Subject: wood decay fungi

From: [email-masked] (DANIEL G. KEHLER)
Date: Mon, 29 May 1995 15:28:45 GMT

Hi,

 I'm looking for a key to fungi that would include most of the wood 
decay fungi (families Polyporaceae, Hydnaceaea, Clavariaceae, 
Thelephoraceae, Dacrymycetaceae, Tremellaceae, Agaricaceae and others).

  I have the "Illustrated Genera of Wood Decay Fungi" by Fergus (1960) but I'
m looking for something more recent (and perhaps, better illustrated).

  If you know of anything at all, please contact me.

Thanks in advance,

---

From: [email-masked] (Richard Winder)
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 1995 16:42:47 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] 
(Tom Volk) writes:
>In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] 
>>Thelephoraceae, Dacrymycetaceae, Tremellaceae, Agaricaceae and others).

(text deleted)

>excellent series The Corticiaceae of North Europe, by Erikssson Ryvarden, et 
>al. has been published by Fungiflora. The keys are very good. The species of 

There is a new book out called the Lignicolous Corticioid Fungi (Basidiomycota)
of North America: Systematics, Distribution, and Ecology, by J. Ginns and
M. N. L. Lefebvre.  I don't see any keys listed in the promo. for it, but it 
might be worth checking out- has anyone had a chance to look at it?  -RSW

  RICHARD WINDER                    Title: Research Scientist
  Canadian Forest Service           Phone: (604) 363-0773
  Victoria, B.C.                    Internet: [email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Tom Volk)
Date: Wed, 31 May 1995 15:32:56 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (DANIEL G. KEHLER) writes:

>  I have the "Illustrated Genera of Wood Decay Fungi" by Fergus (1960) but 
I'>m looking for something more recent (and perhaps, better illustrated).
>  If you know of anything at all, please contact me.

Hi Daniel.  Unfortunately people (and everything else) have become so 
specialized that there is no one good key to all fungi or even fungi in one 
particular ecological or nutritional group.  There are, however, specialized 
keys for almost all of the groups you mentioned.  The literature is 
scattered quite a bit and not everything is included in these keys, but they 
are a very good start on trying to key out fungi in these groups.

Polyporaceae-- Gilbertson & Ryvarden's North American Polypores. Also now 
Ryvarden & Gilbertson's European Polypores. also Ryvarden's East African 
polypores. Fungiflora. There is also a synoptic computer key called PolyKey 
(Adaskaveg and Dunlap, 1990) meant to be used along with the North American 
polypores, which works very well.

In the Hymenochaetaceae, Fungiflora has also Published a key to Phellinus (
Larsen & Cobb-Poulle, 1990) and plan a key to Inonotus (Ryvarden & 
Gilbertson)  There is no good key to the temperate Hymenochaete species.

Hydnaceae (did you hear about the mycologist who alwas won at poker because 
he *Hydnaceae* up his sleeve? [sorry I couldn't resist...] )  The species of 
toothed fungi have been distributed into 56 genera in about 10 families, so 
you're on your own on this one... 

Clavariaceae-- see many of Ron Petersen's older works on this group.  Most 
of the Clavariaceae are mycorrhizal species, with a few wood-inhabitors, 
such as Clavicorona and a few Ramaria's

Theleophoraceae-- the old Thelephoraceae, as you probably know has been 
split up.  Thelephoraceae sensu stricto includes dark spored mycorrhizal 
species, such as in Thelephora, Tomentella, Tomentellopsis, etc. The species 
of the latter two genera are *very* difficult to key out. See Larsen, 
Mycologia Memoir no. 4 1974, A contribution to the taxonomy of the genus 
Tomentella.
Most of the Thelphoarceae sensu Burt are now in the Corticiaceae.  An 
excellent series The Corticiaceae of North Europe, by Erikssson Ryvarden, et 
al. has been published by Fungiflora. The keys are very good. The species of 
the Corticiaceae are widely distributed and the keys can be accurately used 
on many continents. Hallenberg & Erikkson  have also published a key to the 
Lachnocladiaceae and Coniophoraceae, two segregate families.
The Stereoid fungi are included in an excellent work by  George Chamuris, 
The non stipitate stereoid fungi in the Northeast US and adjacent Canada, 
Mycologia Memoir no. 14, 1988

There are no very recent keys to the Tremellaceae, Dacrymycetaceae or 
Auriculariaceae, but the classic works by G.W. Martin (The Tremellalaes of 
the North Central US and adjacent Canada, and its Revision, Published in 
the mid 1940s  in the University of Iowa Studies in Natural history.

There are many keys available to the Agaricaceae. Take your pick.  There are 
none, so far as I know, that include only wood-inhabiting fungi.

I am scheduled to conduct a half-day workshop at the NAMA foray this fall 
Aug. 24-27 on the Introduction to the characters used to identify Polypores 
and corticioid fungi and the use of keys. This will be of course only an 
introduction, as it may take some time to actually become proficient.  

Good luck in your identifications. If you need further information, please 
feel free to ask.
---Tom Volk  Center for Forest Mycology Research, USDA Forest Products Lab, 
Madison Wisconsin, and UW- Madison Dept. of Botany <[email-masked]>

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From: [email-masked] (Tom Volk)
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 1995 16:25:25 GMT

>  Victoria, B.C.                    Internet: [email-masked]

Hi Richard.  Ginns and Lefebvre have published an excellent book listing all 
the lignicolous corticioid fungi in North America.  There are no keys, but 
that was not the intention of this book.  It does, however list all the 
species, their synonyms and place of publication, which is extremely useful 
information in itself.  Also listed are the published geographical and host 
distributions, ecological information, cultural characteristics and 
additional references. An excellent reference book to the species of 
Corticiaceae.
---Tom Volk  Center for Forest Mcology Research, Forest Products Lab, 
Madison Wisconsin & UW-Madison Dept of Botany <[email-masked]>