael Kuo of MushroomExpert.com? When walking through the woods, listen for a rendition of Madonna's "Like a Virgin", fungus style:
"Lycoperdon, puffed for the very first time..."
Commonly known as the puffball, Lycoperdon perlatum is found in many places in the northern hemisphere, including (but by no means limited to) the Netherlands (where today's photograph was taken), Poland, and California.
If seen with a white, spiny surface, it is immature as the spines turn brown and rub off easily at maturity. The fallen spines leave dimples on the surface, and the dimples eventually cause perforations. These perforations allow water and wind to distribute the spores. Lycoperdon perlatum can be found along the ground, alone or in clusters, and occasionally on well -decayed wood. Puffballs, like many fungi, are nourished by decaying organic matter.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 11:02 PM| Comments (9)
January 6, 2009
Omphalotus olearius
A big thanks to C. Wick of Atchison, Kansas who graciously allowed this photograph to be shared (originally posted in this Fungus and Lichen Appreciation thread). Much appreciated!
Ruth starts today's entry: Jack-o-lantern fungus is seen here in daylight although its splendour really grows after sunset. The gills on the underside of these orange fruiting bodies glow an eerie green in the dark!
Through metabolic and physiological functions, all living things must produce and ultimately dispose of waste. This fungus exudes its waste through its gills, and some of these wastes are luciferases. Luciferases are enzymes / secondary metabolites commonly used for bioluminescence (or emission of light by a living organism) such as in fireflies (Photinus pyralis). There are five commonly accepted reasons for bioluminescence: camouflage, attraction, repulsion, communication, and illumination (mostly in underwater creatures). As for why bioluminescence occurs in Omphalotus, I haven't been able to track down a reference. However, for more on the particulars of this species, see Omphalotus olearius on Tom Volk's website.
Daniel adds: I notice Tom Volk also refers to the compound illudin S that is present in members of the genus Omphalotus. Of illudin S, Tom notes: "[it] has been found to be active against a whole mess of different cancer cells in vitro. Unfortunately illudin S is somewhat too toxic for clinical use. Synthetic analogs have been prepared recently that are less toxic, and yet active." One of these synthetic analogues is Irofulven. An early paper on this chemical: MacDonald JR, et al. 1997. Preclinical antitumor activity of 6-hydroxymethylacylfulvene, a semisynthetic derivative of the mushroom toxin illudin S. Cancer Research 57 (2): 279-83.
Oh, and before any asks: no, it's not edible. It looks somewhat look a chanterelle, but it'll make you regret ingesting it (as Tom Volk declares: "Omphalotus olearius won't kill you -- it will just make you wish you were dead").
Photography resource link: the photography of UK's David Ward, someone I learned about a few months ago. I've picked up his book Landscape Beyond.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 9:29 PM| Comments (19)
October 27, 2008
Schizophyllum commune
Thanks to Ruth for today's write-up, and C.Wick of Atchison, Kansas for today's photograph. C.Wick (of the UBC Botanical Garden forums) has posted a couple additional photographs in this thread on the BPotD Submissions Forum, including one with the "pleasing fungus beetle". Thank you both! Ruth writes:
There is a fungus among us! And a sexy one at that! Unlike plants and animals, fungi have multiple sexes, or mating types. Schizophyllum commune has a whopping 28,000 distinct sexes. Some of the more primitive fungi have as few as two sexes, making this a superstar amongst fungi. When we think of different sexes, we picture different sexual structures such as pistils or stamens in plants. Fungi don't exactly have different structures or organs for the mating process -- instead, wherever they touch, they can exchange nuclei. Tom Volk writes extensively about sexual reproduction in fungi in his article on Schizophyllum commune.
Commonly referred to as the split-gilled polypore, or, more commonly, split gill, this wood-decaying fungus can be found on every continent (particularly in deciduous forests). The name literally translates to schizo meaning "split", phyllum meaning "leaf" (referring to its shape like a palmate leaf) and commune meaning "common" because of its widespread distribution.
This being the week of Halloween, look for something frightful in each article. This fungus has been known to cause human mycosis. For example, it has been observed growing into a young girl's nasal cavity where it began producing fruiting bodies. It has also been found invading other parts of the respiratory system, especially the lungs. It has been discovered as the cause of brain abcesses, chronic maxillary sinusitis, bronchial mucoid impaction and other scary stuff! BOO!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:37 PM| Comments (14)
July 29, 2008
Hydnellum caeruleum
Thank you once again to annkelliot@Flickr for sharing one of her photographs from Alberta (original via the UBCBG BPotD Flickr Pool). Much appreciated!
Oh, Hydnellum! After helping identify this Hydnellum peckii five years ago, I've always wanted to see that species in person. Now I'll have to add Hydnellum caeruleum to the list, thanks to Ann.
Commonly known as the blue and orange hydnellum, Hydnellum caeruleum can be found in higher elevation pine-dominated forests of Europe and North America. These photographs from the Fungi of Saskatchewan, Hydnellum caeruleum, support the common name of this species.
Tom Volk's excellent Fungus of the Month has an article about Hydnellum caeruleum, so I have little to add to that account. For those of you interested in economic botany, do read through to the area on the use of Hydnellum to dye silk and wool.
Art resource link: Along with trips to various natural areas in Alaska and Yukon, I also stepped into a few art galleries along the way. I couldn't help but smile a little whenever I encountered the colourful polymer-clay work of Lara Melnik. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend her Bloom show; you can see some of the works by clicking on "Bloom" in the upper left, then Gallery.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:06 PM| Comments (5)
March 11, 2008
Chytriomyces sp.
The series for UBC Research Week continues. Today's write-up and photos are courtesy of Toko Mori. Toko writes:
My name is Toko Mori, a first-year graduate student in the Berbee Lab at the University of British Columbia. I study chytrid fungi, microscopic fungi that mainly live in freshwater. I especially focus on the local chytrids that parasitize freshwater microscopic algae. My long-term research goal is to create a tree of life of chytrids that parasitize algae and to see if there is any coevolutionary relationship between the species of parasitic chytrids and those of their host algae. I collected this chytrid on an alga, Vaucheria, from Burnaby Lake (Burnaby, BC) in August 2007. I have cultured it on agar and also co-cultured it with Vaucheria since then.
