Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America (California Natural History Guides)

California and the Western States are rich in abundant and diverse species of mushrooms. Amateur mushroom collectors and mycologists alike will find over 300 species of the region's most common, distinctive, and ecologically important mushrooms profiled in this comprehensive field guide. It provides the most up-to-date science on the role of fungi in the natural world, methods to identify species, and locations of mushroom habitats. With excellent color illustrations showing top and side views of mushrooms of the Western States and a user-friendly text, it is informative but still light enough to be carried into the woods. When used to identify mushrooms, keys bring the reader to individual species, with a descriptive text providing cues for identifying additional species. Mushrooms common in urban landscapes are included, which is especially useful for the casual encounter with backyard fungi. The guide also provides a table of both old and new species names, and information on edibility and look-alikes, both dangerous and benign.

A section on mushroom arts and crafts features mushroom photography, painting, philately, spore prints, dyes, and cultivation. The guide also offers a comprehensive list of resources including national field guides, general mushroom books and periodicals, club and society contact information, and web sites.

· Primary descriptions and illustrations of 300 species of mushrooms plus text descriptions of many more.

· Latest word in mushroom taxonomy and nomenclature. Clear discussion of DNA sequencing and new classifications.

· Especially good coverage of southern California and Southwestern mushrooms often neglected in other field guides.

"This is a wonderful addition to the mycological literature for both professionals and amateur mycophiles! A field guide with an emphasis on California mushrooms is long overdue."--Greg W. Douhan, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, University of California, Riverside.

"The perfect update to a classic mushroom field guide. This book combines

excellent images and useful keys with up-to-date scientific findings on

mushrooms."

David Rizzo, Professor of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis

R. Michael Davis is Professor of Plant Pathology at University of California, Davis. Robert Sommer is Distinguished Professor of Psychology Emeritus at University of California, Davis, and the author of Personal Space and Tight Spaces, among other books. John A. Menge is Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at University of California, Riverside.

Preface

1. Introduction

2. What is a Mushroom?

3. Fungal Ecology

4. Collecting Mushrooms

5. Classification

Quick identification guide to major groups

6. General Keys

7. Species Descriptions

8. Fungal Arts and Crafts

9. Mushroom Cultivation

10. Toxins

11. Resources

Appendix 1. Table of spore colors and genera

Appendix 2. Synonyms, name changes, and misapplied names

Glossary

Acknowledgments and Contributors of photographs