Welcome to the home page for the Ohio Mushroom Society. This is the place
to come to keep up with the latest information on the club. Just follow the
links on the left to find the information you need, or feel free to
contact any of the club volunteers for answers
to questions not found here.
Upcoming Events in September
September 6 (Monday, Labor Day) - Mini-foray - Buckeye Trail.
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Contact: |
Shirley
McClelland, (740) 536-7448,
shirleymcclelland@msn.com |
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Instructions: |
Meet at
Bob Evans in Logan at 10 am. RSVP is mandatory to facilitate
notifications in the case of a cancellation. |
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Directions: |
Bob Evans
is at the corner of State Routes 664 & 33. |
September 18 (Saturday) - Mini-foray - Knox Lake, near Fredericktown,
OH.
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Contact: |
Dick Grimm,
(740) 694-0782,
dickiephyls@yahoo.com |
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Instructions: |
Meet at
city parking lot in Fredericktown at 10 am. RSVP is mandatory
to facilitate notifications in the case of a cancellation. |
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Directions: |
To be
provided. |
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Invitation: |
Dick extends
an open invitation to anyone who wants to mushroom hunt in
Fredericktown. Just call Dick at (740) 694-0782. If
he’s available and there are mushrooms in the woods, he will go. |
September 25 (Saturday) - Mini-Foray - Dawes Arboretum.
See the Events Page for a full list of
activities.
Featured Mushroom
What's up in September?
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Click
on image for a larger view.
Copyright ©2010 Walt Sturgeon |
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Scientific Name: |
Grifola frondosa |
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Common Name: |
The Hen of the Woods |
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Photographer: |
Walt Sturgeon |
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Additional Information: |
@MushroomExpert.com |
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@Wikipedia.org |
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Additional Images: |
@Google |
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Grifola frondosa is a
polypore
mushroom
that grows in clusters at the base of trees, particularly
oaks. The mushroom
is commonly known among English speakers as Hen-of-the-Woods, Ram's
Head and Sheep's Head. In the United States'
supplement
market, as well as in Asian grocery stores, the mushroom is known by its
Japanese name "Maitake", which means "dancing mushroom". G. frondosa
should not be confused with Laetiporus sulphureus, another edible
bracket fungus that is commonly called
chicken of the woods or "sulphur shelf". The fungus becomes inedible like
all polypores when they are older, because it is too tough to eat.
The fungus is native to the northeastern part of
Japan and North
America, and is prized in traditional Chinese and Japanese
herbology as a
medicinal mushroom, an aid to balance out altered body systems to a normal
level. Its taste and texture are enormously appealing, though the mushroom has
been alleged to cause
allergic
reactions in rare cases.
Like the
sulphur shelf mushroom, G. frondosa is a
perennial
fungus that often grows in the same place for a number of years in
succession. It occurs most prolifically in the northeastern regions of the
United States, but has been found as far west as
Idaho.
G. frondosa grows from an underground
tuber-like
structure, about the size of a
potato. The
fruiting body, occurring as large as 60 cm, is a cluster consisting of multiple
grayish-brown caps which are often curled or spoon-shaped, with wavy margins and
2-7 cm broad. The undersurface of each cap bears approximately one to three
pores per
millimeter, with the tubes rarely deeper than 3 mm. The milky-white
stipe (stalk) has a branchy structure and becomes tough as the mushroom
matures.
In Japan, the Maitake can grow to more than 50
pounds (20 kilograms), earning this giant mushroom the title "King of
Mushrooms." Maitake is one of the major culinary mushrooms used in Japan, the
others being
shiitake,
shimeji and
enoki. They are used in a wide variety of dishes, often being a key
ingredient in
nabemono or cooked in foil with butter.