Since it seems that this is the first entry of chytrids in the Botany Photo of the Day, let me explain what they are. Chytrids are fungi, although they look quite different from mushrooms and molds, which we often think of as fungi. There are about one thousand species of chytrids which form the Phylum Chytridiomycota. Being the only group of fungi which reproduce by motile cells called zoospores (shown in picture 4), chytrids are considered to have diverged from the other fungi very early in their evolutionary history. Having motile spores gives them reproductive advantage in water. However, this is a double-edged sword; chytrids are unable to reproduce without moisture and thus bound to aquatic habitats.
Chytrids have recently attracted public attention as a cause for the population decline of amphibians. However, not all the chytrids are amphibian pathogens. To the contrary, many chytrid species are decomposers of organic matter in ponds and lakes, or parasites of microscopic invertebrates or algae, as in this case. Not much is known about their ecological roles.
Now let me explain these pictures. You are witnessing the moment of zoospore release, the highlight of their life history. The small round structure on the algal filament in picture 1 is a mature sporangium, where zoospores are produced. (The big bulge at the right end is a part of the alga, which I will explain later.) You can see the sporangium filled with small dots, each representing a zoospore. Five minutes later, the zoospores start to leave the sporangium, probably triggered by the sudden change in temperature caused by the intense light from the microscope. The change in pH of the surrounding water (when transferred from culture to a drop of distilled water on a slide) may also be the trigger. For a few minutes after the release, zoospores swarm just outside of the sporangium, until they start to swim away as in picture 3. As you may see in picture 4, the zoospores (ca. 4µm in diameter) have a flagellum like that of animal sperm. Eventually these zoospores stop swimming, retract their flagellum and encyst on a suitable substratum if they find one. Then they themselves will grow into a new sporangium, produce zoospores inside by mitosis, and start a new cycle of asexual reproduction.
A note for this alga. To co-culture this chytrid with its host, I received the culture of the host algal species, Vaucheria sessilis, from the Canadian Center for the Culture of Microorganisms at UBC. Vaucheria is unusual in that it lacks cell walls except when making reproductive structures; this entire filament seen here is one cell. The bulging end was formerly a spore, from which this algal filament grew.
Species identification is an important part of my research. Correct identification is the first step to making a tree of life. However, species identification of chytrids can be often difficult due to their simple body structure - there are not many morphological characters to study, at least on the light microscopy level. These days researchers combine molecular data and electron microscopy, together with traditional morphology. I have identified this chytrid down to the genus Chytriomyces, based on the light microscopic level morphology and molecular data.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:13 PM| Comments (14)
November 30, 2007
Aseroe rubra
Another thank you to David M. aka petrichor@Flickr (and Kipili.com) for sharing an image via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool (original). Appreciated once again, David.
Starfish fungus or sea anemone fungus has previously been featured on BPotD here: Aseroe rubra. Today's photograph illustrates the fungus a bit later in development – considering how quickly stinkhorns develop and fade, I suspect these individuals are only a day further along than the starfish fungus in the previous entry.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 8:24 AM| Comments (8)
November 28, 2007
Phallus impudicus
A thank you to mudman@UBC Botanical Garden Forums for sharing this scan (original thread). Much appreciated!
Common stinkhorn can be found in the temperate forests and rich-soiled gardens of North America and Europe (and, according to Wikipedia, possibly southeast Australia). Of course, this image isn't of the mature fungus (see: MushroomExpert's Phallus impudicus for photographs). Instead, this is a cross-section scan of the immature stinkhorn, described succinctly in Wikipedia's entry on Phallus impudicus:
“Sometimes called the witch's egg, the immature stinkhorn is whitish and egg-shaped and up to 6 cm (2 in) in diameter. On the outside is a thick whitish volva, also known as the peridium, covering the olive-coloured gelatinous gleba. It is the latter which contains the spores and which later stinks and attracts the flies; within this layer is a green layer which will become the 'head' of the expanded fruit body; and inside this is a white structure called the receptaculum (the stalk when expanded), which is hard, but with an airy structure like a sponge. The eggs become fully grown stinkhorns very rapidly, over a day or two.”
For those who ask such things, yes, it is edible at this young stage, but it is not commonly eaten.
Lastly, a reminder that if you're a fan of fungi, lichens and slime molds, there is an area of the forums dedicated to these beasties: Fungi, Lichens and Slime Molds Identification & Appreciation.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:44 AM| Comments (12)
October 16, 2007
Laetiporus gilbertsonii
A thanks to Mike Bush (former director of Lotusland) for sending along today's photograph in an email with the subject line “30mph stopper!”. Mike now has a weblog, BushBlog where he has written about this Fungus Amongus in Santa Barbara and then provides an update on its fate (hint: a dinner plate).
The eastern North American species of chicken-of-the-woods has previously been featured on BPotD, Laetiporus sulphureus. Prior to the start of this decade, conventional thought was that all Laetiporus in North America were one species, L. sulphureus. However, a closer look revealed that there were multiple species, and so Laetiporus sulphureus has been split up. In the case of today's fungus, Laetiporus gilbertsonii is to-the-eye indistinct from L. sulphureus. Grown in culture, however, it will not reproduce with the eastern North American L. sulphureus, making it biologically distinct. By some definitions, that is enough to classify it as a separate species.
In his weblog entry, Mike mentioned that this fungus was growing on a Eucalyptus. Knowing the substrate a fungus is growing on is often useful in identifying it, and that's the case here, as it helped eliminate the conifer-loving Laetiporus conifericola. For more on Laetiporus, visit Michael Kuo's page on Laetiporus sulphureus and relatives. The Fungi of California site provides additional information and more photographs: Laetiporus gilbertsonii.
Photography resource link: The Garden at Night: A Photographic Journey by photographer Linda Rutenberg. Linda visited 19 botanical gardens in the US and Canada and photographed them at night (and yes, UBC Botanical Garden is one of them!). I've found two newspaper articles about her project and book, if you'd like to read more: Moonlight transforms the ordinary into things of beauty via the Montreal Gazette and 'Lady of the Night' Rutenberg vividly captures world of darkness from the Montreal Chronicle. (PS: I've added the book to UBC BG's Amazon store (USA and elsewhere | Canada | UK) if you are interested in purchasing it. I'll be buying a copy.)
