Minnesota Fungi
| Kingdom Fungi |
Fungi is the kingdom of living organisms that is characterized by lacking chlorophyll, feeding on dead and decaying organic matter, producing spores, and having cells with cell walls that contain chitin. The order includes mushrooms, puffballs, rusts, smuts, sac fungi, molds, yeasts, Penicillium, bread molds, and organisms that cause plant and animal diseases such as athlete’s foot and leaf spot. While there are about 100,000 described fungi species, there are estimated to be over 1,500,000 species worldwide. According to the Bell Museum of Natural History, there are 9,000 species expected to be native to Minnesota “based on the number of vascular plant species native to the state and the ratio of fungi to vascular plants for well documented parts of Europe.” To date, only two states have declared a state mushroom: Minnesota and Oregon. In 1984, the Minnesota legislature designated the Yellow Morel (Morchella esculenta) as the state mushroom of Minnesota. |
| Taxonomy |
Recent research based on DNA comparisons have resulted in changes in taxonomic order at all levels, even the highest (fungi are now considered to be closer to animals than plants). As a result, authoritative sources of information about fungi on the Web provide differing binomial names and lineages for the same species. The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) on-line database, http://www.itis.gov, avoids this problem by providing only sparse coverage of fungi. |
_02s.jpg "Cort (Cortinarius atkinsonianus)")
| Recent Additions | |||||
| Purple Jellydisc | |||||
Purple Jellydisc (Ascocoryne sarcoides or Ascocoryne cylichnium) is a widespread and common fungus. It occurs from Maine to Minnesota, south to Illinois and Georgia, on the West Coast, and in adjacent Canadian provinces. It is uncommon in Minnesota, where it is at the western edge of its range. It is found in the fall grouped or clustered in deciduous forests and woodlands on well-rotted hardwood stumps and logs. When young, Purple Jellydisc is a lumpy, irregular, gelatinous, purple or wine-red mass up to 8″ across. It appears brain-like and looks like a jelly fungus. As it ages the lobes flatten out into 3 ⁄16″ to ⅞″ (5 to 22 mm) wide disc-shaped or cup-shaped fruiting bodies. When mature, it looks like a disc fungus. There is no stem but there is sometimes a short, poorly-defined, stem-like base. Some authors claim that Ascocoryne cylichnium is more often disc-like than Ascocoryne sarcoides. Most authors agree that the two species can only be differentiated with certainty by examining the spores microscopically. Both species have been reported in Minnesota. |
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| Photo by Luciearl | |||||
| Eyelash Cup | |||||
Eyelash Cup (Scutellinia scutellata) is a small, common, very widespread, cup fungus. It is small for a fungus but large for a Scutellinia. It has a worldwide distribution, occurring on every continent except Greenland. It is common in Minnesota. It is easy to recognize but easily overlooked due to its small size. It is found from spring through fall, in small groups or larger clusters, usually soon after a rain. It grows on well rotted wood. When it first appears it is nearly spherical and bright red to scarlet or orange. As it grows it spreads out into a shallow cup. Mature specimens are flat, disk-like, and up to ⅝″ in diameter. Around the margin there is a fringe of dark, eyelash-like hairs. The underside is covered with shorter dark hairs. It is edible but too small and insubstantial to bother with collecting. |
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| Photo by Luciearl | |||||
| Dyer’s Polypore | |||||
Dyer’s Polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii) is one of the most common large polypores in coniferous forests throughout North America. It is used to prepare fabric dyes of various colors, but is also a significant pest to the timber industry in western United States. The fruiting body is a large, bracket-shaped polypore (conk). It usually appears on the ground as a rosette or an overlapping tier of brackets at or near the base of a large coniferous tree. In Minnesota it is most common on white pine. It attacks the living roots and the heartwood of older trees, causing the disease called red-brown butt rot. The lower 10 to 20 feet of the trunk, the most valuable part for the timber industry, is weakened or hollowed, making the tree susceptible to falling over. On young trees the fungus causes root rot which is also fatal. The cap is 2″ to 12″ wide and circular when growing on the ground, semicircular or fan-shaped when on a trunk. When young it is soft, spongy, light brownish-yellow to orange, and densely covered with velvety hairs. As it ages it becomes hard, less hairy, and turns dark brown from the center outwards. Older specimens are brittle and dark brown or black, looking something like a cow pie. It is probably poisonous. |
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| Photo by Luciearl | |||||
| Hexagonal-pored Polypore | |||||
Hexagonal-pored Polypore (Neofavolus alveolaris) is one of the first mushrooms to appear in woodlands in the spring. It occurs in Europe, Japan, and North America east of the Rocky Mountains. In the United States it is especially common east of the Great Plains. It first appears in May, the same time as morels, and persists through November. It grows on fallen branches and small logs of hardwoods. The fruiting body is a semicircular to kidney-shaped, shelf-like bracket. When it first appears in late spring it is orange or orangish. It is at this stage that it is most easily recognized. The upper surface is covered with minute scales or delicate fibers. As the season progresses it fades to yellowish or nearly white. It usually has a short, stubby laterally positioned stalk. The pore surface is white to pale yellowish and is covered with conspicuous, large, diamond-shaped or six-sided pores. The pores are not all hexagonal, as the bracket’s common name suggests. Hexagonal-pored Polypore is not poisonous but the bracket is too small and the flesh is too tough to be edible. |
