WHAT DO MUSHROOM DO? |
Recyclers |
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| Some
mushrooms are capable of digesting wood, breaking it down into the primary components of
forest soils. They also decay other dead plant and animal matter. A forest in which
nothing rotted would soon be choked with accumulating dead leaves and woody material, and
starved for essential minerals and other nutrients bound up in the undecomposed debris.
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Pseudohydnum gelatinosum (X) -
a jelly-like fungus with small teeth on the undersurface  |
Tree-HelpersMany mushrooms form partnerships with roots of living trees, and the resulting fungus-root is called a mycorrhiza. The mushroom's mycelium weaves itself around the root and actually alters the shape of the root. The mushroom absorbs water and minerals for the tree, but in return the tree gives the mushroom nutrients, too. Since both partners benefit from each other, their alliance is considered a symbiotic relationship. |
 Russula sp.(XXX) - a mycorrhizal mushroom |
| Mycorrhizal mushrooms are often seen under trees, growing in lines or rings, following the progress of root growth under the duff. |
 A coral fungus - Ramaria sp. (XXX) |
Food |
|
 The pine mushroom - Tricholoma magnivelare (X) |
British Columbia forests support a multi-million-dollar industry based on the commercial picking of edible wild mushrooms, many of which are exported to Japan and Europe. In some of our forests the mushroom crops are more valuable than the tree crops. The most common mushrooms picked for profit in the fall are the pine mushrooms (Tricholoma magnivelare), and chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius); in the spring, the morels (Morchella species) are picked. |
| Many animals also rely on mushrooms for food, especially squirrels and other rodents. Slugs also dine on mushrooms, and certain types of flies spend their whole lives on, and in, mushrooms. | The chanterelle - Cantharellus cibarius(X) |
Morels - Morchella esculenta (X)- are found
in the spring. |
Puffballs - Lycoperdon perlatum(X)
 |
 The oyster mushroom - Pleurotus ostreatus (X) |
Shaggy Manes - Coprinus comatus(X) |
Some Mushrooms Cause Root Disease |
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Armillaria ostoyae (XX) - a
damaging conifer root disease mushroom  |
Mushrooms are not always beneficial to trees. The most damaging root
disease of conifers in B.C. is caused by a species of "honey mushroom" called Armillaria
ostoyae. An estimated 4.5% of our annual allowable cut from 1988 to 1992 was lost due
to Armillaria root disease . |
Poisonous Mushrooms |
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| Of
course, some mushrooms can also have nasty effects on uninformed humans. Every year
mushroom poisonings are reported in British Columbia. Fortunately, most are not fatal.
However, all could have been prevented. There is no other way, apart from accurate species
identification, to safely tell an edible mushroom from a poisonous one. If you can't have your wild mushrooms identified by an expert - if you are not absolutely sure about which species you have - don't take a chance! |
 Amanita muscaria(XXXX) - the fly agaric |
The panther amanita - Amanita pantherina (XXXX) is frequently found under Douglas-fir |
 Young Amanita buttons may superficially look like puffballs, but the mushroom inside is clearly seen when cut in half |
| Your local Poison Control Centre should be contacted immediately in the event of a mushroom poisoning (which is usually indicated by discomfort after eating wild mushrooms) or if you suspect that a small child has eaten wild mushrooms. If a trip to the hospital is necessary, try to bring along some uneaten mushrooms so that the species of mushroom can be quickly identified. |  Homepage
| Introduction Ministry of Forests |