For those readers in California, I note that Linda is giving a night photography workshop in San Francisco and lectures at Descanso and Huntington gardens.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:00 AM| Comments (5)
October 3, 2007
Tricholomopsis rutilans
Monika F (aka monika & manfred@Flickr) is the contributor of today's photograph (original via BPotD Flickr Pool). Thank you!
One of the common names for this species isn't well-illustrated by this photograph of a mature specimen. A photograph of younger individuals on the Fungi of California site, however, fully justifies the common name: plums and custard. Also known as red-haired agaric, Tricholomopsis rutilans is native to coniferous woodlands of the Northern Hemisphere (and before anyone asks, it's only barely edible).
Michael Kuo and Roger Phillips both provide descriptions of this fungus. If you're interested in more photographs, the folks at MushroomObserver.org have a series of images on Tricholomopsis rutilans. The Illinois Mycological Society provides a key-based description of this fungus, as well.
In BPotD news, a photograph from a couple years ago is appearing in film! This image of the golden spruce makes a few-second cameo in Mark Leiren-Young's “The Green Chain” (warning: turn your speakers down). The Green Chain recently debuted at the Montreal World Film Festival and is now playing at the Vancouver International Film Festival, where it's been nominated for a “Climate for Change” award. I'll let you know what I think of the film next week after viewing it, but from what little I've seen so far, it has me intrigued (here's the first review via The Green Chain Weblog).
If you're interested in forestry issues, you should also be following Mark's “Trees and Us” podcasts on The Tyee: Trees and Us with Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Why Humans and Nature Collide with John Vaillant and Why Rocket Science is Easier Than Forestry with Jean-Pierre Kiekens.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (5)
September 28, 2007
Geastrum sp.
Botany Photo of the Day will have brief written entries on weekends, holidays and my vacations from April through September. – Daniel
Thank you to Anne from Alberta (aka annkelliott@Flickr) for sharing these photographs with BPotD (original 1 | original 2 | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Much appreciated!
The genus Geastrum is one of 8 genera within the family Geastraceae (the earthstar family). Broadly (and unscientifically) speaking, these can be placed into the category of puffballs.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:40 AM| Comments (3)
September 13, 2007
Mycena interrupta
Botany Photo of the Day will have brief written entries on weekends, holidays and my vacations from April through September. – Daniel
Ken Beath, aka kjbeath@Flickr is the person to thank for today's photograph (original via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Do visit Ken's Australia photo galleries if you've the time! Thanks, Ken.
Measuring approximately 1cm across, pixie's parasol is a diminutive mushroom of fallen wood substrates in moist forests of Australia, New Zealand and Chile. The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne had a fungus of the month site for two and a half years, and Mycena interrupta was featured. Special mention was made of the Gondwanan distribution pattern.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (14)
August 18, 2007
Ramaria stricta
Botany Photo of the Day will have brief written entries on weekends, holidays and my vacations from April through September. – Daniel
Stephen Buchan aka stephenbuchan@Flickr is the photographer behind today's image (original | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Thanks again, Stephen.
Straight-branched coral [fungus] or upright coral can be found on decayed coniferous and hardwood logs and stumps (i.e., it is lignicolous) throughout Europe and North America. It is not considered edible, but this seems to be due to its toughness and bitterness as opposed to toxicity. The Fungi of California has a factsheet on Ramaria stricta (with more photographs).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:47 AM| Comments (3)
August 9, 2007
Daedaleopsis confragosa
Botany Photo of the Day will have brief written entries on weekends, holidays and my vacations from April through September. – Daniel
Thank you to bevcraigwhite@Flickr from southwestern Ontario, Canada for sharing today's image with us (original via BPotD Flickr Group Pool – also includes an image of the other side of the fungus). Much appreciated, Bev!
Michael Kuo, of the encyclopedic MushroomExpert.com site, has an extensive factsheet about Daedaleopsis confragosa, or blushing bracket. The story of the name of the genus and its relationship to Greek mythology, however, is best discovered by visiting the Cornell Mushroom Blog and reading the entry on Daedaleopsis confragosa and the Minotaur.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:44 AM| Comments (5)
July 9, 2007
Xylaria hypoxylon (tentative)
Botany Photo of the Day will have brief written entries on weekends, holidays and my vacations from April through September. – Daniel
Thank you to Andreas of Bogotá, Colombia, aka Quimbaya@Flickr for sharing today's image (original via BPotD Flickr Group Pool).
Candle snuff fungus has an almost worldwide distribution: today's photograph was taken in Colombia; from Australia, the Perth Urban Bushland Fungi web site featured Xylaria hypoxylon as the July 2006 Fungus of the Month; and lastly, Calphotos has a series of Californian images of this fungus.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
June 27, 2007
Stemonitis sp.
Thank you to C. Wick of Atchison, Kansas for sharing today's photograph. It was originally posted to the garden's fungus and lichen identification forum.
This is the third slime mold to be featured on BPotD (previous entries: Fuligo septica | Physarum cinereum). Personally, I have a soft spot for them; what's not to like about organisms infrequently encountered with unusual forms?
Generally, online and print resources on slime molds are scarce. In this case, however, Gary Emberger has written a factsheet on Stemonitis, or, as he suggests for common names, chocolate tube slime, tree hair or pipe cleaner slime. Digging a little deeper (i.e., seeing what's available via Google Scholar), I also discovered that Stemonitis is a food source for mites, beetles and terrestrial molluscs (e.g., slugs) – see Keller, H. and K. Snell. 2002. Feeding activities of slugs on Myxomycetes and macrofungi (PDF). Mycologia. 94(5): 757-760.
In BPotD news, the next few days are a good time to submit photographs via Flickr or the UBC BG forums, as I'll be using plenty over the next six weeks. Starting Saturday, I'll be out in the field with Brent Hine for two weeks (more on this in the next few days), back in the office for two weeks, and then off again for another two.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:20 AM| Comments (19)
March 6, 2007
Marasmius oreades
Today's entry on fairy ring fungus was kindly submitted and written by UBC Botanical Garden's director, Dr. Quentin Cronk – Daniel.