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| Devil’s Urn | |||||
Devil’s Urn (Urnula craterium) is one of the first mushrooms to appear in forests and woodlands in the east. It occurs in the United States east of the Great Plains, and also in Washington State. It is common in Minnesota but often overlooked due to its dark color and its somewhat leaf-like appearance. In addition, it is often buried or half-buried in the duff. It appears in the spring usually in groups, sometimes singly. It grows on or next to decaying logs, on twigs, or on the ground attached to buried wood. The mature mushroom is 1¼″ to 4¼″ high and ¾″ to 2¾″ in diameter. The fruiting body is a closed orb at first, and looks a lot like Dead Man’s Fingers. It soon opens at the top becoming deeply cup-shaped. The margins are curved inward, toothed, and appear torn. The sterile outer surface is rough and pinkish-gray or dark brown at first, becoming smooth and black to brownish-black with age. The fertile inner surface is smooth and brownish-black to black. There is usually a distinct narrow stalk at the base. The flesh is tough and leathery or fibrous. It is probably not poisonous but is too tough to be worth eating. |
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| Photo by Luciearl | |||||
| Other Recent Additions | |||||
Plum Pocket (Taphrina communis) Elderberry Rust (Puccinia bolleyana) Golden Coral Fungus (Ramaria aurea) |
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This list includes only fungi that have been recorded in Minnesota, but not all of the fungi found in Minnesota. |
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Amber Jelly Fungus (Exidia recisa) |
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American Eastern Yellow Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria var. guessowii) |
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Angels Wings (Pleurocybella porrigens) |
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Apricot Jelly fungus (Tremiscus helvelloides) |
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Arched Earthstar (Geastrum fornicatum) |
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Arrhenia obscurata |
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Ash-tree Bolete (Gyrodon merulioides) |
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Ashen Chanterelle (Cantharellus cinereus) |
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Aspen Bracket (Phellinus tremulae) |
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Aspen Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus populinus) |
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Bay Cup (Peziza badia) |
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Beaked Earthstar (Geastrum pectinatum) |
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Bear Lentinus (Lentinellus ursinus) |
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Bearded Fieldcap (Agrocybe molesta) |
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Bicolored Bracket (Gloeoporus dichrous) |
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Bitter Bolete (Tylopilus felleus) |
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Black Morel (Morchella elata) |
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Black Witches’ Butter (Exidia glandulosa) |
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Bleeding Bonnet (Mycena sanguinolenta) |
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Bleeding Fairy Helmet (Mycena haematopus) |
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Blue Chanterelle (Polyozellus multiplex) |
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Blue Cheese Polypore (Tyromyces caesius) |
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Boletus subcaerulescens |
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Brown Funnel Polypore (Coltricia perennis) |
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Brown Witches’ Butter (Tremella foliacea) |
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Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon) |
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Cannonball Fungus (Sphaerobolus stellatus) |
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Cedar-hawthorn Rust (Gymnosporangium globosum) |
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Cedar-quince Rust (Gymnosporangium clavipes) |
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Ceratocystis Canker of Bitternut Hickory (Ceratocystis smalleyi) |
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Cherry Leaf Spot (Blumeriella jaapii) |
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Chrome-footed Bolete (Harrya chromapes) |
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Cinnamon Bracket (Hapalopilus nidulans) |
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Clitocybe subconnexa |
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Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis) |
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Clustered Bonnet (Mycena inclinata) |
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Collared Earthstar (Geastrum triplex) |
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Collared Parachute (Marasmius rotula) |
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Common Funnel (Clitocybe gibba) |
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Confusing Bolete (Strobilomyces confusus) |
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Conifer Mazegill (Gloeophyllum sepiarium) |
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Crimped Gill (Plicaturopsis crispa) |
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Crown Fungus (Sarcosphaera crassa) |
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Crowned Earthstar (Geastrum coronatum) |
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Curtis’s Puffball (Vascellum curtisii) |
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Cytospora Canker (Valsa sordida) |
