View A43-1112-1979-eng.pdf

EDIBLE AND POISONOUS MUSHROOMS OF CANADA
Suppose we have a specimen to be identified. The first choice in the key
(p. 29) is based on the character of the lamellae and in this specimen they are
thin, well developed and crowded, so we go to choice 2. We check the spore
deposit and find it is colored, so we go to choice 25. Here there are five choices
and we find our specimen has a pink spore deposit, so we go to choice 26. It
has a central stipe, which takes us to choice 27, and the lamellae are free from
the stipe, which carries us to 28. There is no trace of an annulus or volva, so
we come to Pluteus and turn to the key to the species of this genus (p.
1 65).
The pileus is brown and the lamellae do not have a black edge so we arrive at
Pluteus cervinus, and on comparing our specimen with the description we find
it matches and we can conclude that we have identified the species.
If the specimen had had a yellow pileus and stipe we would similarly
have checked Pluteus admirabilis but a specimen with a yellow pileus and white
stipe would have caused diflftculty. Another reference book might show that
there is a species of Pluteus with a yellow cap and white stipe, P. leoninus, that
is not described in this book. But it would have been wrong to assume that we
had found P. admirabilis because it keyed out here, when the description of
P. admirabilis called for a yellow stipe and our specimen had a white one.
A key thus has its limitations but if used critically and with caution it
should be of great assistance in identifying the specimens collected.
If other methods of identification fail it is sometimes possible to send
specimens to specialists and have them identified. In the Canada Department
of Agriculture we do not have the staff or the time available to undertake
identifications on a large scale. However, for the beginner who may wish to
check on the identification of some common species of which he is uncertain,
or for the more advanced student who thinks he may have found some rare or
unusual species of special interest, we try to provide all the assistance possible.
Fresh specimens may be sent in by mail and if they are not too long in
transit and are not overmature, worm-eaten, or decayed, they often arrive in
good condition. Specimens wrapped in tissue paper or newspaper which will
absorb excess moisture arrive in better condition than those wrapped in
waxed paper or packed in tin cans. Under these latter conditions moisture
accumulates and bacterial decay sets in. Species of Coprinus do not travel well
by mail and usually arrive as an inky mess.
Specimens of mushrooms should never be preserved in fluid or sent in for
identification in fluid. They are almost impossible to identify when preserved
in this way.
It is much preferable when sending material in for identification to take
careful notes on the fresh condition, then dry the specimens and send them in
the dried condition. If properly dried they will keep indefinitely and with good
notes they can be identified just about as readily as in the fresh condition.
Furthermore, there is the advantage to us that if they prove to be an interesting
species the dried specimens can be placed in the herbarium and become part of
the permanent scientific record.
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