These fairy rings from central London are taken from Google Earth™ (latitude: 51 degrees 30' 28.13" North; longitude: 0 degrees 11' 22.41" West). They are in the extreme north west section of Kensington Gardens (a section not open to the public), just north of Kensington Palace. The fairy rings are marked by a dark green growth of grass, caused by the advancing hyphal front releasing nutrients and stimulating the growth of the grass. Inside this is usually a zone of poor grass growth caused by the available nutrients being taken up by the fungus. Further towards the centre of the ring the grass growth becomes better again as the old hyphae die and nutrients are released. There are several fungi that cause fairy rings, but these ones in Kensington gardens are most probably caused by Marasmius oreades, which is one of the commonest lawn fairy rings of this type in Britain. The largest of these fairy rings in Kensington Gardens appear to be 10-15 metres across and as fairy rings grow at about 10-20 cm per year, they may be over 100 years old. Certainly they are likely to date from after 1841 when the western part of the Kensington Palace estate was remodelled to develop the exclusive neighbourhood of Kensington Palace Gardens (just to the left of this picture).
Fairy ring growth is a curious process and has been the subject of many studies (including mathematical modelling). Usually when two rings meet they extinguish each other, as they cannot grow through each other's zone of depletion. However, in this photograph it can be seen that several of the rings have successfully crossed.
In folklore they were thought to be the work of fairies or elves and hence Prospero (in Shakespeare's Tempest) exclaims: “you demi-puppets that by moonshine do the green sour ringlets make”. Many gardeners try to get rid of the rings as they consider them unsightly. However, be warned! According to mycologist Gordon Rutter writing in the Fortean Times, fairy mischief may wreak havoc on the unwary who disturb the rings. It may be best to leave them well alone, as at Kensington Gardens.
And a few extra links on Marasmius oreades: Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month and Michael Kuo's MushroomExpert – Daniel.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (15)
February 24, 2007
Phellorinia herculanea (tentative)
Many thanks to Georgie Sharp@Flickr for once again sharing a photograph with us (original image via Flickr BPotD Group Pool). This is part of Georgie's photo set from the Outback.
If you read the comments on the original Flickr image, you'll note that this fungus was tentatively identified as Phellorinia herculanea by Pam Catchside of the Plant Biodiversity Centre in Hackney, South Australia. Browsing the very few photographs of this genus online, it seems these fruiting bodies are not yet fully mature, hence the difficulty in confirming their identity. At maturity, they should be more club-shaped. The tops of these fungi will eventually produce a powdery mass of spores.
The Aboriginal Use of Fungi page from the Australian National Botanic Gardens notes that Phellorinia herculanea was used for body decoration.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:38 AM| Comments (6)
January 16, 2007
Ganoderma lucidum
A nod of appreciation to bevcraigwhite@Flickr from southwestern Ontario, Canada for contributing today's image (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Thank you!
The common name of this fungus in Chinese, lingzhi, means “herb of spiritual potency” (lingzhi on Wikipedia). It has been used for millenia in Chinese herbal medicine, while Western medicide has yet to satisfy its need for proof about the claims for lingzhi's efficacy. Efforts to examine the science behind the claims are aptly detailed in both the linked Wikipedia entry and this Fungus of the Month article by Kathleen Engelbrecht and Tom Volk. Do read the Fungus of the Month article for more on this storied fungus.
On the topic of fungi and fungus of the month, January 2007 is the tenth anniversary of Fungus of the Month – if you've ever spent some time reading and learning from Fungus of the Month, I suspect it would be well-received if you sent Dr. Volk a note of appreciation (his email address appears on most pages of his site).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (7)
December 5, 2006
Physarum cinereum
On rare occasion, I ask to use a photograph from the UBC Botanical Garden Forums for BPotD, particularly when it's shows an intriguing subject. Such is the case today with this image of a slime mold from some anonymous folks in England via their garden installer, “Souren”: Weird Growth on Lawn Grass – What Is It?
If you missed the explanation on slime molds from a previous BPotD entry, see Fuligo septica for details and a comprehensive set of links. Physarum cinereum belongs to the same family as Fuligo septica. According to The Hidden Forest, this means both species contain deposits of lime (calcium carbonate), apparently a defining characteristic of the family.
Christine Baker of Iowa State University Extension writes about slime molds and backyard plants in Slime in the Yard and Garden (scroll down for the photograph that makes me believe my identification of this slime mold is correct). I was glad to have found a similar photograph of the organism covering grass blades, as close-up photographs such as the ones found on The Hidden Forest: Physarum and Discover Life: Physarum cinereum appear deceptively dissimilar to the submitted photograph because of scale.
Photography resource link: The Essential Landscape – The Visual Handicap, an article by Guy Tal for Nature Photographers Online, on acknowledging the limitations and utility of photography.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
November 29, 2006
Pseudohydnum gelatinosum
A thank you to “leafdesigner” of Battle Ground, Washington for again submitting both photograph and text for today's photograph of a toothed jelly fungus (via the BPotD Submissions Forum). Much appreciated!
leafdesigner writes:
“Although these dainty mushrooms (average size about 3-5 cm high by about as broad) resemble the true toothed fungi (family Hydnaceae), they belong to an unrelated mushroom family (Exidiaceae). If you're paying attention to the ground as you walk through the woods, you'll find them perched on fallen sticks and twigs. Like the tooth fungi, they bear their spores on tooth-like projections on the underside of the cap. However, tooth fungi are usually larger and tougher. The species epithet gelatinosum refers to the jelly-like flesh. Most books list it as edible, but without much substance or flavor.”
I'll add two links to what leafdesigner wrote above: Pseudohydnum gelatinosum from the ever-entertaining Michael Kuo and Pseudohydnum gelatinosum from MykoWeb.