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Daisy Earthstar (Geastrum floriforme) |
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Dark-stalked Bolete (Leccinum atrostipitatum) |
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Dead Man’s Foot (Pisolithus tinctorius) |
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Deadly Galerina (Galerina autumnalis) |
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Deadly Parasol (lepiota josserandii) |
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Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) |
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Deer Mushroom (Pluteus cervinus) |
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Destroying Angel (Amanita bisporigera) |
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Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa) |
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Dung Roundhead (Protostropharia semiglobata) |
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Dung-loving Bird’s Nest (Cyathus stercoreus) |
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Early Morel (Verpa bohemica) |
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Fairy Ring Marasmius (Marasmius oreades) |
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False Chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca) |
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Fire Blight (Erwinia amylovora) |
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Flat Crep (Crepidotus applanatus) |
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Fluted Bird’s Nest (Crucibulum striatus) |
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Fluted White Elfin Saddle (Helvella crispa) |
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Four-rayed Earthstar (Geastrum quadrifidum) |
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Fragrant Inocybe (Inocybe pyriodora) |
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Freckled Dapperling (lepiota aspera) |
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Frost’s Amanita (Amanita frostiana) |
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Funeral Bell (Galerina marginata) |
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Gem-Studded Amanita (Amanita gemmata) |
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Golden Ear (Tremella aurantia) |
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Golden Pholiota (Pholiota aurivella) |
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Goldleaf Shield (Pluteus romellii) |
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Green Beetle Hanger (Hesperomyces virescens) |
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Green Wood Cup (Chlorociboria aeruginascens) |
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Green-spored Parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites) |
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Gyromitra ambigua |
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Gyromitra fastigiata |
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Hooded False Morel (Gyromitra infula) |
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Horn of Plenty (Craterellus cornucopioides) |
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Inocybe mixtilis |
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Inocybe rimosa |
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Jelly Ear Fungus (Auricularia auricula-judae) |
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Lacquered Bracket (Ganoderma lucidum) |
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Lactarius fuliginellus |
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Lavender False Death Cap (Amanita citrina var. lavendula) |
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Lead-grey Puffball (Bovista plumbea) |
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Leaf Curl (Taphrina communis) |
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Leaf Spot (Cerospora xanthoxyli) |
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Lilac Bonnet (Mycena pura) |
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Lilac Fibrecap (Inocybe lilacina) |
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Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) |
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Lizard’s Claw Mushroom (Lysurus cruciatus) |
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Lurid Bolete (Boletus luridus) |
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Meadow Mushroom (Agaricus campestris) |
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Mossy Maze Polypore (Cerrena unicolor) |
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Mycosphaerella Leaf Spot (Mycosphoerello effiguroto) |
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Oak Mazegill (Daedalea quercina) |
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Oak Wilt (Ceratocystis fagacearum) |
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Oak-loving Gymnopus (Gymnopus dryophilus) |
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Ochre Brittlegill (Russula ochroleuca) |
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Orange Bonnet (Mycena acicula) |
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Orange Jelly Spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) |
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Orange Mycena (Mycena leaiana) |
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Pale Brittlestem (Psathyrella candolleana) |
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Panther Cap (Amanita pantherina var. pantherina) |
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Peach-colored Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria var. persicina) |
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Peppery Milk Cap (Lactifluus piperatus) |
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Powdery Mildew (Phyllactinia guttata) |
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Phyllosticta Leaf Spot (Mycosphoerello fraxinicola) |
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Pinkish-orange Pholiota (Pholiota astragalina) |
