Meeting February 6^th

Cordyceps

John Holliday

The next meeting will be on Monday, February 6th in the usual location, Room 101 at the Casa Del Prado in Balboa Park.

In this presentation we attempt to unravel many of the mysteries of Cordyceps species, detailing the history, medicinal uses, chemical composition, and cultivation of Cordyceps, with special attention to C. sinensis, the world’s most costly medicinal mushroom.

Species of the genus Cordyceps - also known as Chinese caterpillar fungi, or Tochucaso in Japanese; are the fungi found growing on insect larvae mature insects, or fruiting bodies of truffles of genus Elaphomyces. Cordyceps has a long history as a rare and exotic medicinal fungus. It has been a highly regarded cornerstone of Chinese medicine for centuries; one that reportedly has a number of far reaching medicinal effects history and medicinal value of the Cordyceps species, especially C. sinensis. The C. sinensis medicinal species, with a long history of use, has only been found growing from the head of one type of subterranean caterpillar, at high altitudes, in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Because of this highly specific growth environment and restricted geographical distribution, C. sinensis has a long reputation of being the single-most expensive raw material used in Oriental Medicine.

Due to environmental and ecological factors, the annual harvest has been steadily declining, while at the same time the worldwide demand has been increasing. This situation has driven Cordyceps spp. prices into an ever-increasing spiral over the last few years, driving research to determine ways of cultivating it to make it a more affordable material for commercial trade.

This presentation discusses the complex biological niche such an organism fills and the potential for the artificial cultivation of Cordyceps. Since this is a mushroom that is only found in cohabitation with the larvae of an insect, it has very unique growth parameters that has made it challenging to produce Cordyceps spp. in artificial cultivation. Further complicating this cultivation issue is the rarefied atmosphere, mineral-rich soil, and low temperature in which Cordyceps naturally grows, resulting in a unique profile of secondary metabolites possessing interesting biological potential for medical exploitation, but which are not readily reproduced in normal laboratory cultivation.

John Holliday is President and Director of Research for Aloha Medicinals Inc. at their main research and manufacturing facility in Carson City, NV, Which has a monthly production capacity in excess of 175,000 kgs per month, making this the largest medicinal mushroom production facility in the world. This equates to more than seven and a half Million bottles of health supplements per month. This plant currently produces more than 50% of the total Cordyceps consumed in the world.

Pre-meeting Dinner

We will observe our usual custom of treating the speaker to dinner.
Meet at 5:00 at Saffron, 3731-B India Street, San Diego, California 92103 More info: http://www.saffronsandiego.com/

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Cordyceps and Medicinal Mushrooms

• Cordyceps Video
• Interview with Steve Farrar
• Videos and article

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Mushroom Views

• Jardín Botanico Francisco Clavijero, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
• Cortadura, Veracruz, Mexico
• Truffle Hunting Video (12 min)
• 10 Things to Know About Truffles

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Mushroom Fair

Fungus Fair Sunday February 19, 2012
Balboa Park, Casa Del Prado, Room 101
10:30 am to 3:30 pm
San Diego Mycological Society

The Mushroom Fair is set for February 19. It is our largest annual event, with the focus on educating the public about fungi.

The fair features Wild Mushrooms in natural habitat displays, mushroom collecting forays, mushroom cultivation and cooking demonstrations, illustrated presentations and mushroom-themed vendors.

Schedule of talks, list of vendors, and other details etc. not yet available. Check the web site in a week or so.

The whole fair depends on member participation—without you, there is no fair! It is a great way to deepen your knowledge and be energized by the world of mushrooms; but there is a lot of work to do as well, creating the displays. Even part of a day’s helping will make a difference, so please volunteer!

Pre-Fair Foray

Foray on Saturday, February 18 at 10 am at Will Wilson's.

Will's trailer and barn are located almost exactly 1/2 mile west of the San Luis Rey picnic ground on Hwy 76. The red barn is an easy landmark, sitting near the river on the south side of the road. Will's trailer is exactly opposite the barn on the north side of the road, with a white mailbox that says 'Lighthouse Farm'.