Art resource link: From the Big House, to the Outhouse, an article by Pete Myers about “living a happier life as an artist, without the chains of criticism riding up one’s shorts and ruining one’s life adventure”. Via The Luminous Landscape.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
November 5, 2006
Sparassis crispa
Today's image is courtesy of annelies foto nl@Flickr (original image | Flickr BPotD Group Pool). If you can, do find an opportunity to settle down and spend some time with annelies' photographs of flowers and plants. Thank you, annelies, your photograph is much appreciated.
Cauliflower mushroom is, according to Michael Kuo, “unmistakable” – nothing else looks quite like it. This species (depending on the taxonomist) is native to Europe and North America. It is often labelled as a “choice edible” by mycophiles, but its flavour is not its only exceptional quality. A single clump of Sparassis crispa can exceed 20kg!
More photographs and text about this intriguing fungus can be seen on California Fungi (MykoWeb), Fungi of Poland and wood-decaying fungi of the northeast United States.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (3)
October 27, 2006
Hygrocybe coccinea
I hope I'm right with the identification of today's fungus, but if not, someone please correct me. I believe this is Hygrocybe coccinea, commonly known as red waxy cap. One of the difficulties of identifying fungi by visual comparison to other photographs or illustrations is the morphology changing as they age. Examples of excellent or good matches (in my mind) include the second photograph on this page and the illustration on this page. A so-so match is made with this photograph, however, this match is made worse by the author on that page casting doubt as to whether Hygrocybe coccinea actually occurs in North America (and if it doesn't, this clearly isn't Hygrocybe coccinea). Lastly, Mykoweb's Hygrocybe coccinea page with its links to ten other photographs contains only one photograph out of the ten that is a close match. It certainly would have been helpful if I'd photographed these a few days earlier or followed Michael Kuo's advice on collecting mushrooms for study or making spore prints. As a small aside, if I had intended to collect these for identification, I would have needed a permit (they were growing in a provincial park).
Two more links of interest: a web site dedicated to waxcaps in the UK and another page from Michael Kuo, the waxy caps.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 6:31 AM| Comments (4)
October 11, 2006
Macrolepiota rachodes
Thank you to silvercreek_garden@Flickr for sharing today's image of this fungus (original image) growing in Bellingham, Washington.
Many field guides will list the scientific name of shaggy parasol as Lepiota rachodes, but again, molecular techniques have split the traditional genus Lepiota into a number of genera. Michael Kuo of MushroomExpert.com explains the changes (and offers a few opinions) in two online articles: Lepiota and Satellite Genera and Taxonomy in Transition: The Lepiotoid Clade.
Shaggy parasol is distributed throughout much of North America and Europe. It is edible, but as silvercreek_garden notes, some people have allergic reactions to it. I suppose I should add: be absolutely certain about the identity of any mushroom before ingesting it; though difficult to mistake for anything else, there are a few lookalikes for shaggy parasol that an untrained observer might err on (including toxic amanitas). Mykoweb has a good description of Macrolepiota rachodes with comments on its lookalikes (and there is a separate page with recipes).
Botany resource link: “The Botanist Effect” (subscription required if you want to read more than the abstract), a paper in the November 2006 issue of the Journal of Biogeography by Moerman and Esterbrook. The subtitle provides a good summary: “Counties with maximal species richness tend to be home to universities and botanists”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:48 AM| Comments (8)
October 8, 2006
Fungus Diversity
After noticing her set of fungus photographs on Flickr, I have to admit to hoping that Monika (half of monika&manfred@Flickr) would submit a few for use on BPotD. Lo and behold! Monika created a mosaic of her images and (without me asking) submitted it to the BPotD group pool on Flickr (original image) Thank you again, Monika!
If you're curious as to the names of some the fungi featured in the mosaic, you'll have to visit the original image on Flickr (it would take me a long time to reproduce all the links to the original photographs!). You will note that not all of the fungi are identified – fungi can be as difficult to identify as lichens, if not more so. Spend a little bit of time on the fungi, lichens and slime molds identification forum and you'll quickly learn what's necessary for sussing out the identity of a particular fungus: spore prints, substrate, mature (but not overly so) fruiting bodies, habitat and more.
Are you local to Vancouver? If so, you have access to a shortcut for IDing your fungus: the Vancouver Mycological Society is holding a mushroom show on Oct 22 from 11am to 4pm at VanDusen; in addition to visiting the displays and mushroom cooking demos, show attendees can bring in their mystery mushroom and VMS members will do their best at identifying the fungus.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 5:01 AM| Comments (3)
October 4, 2006
Morganella pyriformis (tentative)
Morganella pyriformis is a puffball. The mature fruiting body of the fungus bursts open and releases the spores, after some physical force has been applied. I've been known to help a few of these along.
Prior to 2003, this fungus was known as Lycoperdon pyriforme. It has since been moved out of the genus Lycoperdon based on molecular evidence and morphological difference to other members of the genus. No longer is the evocative common name suggested by Tom Volk a literal translation of the genus name. A different common name, pear-shaped puffball, is perhaps more proper. After all, the epithet pyriformis does mean “in the form of Pyrus (pear)”. However, I'll personally use the one proposed by Tom, because I know I'll never forget it.
Tom's article also has a story about the results of deeply inhaling the spores of puffballs (don't do it). Illustrations and descriptions of Morganella pyriformis are available from both Mykoweb and Michael Kuo's MushroomExpert.com.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
September 30, 2006
Amanita pantherina
“leafdesigner” of Battle Ground, Washington both submitted today's photograph and wrote the text – my gracious thanks to you! Submitted here via the BPotD Submissions Forum: Amanita pantherina. leafdesigner writes:
“It's fall, so I thought I would start submitting my mushroom photos again.”
“The panther amanita, Amanita pantherina, is a common mushroom of the Pacific Northwest's Douglas-fir forests. Although typically encountered during the fall, I found a ‘bumper crop’ of the mushrooms growing in a 30-year old Douglas-fir woodland in April 2005. The photo shows the classic features of this fungus: the grayish-brown cap with white patches (remanants of the universal veil), the collar-like rim around the base, and the flaring annulus on the stem (remnants of the partial veil that covers the gills). In this example, it's torn and partially collapsed.”
