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InvisibleFungusMan
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Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms
    #5957738 - 08/12/06 09:58 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

Im a noob to this hobby, but I cant wait to start before the seasons gone. I just bought a Field Guide by The National Audubon Society, but heard on Amozon.com that its kinda lacking.What are your recommendations for a novice in this hobby?

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Invisiblepsiclops
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: FungusMan]
    #5957780 - 08/12/06 10:12 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

It depends on what type of mushrooms you will be hunting.

The Audobon mushroom handbook is a great book. It has many many many mushrooms between its covers.

As far as the Psilocybe genus goes, I would research, throuhg the internet, and there are several books, like: "Psilocybes of the Pacific Northwest" (I'm not sure if that's where you reside or not) written by Paul Stamets, I think. MJ Shroomer (Mushroom John), has a hell of a good wesite. I think it's mushroomjohn.com or something.

Good luck.

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InvisibleAmatoxin
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: FungusMan]
    #5957794 - 08/12/06 10:17 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

'Mushrooms Demystified' by David Arora is apparently very good. Don't have it myself though as it deals with North American fungi and I'm from the UK.


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InvisibleFungusMan
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: psiclops]
    #5957798 - 08/12/06 10:17 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

Im not particular to ANY type of mushroom, whether psilocybe or not. Im more interested I guess as far as edibles. I live in Ky, and I hear alot of people here talk about delicous wild edibles, but the only names I can get are "folk" names, like (believe it or not) one they call "dogdicks",lol, and "honeycombs".

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InvisibleAmatoxin
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: FungusMan]
    #5957846 - 08/12/06 10:41 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

Quote:

FungusMan said:
I hear alot of people here talk about delicous wild edibles, but the only names I can get are "folk" names, like (believe it or not) one they call "dogdicks",lol, and "honeycombs".




I can guess what 'dog dicks' are. Probably the 'Dog Stinkhorn' (Mutinus caninus.)

Don't know what the 'honeycombs' are though...

Mutinus caninus


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OfflineToxicManM
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: FungusMan]
    #5958066 - 08/13/06 12:06 AM (17 years, 7 months ago)

The Audubon Society Book is very good. The one thing it lacks is good keys. The descriptions are outstanding and it has great photographs.

The strength of Mushrooms Demystified is the keys. It covers more species than almost any book, and it's lacking in photography.


A couple other books are worth recommending.

First there is a six volume series of small books titled How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus. Professional mycologists regularly recommend these, and they are the ones many of them learned to identify with. The first 3 volumes are for macroscopic features only, and the others focus on microscopic features.

The other is a rather expensive book titled Keys to Agarics and Boleti by Meinhard Moser. This is one of the most definitive references to mushrooms in print in English. The entire book is just keys. The keys just to get you to genus are over 30 pages. There are no photographs at all. Most of the keys only use features that don't require a microscope, although there are some where there is no alternative.


If you're starting to learn to identify, minimize the use of photographs - look at the photo only after you've decided that the description sounds close. Beginners place too much importance on the wrong things, and so misidentify things. One of the biggest culprits is cap color. Remember that the photographs in books are of the best, most perfect specimens the photographer could find. Few of the specimens you will ever find will be as nice and perfect.

Instead, keys will show you the actual features you need to examine and note to separate one specimen from another.

Finally, remember that you want to identify to genus *before* you try for species. That sounds stupid, but I regularly see beginners try to go straight to the species of the mushroom they're identifying without making sure they have the genus correct first.

Happy mushrooming!


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Happy mushrooming!

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InvisibleFungusMan
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: ToxicMan]
    #5958184 - 08/13/06 12:47 AM (17 years, 7 months ago)

Thanks for the tips guys. I am really excited about starting this hobby. " look at the photo only after you've decided that the description sounds close", Thats a very good training tip, thanks again.

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OfflineLysergic_Milkman
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: ToxicMan]
    #5959291 - 08/13/06 02:02 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

Quote:

ToxicMan said:
The Audubon Society Book is very good. The one thing it lacks is good keys. The descriptions are outstanding and it has great photographs.