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Powdery Mildews (Order Erysiphales) |
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Psathyrella cystidiosa |
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Psathyrella rhodospora |
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Pseudospiropes longipilus |
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Red Chanterelle (Cantharellus cinnabarinus) |
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Red-banded Polypore (Fomitopsis pinicola) |
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Ringed Cone Head (Pholiotina rugosa) |
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Rounded Earthstar (Geastrum saccatum) |
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Ruddy Puffball (Lycoperdon subincarnatum) |
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Russula sp. |
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Russula flavisiccans |
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Rusty Gilled Polypore (Gloeophyllum sepiarium) |
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Sandy Laccaria (Laccaria trullissata) |
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Sarcosoma globosum |
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Scaly Rustgill (Gymnopilus sapineus) |
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Scurfy Twiglet (Tubaria furfuracea) |
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Septoria Leaf Spot (Septoria aceris) |
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Sessile Earthstar (Geastrum fimbriatum) |
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Shaggy Parasol (Chlorophyllum rhacodes) |
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Shaggy Pholiota (Pholiota squarrosa) |
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Shield Dapperling (Lepiota clypeolaria) |
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Shoehorn Oyster Mushroom (Hohenbuehelia petaloides) |
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Short-stemmed Russula (Russula brevipes) |
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Shrimp Russula (Russula xerampelina) |
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Slipery Jack (Suillus luteus) |
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Smooth Patch (Aleurodiscus oakesii) |
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Spiny Puffball (Lycoperdon echinatum) |
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Spring Polypore (Polyporus arcularius) |
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Stalked Orange Peel Fungus (Sowerbyella rhenana) |
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Stem Canker (Diplodia natalensis) |
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Stinking Dapperling (Lepiota cristata) |
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Striate Earthstar (Geastrum striatum) |
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Strict-branched Coral Fungus (Ramaria stricta) |
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Suede Bolete (Xerocomus subtomentosus) |
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Suillus weaverae |
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Summer Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius) |
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Thick-Walled Maze Polypore (Daedalea quercina) |
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Thiers’ amanita (Amanita thiersii) |
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Tiny Earthstar (Geastrum minimum) |
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Toothed Jelly Fungus (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum) |
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Tubakia leaf spot (Tubakia dryina) |
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Umbrella False Morel (Gyromitra sphaerospora) |
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Veiled Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus dryinus) |
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Veined Brown Cup Fungus (Disciotis venosa) |
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Vermilion Waxcap (Hygrocybe miniata) |
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Violet-pored Bracket Fungus (Trichaptum abietinum) |
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Violet-toothed Polypore (Trichaptum biforme) |
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White Chanterelle (Cantharellus subalbidus) |
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White Coral Jelly Fungus (Tremella reticulata) |
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Willow Shield (Pluteus salicinus) |
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Witch’s Hat (Hygrocybe conica) |
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Wrinkled Crust (Phlebia radiata) |
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Yellow Fieldcap (Bolbitius titubans) |
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Yellow Stagshorn Fungus (Calocera viscosa) |
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_02.jpg "Cort")
_01.jpg "Tar Spot (Rhytisma americanum)")
No Species Page Yet?
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Capitalization of Common Names
Fungi common names are governed by International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN). According to the ICN, fungi common names can be either capitalized or not. In Britain fungi common names are governed by The British Mycological Society (BMS). The BMS formed a working party in 2005 to standardize common names of fungi. The project is ongoing, but a current checklist is available on the BMS Website. According to BMS, “the use of capitals for the English name in published texts will be to an extent determined by the publisher.” The BMS checklist uses capitalized common English language names. Most authors today also use capitalized common names for fungi. MinnesotaSeasons.com will adhere to the convention adopted by BMS.
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