“Like its well-known cousin the fly amanita (Amanita muscaria), the panther amanita contains ibotenic acid, a toxin that produces, according to one text, ‘brief drowsiness...a state of excitement resembling alcoholic intoxication, which may last for 4 hours or more, characterized by confusion, muscle spasms, delirium, hallucinations, and disturbances of vision...’ In other words, this mushroom is nothing to fool around with!”
Photography resource link: for inspiration, the photography of Helen Dixon, from Surrey, England.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:30 AM| Comments (1)
August 6, 2006
Aseroe rubra
It's been a little while since we've had a fungus on BPotD, so I'm glad a few people are contributing photographs recently. Today's image is from Ken in Australia, aka kjbeath@Flickr (original image via the Flickr BPotD Group Pool). Thank you, Ken!
A member of the stinkhorn family of fungi, Aseroe rubra is commonly known as the starfish fungus or sea anemone fungus (for obvious reasons, I hope). Tim Geho of MushroomExpert.com writes that it is not only widespread throughout the south Pacific, it is also the most common stinkhorn in Hawaii. It apparently can also be found in southeastern North America, but like Tim, I've not been able to verify whether it is native or not.
Some interesting factoids are also available on this summary from a radio or television show in Australia with Tim Entwistle of the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Two of my favourite tidbits are: 1) it was the first fungus ever collected in Australia by Western explorers; and 2) its name literally means “disgusting red”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:49 AM| Comments (17)
May 31, 2006
Fuligo septica
Since it's the first slime mold to appear on BPotD, I was really hoping to have a superior photograph, but a passable one will have to do. I'm fairly certain this is Fuligo septica, one of the few of these fascinating organisms to have a well-used common name – dog vomit slime mold. Slime molds are not true molds; true molds are fungi, while slime molds are protists. Wayne Armstrong has an excellent article on slime molds that explains how slime molds are different from other organisms. He also illustrates the common name through a series of Fuligo septica photographs. If you read his account, you'll learn that this yellowish mass is the spore-bearing stage in this slime mold's life cycle, known as the aethalium.
Two other resources on this species are Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month for June 1999 featuring Fuligo septica (note that Tom states in the first sentence that it isn't a true fungus) and images of Fuligo septica from CalPhotos.
A few broad resources on slime molds, if you'd like more detail, include Wikipedia, a gallery of Myxomycetes (beautiful!) and “Hunting Slime Molds”, an article from Smithsonian Magazine (but only the first two pages work, unfortunately).
In BPotD and other news, one more day until the small announcement...
Biology resource link: An extremely worthwhile project, Discover Life “provides free on-line tools to identify species, share ways to teach and study nature's wonders, report findings, build maps, process images, and contribute to and learn from an encyclopedia of life that now contains 279,352 species.”
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:20 AM| Comments (3)
February 23, 2006
Gomphus floccosus
Thanks to “leafdesigner” of Battle Ground, Washington for submitting this image via the BPotD Submissions Forum (original). leafdesigner previously submitted this image of Agaricus praeclaresquamosus – the fungus images are much appreciated!
leafdesigner writes: “This is Gomphus floccosus, a.k.a. woolly chanterelle. In the constantly shifting taxonomic landscape of mycology, I'm not absolutely certain this is the “true” G. floccosus, but it keyed out most convincingly that way. One thing for sure is that it is a relative of the true chanterelle, belonging to the Cantharellaceae family. Like that species, spore-bearing basidia are born not on true gills, but on blunted gill-like ridges that line the tissue beneath the cap. Unlike the true chanterelle, this species is not generally considered edible. It is, in fact, listed as poisonous in some field guides. This photo was taken in November of 2004, in Multnomah County, Oregon.”
Shifting taxonomy of mycology indeed! I did a little digging to see how much things have shifted – wow! The taxonomic information alluded to by leafdesigner above has essentially been turned on its head in the past two years. As Michael Kuo notes in The Genus Gomphus, a DNA study is now suggesting that despite a morphological resemblance to chanterelles, this genus of fungi instead seems to be more closely related to the stinkhorns and earthstars (reference information available on the Gomphus page). Once again, DNA analysis pulls the rug out from under the feet of decades of conventional thought; it turns certainties into opportunities for re-examination and a more nuanced understanding.
Despite an increasing reliance on DNA sequencing to expand comprehension of organism relationships and evolution, an understanding of its limits is also being articulated and discussed. This is a topic I will return to another day, hopefully accompanied by a photograph of one of the Vulpia (grass) species referenced in Stace, C. 2005. Plant taxonomy and biosystematics – does DNA provide all the answers? Taxon. 54(4): 999-1007).
For more information on Gomphus floccosus, see another Michael Kuo article (it leads with “You have probably met several people in your life who should have been named Gomphus Floccosus.”): Gomphus floccosus. It's worthwhile to note that the same study that discusses the relationships of Gomphus also suggests that this particular species should be moved into its own genus, Turbinellus (as in, Turbinellus floccosus).
Botany resource link: The Rediscovery of One of Canada's Rarest Plants: Yukon draba (Draba yukonensis Porsild), appearing in the latest issue of Botanical Electronic News. “In 2000 a very enthusiastic amateur botanist from New York City decided to come to the southwest Yukon and volunteer to look for plants on behalf of Kluane National Park & Preserve...”.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:33 AM| Comments (4)
January 23, 2006
Daedalea quercina
John Davidson took this photograph of oak mazegill, sometime in the early 20th century.
Daedalea quercina is an inedible fungus native to North America and Europe. It is found almost exclusively on oaks (the genus Quercus), hence the epithet quercina. Associated with brown rot in the wood of oaks, arborists need to be able to identify this and other types of wood decay fungi to assess urban trees for weakening.
The name Daedalea is a reference to Daedalus, the labyrinth-maker of myth (built for the minotaur). Similarly, the maze-like pattern of pores is taxonomically described as being daedaloid.
Photography resource link: Conservation Photography - Art Born of Environmental Ethic, an article by Cristina Mittermeier for NatureScapes.net. It relays the story of Peter Dombrovskis, whose photography helped prevent the damming of the Franklin River in Tasmania (visit both the cross-section and posters sections of that site to see examples of this late photographer's work).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:04 AM| Comments (0)
January 10, 2006
Laetiporus sulphureus
Today's image is courtesy of Angie from St. Paul, Minnesota (Angie in MN@Flickr | BPotD Flickr Group Pool | original image), who previously submitted Omphalotus illudens. Thanks again, Angie!
