Product Description

Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mushrooms is indispensable to anyone fascinated by mushrooms and other fungi. Lavishly illustrated, it contains detailed information about 420 types of mushrooms and other fungi found in the United States and Europe. The comprehensive introduction provides general information on the structure, reproduction, life cycles, classification, and distribution of the various species and describes the individual parts of the fungus as well. The entries describe the appearance, habitat, and geographic distribution of each species of fungi. The easy-to-use visual key provides each entry with immediately recognizable symbols that indicate spore color, ecological environment, and whether the species is edible or poisonous. A glossary and analytical index, plus an Index to Genera for locating particular subjects, help make this the most beautiful, valuable, and authoritative book in the field.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #877054 in Books
• Published on: 1982-03-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 511 pages

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1

MUSHROOMS WITH SCALES ON CAP AND STEM

1 AMANITA CAESAREA

Etymology From Latin, "of Caesar" or "regal," because it was a favorite of the early Roman Caesars.

Description Cap 8-20 cm, hemispherical to flat, orange-red washing out to yellow, cuticle separable, sometimes with evident membranous remains of white veil, margin striate. Gills free, crowded, yellow. Stipe 8-15 x 2-3 cm, narrowing at top, hollow when mature, with yellow falling ring, slightly swollen at base, with large white membranous volva. Flesh whitish, yellowish beneath cuticle. Without evident odor. Spores white, elliptical, smooth, 8-14 x 5-8.5 microns.

Edibility In Europe, excellent cooked.

Habitat In airy parts of dry oak woods, in slightly acid ground, and with pines.

Season Spring to autumn.

Note The common North American form, which may be a distinct species, has a somewhat umbonate cap and a thinner (1-2 cm) yellow stripe, and occurs from eastern Canada to Florida and west to the central states; the same or a similar form occurs in the Southwest and Mexico.

Caution A number of look-alikes of unknown edibility exist in North America. And what is called A. caesarea in North America is not generally regarded as choice.

2 AMANITA MUSCARIA

Muscaria

Common name Fly agaric.

Etymology From Latin "of flies," because of the northern European custom of using the cap, soaked in milk, to kill or stupefy flies.

Description Cap 8-25 cm, hemispherical to slightly concave, cuticle detachable, red, covered with white pyramidal warts which may be removed by rain, margin striate. Gills white, crowded, free. Stipe 12-25 x 1.5-2.5 cm, basal bulb with volva of several concentric warty rings, ring white, membranous. Flesh soft and white, orange-red beneath cuticle. Not very conspicuous odor. Spores white, ovoid, smooth, 9-11 x 6-8 microns.

Edibility Fairly poisonous, depending on the season.

Habitat In mountains under conifers and birch.

Season Summer and fall.

Note Although reported from Siberia as producing hallucinations, the red-capped North American variety which is found in northern forests and higher altitudes in the south, causes delirium, manic behavior and deep sleep, sometimes accompanied by profuse sweating.

3 AMANITA MUSCARIA

Formosa

Common name American fly agaric.

Etymology From Latin, "handsome-looking."

Description This variety has a yellowish to orange coloration, or has a tinge of red at the center. All the velar remains (ring, volva and warts) are white, and the description of A. muscaria (2) applies to this variety in all other respects.

Edibility Toxicity appears to vary widely from place to place, and seems to lie for the most part in the cap cuticle.

Habitat This variety is very common in North America, but becomes rarer, more stender, and tinged with a salmonlike coloration in the southern states. Moving west we also find the typical red-capped A. muscaria.

Season Summer and autumn.

Note Although the toxins in both varieties of this species are reportedly concentrated in the colored skin of the cap, peeling the mushroom does not render it harmless, and poisonings do occur. The hallucinations for which the red-capped Siberian variety is notorious do not seem to occur with either American variety; rather, the experience is often one of delirium and deep sleep, sometimes accompanied by profuse sweating.

4 AMANITA PHALLOIDES

Common name Death cap.

Etymology From Latin, "phalluslike," because of the shape of the carpophore in the early stages of growth.

Description Cap 5-20 cm, subspherical to flat, rarely with membranous velar remains; fairly deep olive-green to olive-brown but paler toward margin, usually with dark innate radial fibrils. Gills white or slightly yellowish, quite crowded, free. Stipe 8-20 x 1-2 cm, tapering toward top, hollow when mature, white speckled with greenish gray stripes, white membranous ring, striate at top, base bulbous with large, white, membranous volva. Flesh white, but greenish yellow just beneath cuticle. Odor first neutral, then nauseous. Spores white, ovoid to nearly round, smooth, 8-11 x 7-9 microns, amyloid.

Edibility Deadly poisonous.

Habitat With a preference for broadleaf trees, particularly oak, but also under pine and spruce.

Season Late spring to late autumn.

Note When cut, the outline of the carpophore is white, faintly green in the cuticle area. As little as one cap can prove fatal to ah adult. Symptoms don't occur for about 10-12 hours (or longer). Although only recently confirmed in North America, it is now known from several eastern seaboard states and the Pacific coast.

Copyright © 1981 by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A., Milano

Customer Reviews

Very beautiful illustrations!
Another guide written by Simon and Schuster, and another success. This mushroom field guide has a significant number of species listings for decent identification. Easily equals Audubon, Peterson, and other guides in detailed descriptions, photo quality, and abundance of species listed. Over 420 in all. Each mushroom is labeled with a botanical name, since beginners should stick with Golden Guides. The mushrooms shown are intriguing, and make you ponder eating them as the night's meal. The guide also explains the edibility, quality of it, and whether it is lethal. There are also descriptions of range and habitat. Habitat is indicated by a drawing on the bottom left hand of the species page. The redundancy of the Simon and Schuster system is indicated in the text, but this has never mattered, as the system is fine for expert field guide users. The underrated history of the book is unexplained, but should not have been so.
The two press editions of the guide are different in a couple of ways. The older, Nature Series Press, has aged photos, which makes the photo quality darker. However, the brand new, revised press, done by Simon and Schuster themselves, is the best yet. The photo quality is also pristine. Any edition of this contribution to field identification will prove useful for mushroom hunters and plant experts alike.

Visually appealing
In fact, I use this as a visual reference for drawing. It gives large, clear photos of each species, and hundreds are shown.

I'm not sure how much this will help the amateur mushroom-hunter, though. It certainly won't do much for a pro. The description of each species is short and bland. The real strength of this book is the photos that show the unique features of each species, and even each specimen.

Excellent.
I happen to love mushrooms and am very into identifying the ones that grow in my backyard. This book was a lot more helpful to me than any of the others I found. The beginning is extremely informative, and the species guide is huge-about 240 great pictures! No book can list every one, but this one covers a great many, especially common ones you're likely to see. Get it-it's a good buy.