Subject: Re: Help identifying leccinum to species

From: [email-masked] (Nathan Wilson)
Date: 8 Feb 1996 17:34:47 -0800

>In Dr. Harry Thiers monograph of the boletes of California (California
>Mushrooms, A Field Guide to the Boletes, Hafner Press, 1975,
>out-of-print), one white Leccinum is listed, _Leccinum californicum_.
>But it is listed as being known only from the type locality in El
>Dorado Co. and having a context that is "unchanging when exposed". The
>spores of L. californicum are listed as 14.5-17.5 X 5.5-6.5 microns.

I recently heard from Dr. Alan Bessette that older work on Leccinum
(pre-1990?  as I remember he specifically mentioned work done by A.H.
Smith) did not use a reliable technique for judging staining reactions.
This has resulted in a confusing set of invalid species which are only
distinguished by the fact that they are "unchanging when exposed".  I think
the previous standard was to cut the specimen and not to explicitly bruise
them after cutting.  If this was the case for L. californicum you could
have a reasonable identification.  Unfortunately Alan is not on the net,
but I will try to get more details from him.

   -------------------------    _________
         Nathan Wilson         <_________>
         [email-masked]            _|_|_       It is no dream!
                                  \___/    Matsutake are growing
       Minister Emeritus           | |        On the belly of the mountain.
Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz    \_/ *83--                -Shigetaka

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From: [email-masked] (Regis.Courtecuisse)
Date: 9 Feb 1996 11:16:36 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] says...
>
>I am an amateur with access to equipment (microscope) but
>poor library.
>
>We found what appears to be a leccinum both by its
>stature and the scabers on the stipe.
>
>It was pure white about 8 inches tall and both the
>stipe and the pileas changing slowly to blue where
>cut or bruised.  We dried a portion of one specimen.
>

Hi !

The blue staining of your fungus sounds somehow disquieting for a 
Leccinum species...
Some species have bright bleu-green colour at the stipe base but bleu 
staining is unknown to me in the genus (usually outer parts don't 
clearly stain when bruised and flesh turns pink, red, violet, grey, 
black...).
We have a very good monograph of Leccinum in Europe for a few months 
(Lannoy & Estades). I can send you the reference to get it if you are 
interested. The book encloses plentyfull of very good colour plates.
The only Leccinum with pure white basidiome and prominent blue (already 
on the unbruised specimens, at the base of the stipe) colour is 
L.cyaneobasileucum, so far recorded only from France and rather rare.
A more complete description and good illustrations would be usefull to 
trace the identity of your specimen. Dis you notice some chemical 
reactions (they are very useful in the genus)...
Hope this helps.
Sincerely.

		regis