This organism has a number of common names: sulfur shelf, sulfur polypore, chicken of the woods and, by a handful of people, tree brain (though this common name is more often associated with Peniophora rufa).
The name Laetiporus sulphureus was previously applied to a wide-ranging North American species that grew on a variety of substrates. Upon further examination, however, fungal taxonomists have split up the old Laetiporus sulphureus into a number of separate species. The current Laetiporus sulphureus, pictured here, is native to eastern North America and grows on (in) hardwoods. To give an example of one species that has been split off, Laetiporus conifericola is native to western North America and grows on conifers. Tom Volk tells the story in his page on Laetiporus cincinnatus. He also discusses the common name “chicken of the woods”, which apparently is how it tastes when cooked properly, though I haven't tried it.
Photography resource link: Macro Art in Nature is a macro photography weblog by Michael Brown of South Carolina. His abstracts are worth your time to investigate. Michael posted a couple comments to BPotD yesterday, which was a bit of a coincidence – without any correspondence between us, I had planned to suggest his site as today's resource link.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 4:31 AM| Comments (11)
January 5, 2006
Calocera viscosa
A fungus photograph courtesy of “brettf” from North Vancouver, who asked for help identifying the fungus on the fungus and lichen identification forum (includes more photos), then submitted it for BPotD via the BPotD Submissions forum. Thanks Brett!
Calocera viscosa has a host of common names: yellow staghorn fungus, staghorn jelly fungus, jelly antler fungus, yellow antler fungus – personally, I'd avoid using a common name with yellow in it, since the colour ranges from yellow to orange.
The epithet viscosa equates with sticky or greasy (viscid), and in this case applies to the greasy surface of the fungus. Like many fungi, it is a saprotroph, obtaining its nutrients from decaying organic matter (in the case of Calocera viscosa, the decaying stumps of conifers).
Photography resource link: British Columbia lost a great nature photographer when David Blevins returned home to North Carolina after completing his doctorate in forest ecology at UBC. There are plenty of images of the flora and fauna of both British Columbia and the Carolinas on his site, and a few from elsewhere. Two of my favourites are Bald-cypress and Water Tupelo Forest and Sabal Palmetto Leaf. If you are a photographer, don't miss his page on techniques.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:39 AM| Comments (3)
December 8, 2005
Omphalotus illudens
Please note that the Creative Commons license applied to most BPotD images does not apply to this image, so permission for use (beyond “fair use” or similar provisions) needs to be sought from the copyright holder.
Today's image is courtesy of Angie from St. Paul, Minnesota aka Angie in MN@Flickr. Like a few other postings this past week, Angie shared the image via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Group Pool (original image). Many thanks, Angie!
There are three good reasons this mushroom has the common name “Jack O'Lantern mushroom”. Angie took this photograph on October 6th, and it is typical for this mushrom to appear in October around Hallowe'en. The second reason is the colour. The third reason, though, is the particularly interesting one. As Tom Volk writes in his Fungus of the Month entry for Omphalotus olearius, the mushroom produces secondary metabolites called luciferases. What's a luciferase? To quote Wikipedia, luciferases are a generic name for enzymes commonly used in nature for bioluminescence – yes, these mushrooms glow in the dark, though it can be difficult to see the phenomenon. Michael Kuo has written a humourous piece on the glow in the dark conspiracy of Omphalotus illudens.
Changing scientific names do not only apply to green, leafy plants. Much of the literature on the web and in print mentions that this particular fungus should be lumped together with Omphalotus olearius, and not recognized as a distinct species (alluded to in the Tom Volk link above from 1997). While writing this entry, though, I discovered a 2004 paper with molecular evidence that says “No, no, it was correct to separate it out. Don't lump it in with Omphalotus olearius anymore. It's actually quite a distant relative.” So, this particular species is back to Omphalotus illudens (ref: Kirchmair, M. et al. 2004. Phylogeny of the genus Omphalotus based on nuclear ribosomal DNA-sequences. Mycologia. 96(6): 1253-1260).
Off-topic, but a reminder that Alex Waterhouse-Hayward's photography exhibit opens tonight in Vancouver. Details (and sample) are in the entry for Rosa 'Harwanna'.
Botany / photography resource link: Suggested by UBC Botanical Garden's own David Tarrant, the D.T. Fleming Arboretum, a Hawaiian botanical garden on Maui dedicated to native plants. In particular, David suggests the Pu‘u Mahoe Close Up Slide Show, featuring the macro photography of Bob Bangerter. The navigation is a bit strange (it changes with each image), but you can also simply let the slide show run without navigating via the arrows. It will progress to the next photograph after roughly a 7 second delay.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:00 AM| Comments (5)
November 10, 2005
Mycena sp. and Hylocomium splendens
I think the mushroom is one of the over two hundred species of the genus Mycena, but after reviewing a number of books, I still can't be absolutely certain. Mushroom identification is perilous without spore prints and other information from the field (does it smell? does it ooze if broken?). If I'm wrong, please add a comment and I'll update.
The moss, however, I'm certain of the identification. Hylocomium splendens, or stair-step moss, really deserves a photograph of its own to reveal its illustrative common name – you only get a hint of its arching main shoots in these photographs. I didn't photograph the moss on its own while at Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park, but Hylocomium splendens can also be found in UBC Botanical Garden, so watch it for in an upcoming BPotD.
The reason for today's two similar photographs is to illustrate the difference in depth of field by changing the F value via the camera's aperture priority mode (read more in this tutorial). The first photograph was taken at F11 while the other was snapped at F4.5. For my purposes, I consider the first image more technical as it supplies more information about the Mycena's environment, while the second isolates the subject, which I find more aesthetically-pleasing. Finding a balance between providing enough technical detail and making a visually-appealing photograph is one of the challenges of scientific photography.