You can park along the driveway that goes up to the trailer.

Meet there at 10:00 am. Allow about 2 hours from San Diego.

Collecting for the Fair

(Adapted from the FFSC Web Site, with thanks to the FFSC)

Everyone is encouraged to collect specimens for the fair. Please bring your collections to the Casa Del Prado on Saturday evening prior to the fair for identification and display setup. As a last resort, you may bring them in on Sunday morning, but that puts a lot of stress on the identification team.

Field Note Recording

Please take field notes when collecting specimens for the fair. Taking Field Notes When Collecting Fungi for Study Is Easier Than You Think.

When out on FFSC forays we’ve observed many different collecting methods. These range from simply loading all mushrooms into a bag or basket in a jumbled mass to careful segregation of collections and protection of small or delicate species. Some people take notes, others don’t.

When collecting for this year’s Fungus Fair we ask that you be among the latter. We also ask that you take notes in the form of a voucher slip. First you may ask, “What is a voucher slip?” A voucher slip is a small form that has areas to enter information about the fungus you are collecting. This information is focused on where and when the fungus is found and can be as simple as the foray location, date and fungus name. This is of limited use if you do not know the name of your fungus. Other useful information found on a voucher slip includes; habitat, growth habit, odor when fresh, staining reactions and any other information that will help in identifying an unknown fungus using a set of keys.

Voucher slips are included in this issue, and are also available on our web site. Print up several of the slips and try them this year, for the fair and other forays. Modify them as you wish to meet your collecting and identification needs. Additional notes may be written on the back of the slip.

Let’s face it, when we collect many species of fungi for study it can  sometimes be challenging to recall if a collection was growing with live oak or tanoak, pine or Douglas fir. The voucher slip is a memory aid, is quick to fill out and drop into the collecting baggie. This is especially helpful when collecting for the Fungus Fair since many of the fungi will be identified by someone other than the collector.

A note on collecting for identification, remember to always collect the entire fruit body, this may require digging down several inches (sometimes over a foot) in order to get the entire base of a fungus like Caulorhiza umbonata, the redwood rooter, which can have a rooting base that extends a foot or more into the ground. Also collect a range of ages, from young buttons to mature fruit bodies, you can leave the rotters. Keep your collections separate, in waxed or paper bags, never use plastic bags as they accelerate ageing and decomposition. If you are not sure about the vegetative habitat description, then, collecting a few pieces of ground leaf litter around the specimen to add to your sample bag will help later identification of the habitat of your collection.

For more information on field notes and macroscopic features to note see Arora, Mushrooms Demystified, 1986, pp. 13-19.

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Renewal Time

Remember, all memberships now expire each February. Bring your check for $20 to the meeting and save a stamp. If you joined recently, your membership is good until February 2013. If in doubt, talk to the treasurer.

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Liability Waiver Forms

Participation in SDMS Forays requires a signed liability waiver. To save time at the start of forays, you can download a form here, sign it, and turn it in with your membership renewal.

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Mushroom Festivals and Forays

28th Annual Los Angeles Wild Mushroom Fair

The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia
(301 North Baldwin Ave., Arcadia)
February 11, 2012 (Saturday)
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Forays to collect specimens for display at the Mushroom Fair.
More information about the forays will available in late January.
3:00 PM to 9:00 PM Fair Setup at Ayres Hall, Arboretum of Los Angeles County -- your help is needed.
February 12, 2012 (Sunday) 10 AM to 4 PM Fair at Ayres Hall
This promises to be an outstanding Mushroom Fair. Our keynote speaker will be renowned mycologist Gary Lincoff, the author or editor of several books and articles on mushrooms, including The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms.

15th Annual San Diego Mushroom Fair

And of course our very own fair on February 19th.

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What's Cooking?

Recipes of the Month

Two sources for a "Recipe of the Month".
BAMS, and MAMS

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Fungi of the Month

Now there are two "Fungus of the Month" sites:
Tom Volk's long-running series at : http://tomvolkfungi.net/.
And a new one at: http://www.bayareamushrooms.org/mushroommonth/index.html.

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SDMS Information