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 |
_02s.jpg "Cort (Cortinarius atkinsonianus)")
Recent Additions |
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Gilled Polypore |
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Gilled Polypore (Lenzites betulina) looks very much like a Turkey Tail but the pore surface on the underside has gills. It is widespread across Europe, Asia, and North and South America. In the United States it is very common from the East Coast to the Great Lakes states, south to Texas, and on the West Coast. It is less common in Minnesota where it is at the western edge of its range. It is found usually in overlapping rows or columns on logs and stumps of a wide variety of hardwoods, especially oak and willow. The name Gilled Polypore sounds like an oxymoron but accurately describes this mushroom. The fruiting body is a small, fan-shaped to nearly round, shelf-like bracket. The upper surface is concentrically zoned with varying textures and and colors, and is densely hairy. The gills are white when young but darken as they age. The flesh is thin, tough, and inedible. |
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| Photo by Luciearl | |||||
Chicken Fat Mushroom |
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Chicken Fat Mushroom (Suillus americanus) is a widespread and very common “Slippery Jack” mushroom. It occurs in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. It is very common in the United States from the northeast to the Midwest, and in adjacent Canadian provinces. It is common Minnesota in the northeast, north-central, and metro regions. It grows on the ground, usually in groups but not clustered, exclusively under eastern white pine. It is found from mid-July to mid-September in mixed and coniferous forests and anywhere else its host is found. When young, the cap is bright yellow, convex, and slimy. As it matures, the cap becomes broadly convex and sometimes has a small bump in the middle. The mature cap is sticky or slimy when moist, and frequently has reddish-brown scales, streaks, and/or patches, especially near the margin. The underside of the cap is a sponge-like pore surface. Chicken Fat Mushroom is edible but the taste is not distinctive, and the cap becomes slimy when moistened. After removing the slimy skin and the spongy pore surface, there is little left to enjoy. |
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King Alfred’s Cakes |
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King Alfred’s Cakes (Daldinia concentrica) is a common fungus that occurs on all continents except Greenland and Antarctica. It grows on dead or dying deciduous wood, especially ash. The fruiting body is ball-shaped, stalkless, and hard. It is brown when young, black and shiny when mature. The surface is densely covered with minute, pimply bumps. These bumps are tiny, spore-bearing chambers just under the surface. When the spores are mature they burst open during the night and eject up to an inch or more large numbers of black spores. These spores are often visible on the bark near the fungus long after they have worn off the fruiting body. The common name King Alfred’s Cakes refers to a story told about a British monarch. King Alfred fled from a battle and took refuge in a peasant woman’s house. The woman asked him to watch her cakes in the oven. Preoccupied with his own troubles, he let the cakes burn. This earned him a scolding from the woman who did not know her visitor was the king. King Alfred’s Cakes is also called Coal Fungus, but not just for its appearance. An older, black specimen, when broken to expose the interior, will readily take a spark from a fire steel. Blow on the glowing spark and it will grow in size. Left alone, it will smolder for a long time. Placed against dry tinder and blown upon, it will ignite a fire. Another common name, “Cramp Balls”, refers to the belief that when carried in a pocket it can prevent or cure leg cramps. |
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| Photo by Luciearl | |||||
Common Bird’s Nest |
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Common Bird’s Nest (Crucibulum laeve) is called that because it looks like a bird’s nest with several eggs. It occurs on all continents except Greenland and Antarctica. It may be the most common bird’s nest fungus in Canada and the northern two-thirds of the United States. It grows on sticks, wood chips, humus, vegetable debris, and manure. Although common, its small size makes it difficult to see. The fruiting body is a very small bowl-shaped “nest” containing several tiny, egg-like capsules. When young, it is yellowish, densely hairy, and topped with a yellowish lid. Eventually, the outer surface sloughs off and the lid ruptures and disappears. The mature mushroom has a hairless, brown, shiny, outer surface, and a smooth, white inner surface. Inside the hollow nest are several tiny, white, circular, flattened capsules (eggs). The eggs are attached to the side of the nest by a long, thin, elastic, white cord that can be seen only with a hand lens, a needle, and a lot of patience. The eggs are disbursed by raindrops and wind. Common Bird’s Nest may be edible but is too small and tough to be worth the effort. |
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| Photo by Ginger Halverson | |||||
Common Puffball |
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Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) is a very common, very widespread, easily recognized mushroom. It has a worldwide distribution, found on every continent including Antarctica. It may be the most abundant woodland puffball in North America, though in Minnesota Pear-shaped Puffball is more common. Common Puffball grows on the ground in woodlands under trees, on roadsides, in open areas, and even in urban areas. It is found from July through November usually in clusters. It is shaped like an upside-down pear, with a broad, round or flattened top and a narrowed stem-like base. Its white surface is densely covered with small, white, cone-shaped spines and more numerous tiny, white spines and granules between them. The spines are easily rubbed off and as the puffball matures they turn brown and fall off, the large ones leaving conspicuous pockmarks. A raised pore forms on the top of the maturing puffball. When ripe the pore ruptures, exposing the spore mass. Pores are disbursed through the opening by wind, rain drops, falling twigs, and curious hikers. Common Puffball is edible when firm and white but is bland and may be bitter. |
