Subject: Re: Cordyceps, Poria

From: [email-masked] (Jessie Micales)
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 22:41:11 GMT

>1) Has anyone been able to grow cordyceps on a  non-worm-casing medium.
>2) Has Poria been grown commercially?
>3  Have truffles been grown commercially?  

>[email-masked]

I must be missing something. I do almost all my work with Postia (new name 
for Poria) placenta.  The fruiting bodies I've always seen are appressed and 
leathery in appearance.  Do people actually eat these things???  If so, 
maybe I've found a commercial application for my research that will please 
our administrators!  If you want some, I'll be happy to sell it to you!  |-)

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From: [email-masked] (MycoWorld)
Date: 19 Dec 1994 22:58:02 -0500

> 3  Have truffles been grown commercially?

The Nov/Dec 94 issue of Saveur Magazine has a 15 page spread on the
trufffles of Italy (white) and France (black).  It doesn't mention
cultivating them, but focuses on the wild harvest.  The French have been
cultivating them for 20 years or so, apparently by inoculating tree roots
with the fungi.  

There have been two successful growers in the U.S.  Franklin Garland of
Hillsborough, NC (Garland Gourmet Mushrooms and Truffles) planted
inoculated oak and filbert seedlings in 1980 and discovered his first
truffles in October 1993.  Bruce Hatch (with Don Reading and William
Griner) of Ukia, CA planted 100 inoculated flbert trees in 1982 and found
their first truffle in 1992.  I spoke with Bruce recently and he told me
that this year's harvest was about half of last year, on the order of 3
pounds so far.   They do sell the truffles so that makes them commercial,
however even at high prices no one in this country is making a living off
of them.  By the way, Hatch is moving back to Wisconsin and has his
truffle farm on the market.  E-Mail me directly for phone numbers.

Jerry Haugen, Publisher
The Mushroom Growers' Newsletter
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Menachem Galatz DC)
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 94 20:39:12 GMT

[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Tom Volk)
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 15:16:03 GMT

>2) Has Poria been grown commercially?

The genus Poria Adans. (1763) has been rejected as a nomen dubium (
see Ryvarden 1985 Mycotaxon 23:169-198) as has Poria Pers. (1794)  rejected 
as a later homonym of Poria Adans. (1763)

The genus Poria was used for most of this century for any resupinate 
polypore, most of which were not closely related to one another.  Its 
members are now distributed in 40-50 other genera.

The "Poria" you are asking about growing must be Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf, 
current name Wolfiporia cocos (Schw.) Ryv. & Gilbn.  It forms a large 
underground sclerotium (tuckahoe) which can be eaten.  The mycelium is easy 
to grow in culture, but to my knowledge large sclerotia have not been 
grown.  Someone probably has done it though.  I've never eaten it, so it may 
be a worthwhile project for someone.

hope this helps.
---Tom Volk
Center for Forest Mycology Research
Forest Products Lab, Madison WI