The strength of Mushrooms Demystified is the keys. It covers more species than almost any book, and it's lacking in photography.


A couple other books are worth recommending.

First there is a six volume series of small books titled How to Identify Mushrooms to Genus. Professional mycologists regularly recommend these, and they are the ones many of them learned to identify with. The first 3 volumes are for macroscopic features only, and the others focus on microscopic features.

The other is a rather expensive book titled Keys to Agarics and Boleti by Meinhard Moser. This is one of the most definitive references to mushrooms in print in English. The entire book is just keys. The keys just to get you to genus are over 30 pages. There are no photographs at all. Most of the keys only use features that don't require a microscope, although there are some where there is no alternative.


If you're starting to learn to identify, minimize the use of photographs - look at the photo only after you've decided that the description sounds close. Beginners place too much importance on the wrong things, and so misidentify things. One of the biggest culprits is cap color. Remember that the photographs in books are of the best, most perfect specimens the photographer could find. Few of the specimens you will ever find will be as nice and perfect.

Instead, keys will show you the actual features you need to examine and note to separate one specimen from another.

Finally, remember that you want to identify to genus *before* you try for species. That sounds stupid, but I regularly see beginners try to go straight to the species of the mushroom they're identifying without making sure they have the genus correct first.

Happy mushrooming!




Excellent post.  :thumbup:
There is only one thing I can think to add to it.
The Audubon Society field guide is  great to have in the field for quick references on what is worth taking home and what is not worth the effort.
Mushrooms Demystified is a good resource of detailed descriptions of many different species to ID those specimens that you do collect in the field. Of course, the internet is also a good reference, and I hear that www.mushroomexpert.com is a good  place to start (although I have never been to the website myself).

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InvisibleYESSUP
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: Lysergic_Milkman]
    #5959363 - 08/13/06 02:16 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

:thumbup:


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InvisibleFungusMan
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: YESSUP]
    #5961340 - 08/14/06 12:28 AM (17 years, 7 months ago)

You know...I think what they refer to as honeycombs are possibly morels. As to the stinkhorns, everything I read about them says they are inedible, yet I know some personally that say they are their favorite when split down the middle and battered and fried.

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OfflineToxicManM
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: FungusMan]
    #5961380 - 08/14/06 12:38 AM (17 years, 7 months ago)

Stinkhorns are definitely edible, although I can't seriously imagine wanting to eat one.

Happy mushrooming!


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InvisibleLouiseLouise
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: ToxicMan]
    #5961628 - 08/14/06 02:33 AM (17 years, 7 months ago)

:argh:

Great post, TM :thumbup:
I started with the Audubon book (still use it most often :shrug: ) and though it has great color plates, it's left me hangin' more than I should. The keys leave alot to be desired, it does not list many mushrooms of interest, and those it does, the info. listed is just not as complete as it could be.
It's a good field guide as Milkman said, I do like the easy thumb references. Now that I am more familiar with mushrooms, I can easily flip to say mushrooms with a persistent veil and detached gills.


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Invisiblemjshroomer
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Re: Best Books For Field Identification of Mushrooms [Re: LouiseLouise]
    #5962091 - 08/14/06 09:13 AM (17 years, 7 months ago)

Actually Louise Louise, the Audubon book is okay for the fact it has hundreds of photos. However, the color is off on many images and several are not the correct color. This is the fault of whoever made the acetates for prining and the four-color process. Many mycologists have mentioned this to me and/or ask me about what I thought of the color in the book.

2nd, Gary was only the editor of the book and he arranged it in a way too confusing to use by many. He has mushrooms out of order of the keys in the agaricales. You can see more shrooms after he goes into other types of fungi, ascomycetes, etc, polypores, boletes, but then shows more gilled fungi.

He has Psilocybes in two different areas in the photo section and the numbering of pages and images is also somewhat confusing.

mj

Still overall a good book to have.

Of course the good shroom books are in the $100.00 dollars and up range. The books by Hongo in Japanese for instance. Joseph Amiratti's two shroom books on Poisonous and edibles in PNW or Canada books.

Have a shroomy day

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