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| Photo by Luciearl | |||||
Other Recent Additions |
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Flowery Blewit (Lepista irina) Trembling Phlebia (Phlebia tremellosa) Handsome Club (Clavulinopsis laeticolor) |
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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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Ashen Chanterelle (Cantharellus cinereus) |
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Aspen Bracket (Phellinus tremulae) |
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Beaked Earthstar (Geastrum pectinatum) |
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Bear’s Head Tooth (Hericium americanum) |
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Birch Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus) |
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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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Blue Chanterelle (Polyozellus multiplex) |
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Blue Cheese Polypore (Tyromyces caesius) |
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Boletus subcaerulescens |
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Brown Witches’ Butter (Tremella foliacea) |
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Calvatia bovista |
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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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Clitocybe subconnexa |
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Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis) |
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Collared Earthstar (Geastrum triplex) |
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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-loving Bird’s Nest (Crucibulum stercoreus) |
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Early Morel (Verpa bohemica) |
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Elderberry Rust (Puccinia bolleyana) |
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Eyelash Cup (Scutellinia scutellata) |
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Fire Blight (Erwinia amylovora) |
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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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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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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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Hexagonal-pored Polypore (Polyporus alveolaris) |
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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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Leaf Curl (Taphrina communis) |
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Lilac Bonnet (Mycena pura) |
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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 Leaf Blister (Taphrina caerulescens) |
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Oak Mazegill (Daedalea quercina) |
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Oak Wilt (Ceratocystis fagacearum) |
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Ochre Brittlegill (Russula ochroleuca) |
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Orange Jelly Spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) |
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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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Phyllosticta Leaf Spot (Mycosphoerello fraxinicola) |
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Psathyrella cystidiosa |
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Psathyrella rhodospora |
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Pseudospiropes longipilus |
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Purple Bordered Leaf Spot (Phyllosticta minima) |
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Red-Belt Conk (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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Rust of Prickly Ash (Puccinia andropogonis var. xanthoxyli) |
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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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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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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 oaksii) |
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Spiny Puffball (Lycoperdon echinatum) |
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Stalked Orange Peel Fungus (Sowerbyella rhenana) |
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Striate Earthstar (Geastrum striatum) |
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Strict-branched Coral Fungus (Ramaria stricta) |
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Suillus weaverae |
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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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Witch’s Hat (Hygrocybe conica) |
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Woolly Inkcap (Coprinopsis lagopus) |
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Wrinkled Crust (Phlebia radiata) |
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Yellow Stagshorn Fungus (Calocera viscosa) |
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_01.jpg "Tar Spot (Rhytisma americanum)")
No Species Page Yet?
If you do not see a linked page for a fungi in the list at left you can still upload a photo or video as an email attachment or report a sighting for that fungi. Click on one of the buttons below and type in the common name and/or scientific name of the fungi in your photo, video, or sighting. A new page will be created for that fungi featuring your contribution.
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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