Meeting that challenge is where having a digital camera shines, because of the opportunity to take multiple images at essentially no additional cost. In almost all of the images shown on BPotD, my method has been to bracket the photographs using changes in F-value, i.e., taking a number of images with different depths of field. I then choose one or two out of a batch of up to a dozen to keep (sometimes at opposite ends of the depth of field spectrum, like these two). Of course, this means making decisions, or else the hard drive quickly fills up. Still, it's a pretty good recipe for success if you're disciplined and ruthless. As an aside, I was inspired to write on this topic because of a posting on one of my favourite non-science weblogs, Creating Passionate Users – read Kathy Sierra's article on “If you could change only one thing...”.
Photography resource link: Science and Photography Through the Microscope, by award-winning photomicrographer Dr. Dennis Kunkel. Plenty of botanical images (and others) under the Search the Image Library link.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (18)
October 18, 2005
Agaricus praeclaresquamosus
This photograph is courtesy of “leafdesigner” (a member of the UBC Botanical Garden Forums) of Battle Ground, Washington. leafdesigner submitted this image via the BPotD Submissions Forum here. Thanks for the image, and also thanks for writing accompanying text! leafdesigner writes:
“This mushroom with the mouthful of a scientific name is sometimes called the “western flat-top agaricus”. A member of the same genus as the cultivated or “button” mushroom, it is poisonous. The odor of crushed flesh is disagreeable, being described as “creosote-like” or “smelling of library paste”. A good field mark is the bright yellow staining that occurs when the base of the stem is nicked, although this also happens with the equally poisonous Agaricus xanthodermus.”
I'll add an additional link: Agaricus praeclaresquamosus via Mykoweb.
Botany resource link: the Fungus Identification Forum, recently separated out as its own discussion area on the garden's forums after a request from one of the forum members. Identification of fungi can be extremely challenging, often requiring the use of a microscope and “spore prints”. Unlike lichen identification, though, you don't need to walk around with a chemistry set (a story for another day). Despite often requiring lab work, identification to genus is possible for many fungi with a good image and description, like so: Hydnellum peckii (which I absolutely have to find one day for BPotD!).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:33 AM| Comments (7)
October 12, 2005
Coprinus comatus
Tom Volk covered shaggy manes as his Fungus of the Month for May 2004, so I'm going to refer you to his site to read about some of the science behind this fungus, one of the previous “Foolproof Four”. I do have to share one term with you regarding the genus Coprinus: autodeliquescence (doesn't that roll off the tongue?), or self-digestion. These fungi break down their own tissue as a way to aid release of spores – Dr. Volk goes into more detail on the phenomenon.
You can also read more about Coprinus comatus via MykoWeb or see the original non-close-up image of this photograph on the UBC forums.
On a different tack, I'd like to thank Beverley for volunteering to add zone information in comments where applicable. Gardeners, please remember that zones are simply guides and may not accurately reflect your situation.
If you haven't read the comments from yesterday's entry, I'd encourage you to do so. Peter Wharton shared his recollections about the expedition where he collected the seed for the Gleditsia, adding a personal touch.
Also, Victoria Weber posed some interesting questions about plant taxonomy, which I had to think about how best to address. I've come to the conclusion that since I can't think of a site that answers her questions compactly, I'll answer them over time within BPotD entries. I can then collate the writings and publish it somehow as a separate article on the garden's web site or journal. Does this approach work for you, Victoria? I know it's not an immediate answer.
I've also been contemplating Tim Bray's essay on Memory, particularly the concluding bit about the ephemeral nature of the electronic and his suggestion to commit pixels to paper. If I were to self-publish a BPotD book using one of the online high-quality photographic book services available (which I'll likely do for myself in any case), would you be interested?
Photography resource link: Mark Hobson's article on Book Publishing (via Nature Photographers Online) seems an appropriate accompaniment to the above.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (4)
September 20, 2005
Amanita muscaria
Poisonous, hallucinogenic and attractive to maggots - what's not to love about fly agaric mushroom? Related to the deadly “liver-transplant-required-if-you-ingest-it” Amanita phalloides (or deathcap mushroom), Amanita muscaria is not as fatal, though still very unpleasant for anyone consuming it.
Native to north temperate regions, Amanita muscaria has spread to countries like Australia and Argentina via soil imported with plants.
Photography / Botany resource link: CalPhotos contains over 95 000 images from California, almost all with a natural history theme (over half of the images are of plants).
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:16 AM| Comments (10)
April 20, 2005
Dacrymyces palmatus (tentative)
This photograph is a lesson on ensuring that you have adequate notes written to accompany your nature photographs if you plan on actually identifying the species. In this instance, I didn't, so I can only be tentative at best with the identification of the orange-coloured fungus on the fallen tree.
Assuming that the fallen tree is a conifer, then I think my identification is correct. On the other hand, if it is an alder (which I'm doubting because of the angle of the branches to the tree), it is perhaps Tremella mesenterica, which superficially resembles Dacrymyces palmatus, but differs quite a bit at the microscopic level. The inescapable fact, though, is this: to identify fungi, lichens and mosses, know thy substrate!
Read more about Dacrymyces palmatus and Tremella mesenterica on Mykoweb.
This is another photograph taken in MacMillan Provincial Park (Cathedral Grove) last October.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (1)
April 14, 2005
Hericium abietis
You might note the resemblance of this fungus to coral, and that's reflected in the common name assigned to the group, the coral fungi. I took this photograph at the end of October last year in the stunning MacMillan Provincial Park (often known as Cathedral Grove) on Vancouver Island. I don't have a lens that lets me take photos of tall trees that I'm happy with, so despite being surrounded by giants, I took many photos of the small things.
You can read more about yellow pitted rot on the Natural Resources Canada site (that'd be the common name used by those who see this fungus as a disease), or get a slightly different perspective on fungi in the genus Hericium from Tom Vogt's Mushroom of the Month at the University of Wisconsin. Selected quote from the latter site: “As a bonus, it's quite delicious, with a taste reminiscent of lobster if it's properly prepared.”
P.S. If I'm wrong about the identification, please post a comment! Fungal ID is not a strength of mine!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 AM| Comments (2)
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Botany Photo of the Day and all associated images are licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.