fungi

Whether the world’s best truffles are found in Piedmont or Perigord inspires impassioned debate, but the effects of dwindling supply and insatiable demand for the elusive, ultimate mushroom are unquestionable: prices through the roof, intrigue and deception, and ever more intensive efforts to cultivate.  The secrets of when, how, and where to collect truffles have been passed from generation to generation since ancient times, but artificial cultivation remains the holy grail.  Here in the most comprehensive practical treatment of the gastronomic treasure to date, the art and science of the high-stakes pursuit come together.  Their enthusiasm and expertise leavened with wry humor, the authors explore the newest techniques; they describe the commercial species in detail along with their host plants, natural habitats, cultivation and maintenance, pests and diseases, and harvesting with pigs, dogs, truffle flies, and even the electronic nose.  Pursuit of the fungus that costs more than gold is not for the faint of heart nor for those in a hurry, as under ideal conditions, truffle production in artificial truffieres can begin after three years but results may not be seen until a decade after planting, and maximum yields not for another decade still.   So there is time to read and prepare, and no better source than this one.

Slime moulds are not slimy, nor do they look like mould; in fact, most are exquisite. Fuligo septica is an exception. This common cosmopolitan species forms amorphous yellowish blobs known variously throughout the world as ‘dog’s vomit slime’, ‘moon shit’, ‘demon droppings’ or ‘snake poo’.
Plasmodial or acellular slime moulds also known as Myxomycetes are mysterious and ubiquitous, yet few people know they exist.
One reason for this is their size. Their reproductive structures are so small that they are easily overlooked by all but a dedicated few prepared to search trees, logs, stumps and leaf litter with magnifying lens and torch.
Naturalist, writer and photographer Sarah Lloyd is perfectly located to search for myxomycetes in the tall wet eucalypt forest that surrounds her home in northern Tasmania. Her photographs of over sixty species capture the colour and variety in their miniature spore-bearing ‘fruits’. She is also ideally situated to document over hours and days some common but rarely seen events including actively feeding plasmodia (one of the two animal-like stages of a myxomycete) and the transformation of plasmodia to reproductive structures.
In the 19th century three type specimens of myxomycetes, the original specimens used by an author to describe a new species were collected from Tasmania. And even though cool temperate forests are known to be rich in myxomycetes and there have been occasional collecting trips to this remote corner of the world, it has taken a local naturalist to discover these riches and to share her passion for these ecologically important organisms.