by Debbie Viess, Bay Area Mycological Society
This fall, two new field guides on fungi of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) were published, both with essentially the same name: the first, a second edition of Dr. Michael Beug’s 2021 book, retitled Mushrooms of Cascadia: An Illustrated Key to Fungi of the Pacific Northwest; and the second, by Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz, titled Mushrooms of Cascadia: A Comprehensive Guide to Fungi of the Pacific Northwest. There has been some confusion around their having the same titles, to the point where Backcountry Press, which published the later Siegel/Schwarz book, felt the need to address the issue on its webpage.
Dr. Beug published his book first after decades spent studying PNW fungi in his home region. But we shouldn’t think of these as competing books, where one must choose a side; they are best thought of as amiable companions. Beug’s guide is a quick and portable way to identify fungi right in the field, whereas Siegel and Schwarz’ book provides a deep dive into Cascadian mycology, something to be savored at home.
I hope my two-part review can help you decide which book is right for you – but frankly, why not acquire both? Be sure to buy these directly from the authors, their publishers or at independent bookstores. [Please see full review on p. 55 in October-November-December 2024 Mycophile Quarterly, “A Two-Part Book Review.”]
Well-known mycologists and authors Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz have produced a beauty of a book on the fungi of the PNW or, as they call it here, Cascadia. As noted in the first section of this review, the term “Cascadia” has many definitions; these authors choose a narrow view, with territory ranging from southwest British Columbia, down to Humboldt County in California and throughout the Cascade Range. A map of the area they cover appears on page 12.
Each ecological region within their definition of Cascadia is described, as are the many types of trees that host and feed fungi, whether via mycorrhizae or through the rotting of their wood or decay of their duff. Photos of leaves and bark, needles and cones make Cascadian tree identification a lot easier. If you want to find particular mushrooms, you must recognize their tree hosts, too!
Following on the heels of their successful initial field guide, Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast (MOTRC), Mushrooms of Cascadia: A Comprehensive Guide to Fungi of the Pacific Northwest (MOC) is similar in style; the very book cover is derivative and, in fact, this book has a good bit of the same text and original illustrations, at least in the introductory remarks. But don’t let that dissuade you from purchasing this book; despite covering around 50% of the same species found in California and Southern Oregon, there are plenty more additions unique to the region. 750 species are illustrated and described, with many more referenced. Even when the species treated here are the same as ones found in MOTRC, the photos are all different and the text, at least in part, is different too. Mushrooms in Cascadia often fruit at different times and with different tree species than their relatives in California. For some species descriptions, text is pulled straight from MOTRC with little change while others have a few words changed up. New information has been added where necessary as the authors’ knowledge has changed; a lot can happen in mycology in only 8 years!
MOTRC and MOC are also of a similar size and heft, too heavy to take into the field. I have no issue with heavy identification books – that’s just more information to devour and love! These are books meant to be savored once you arrive home with a pile of mushrooms to identify.
The authors bring novice mushroom hunters along in an informative and appealing manner. Basic mushroom information is provided: what is a mushroom, how do fungi reproduce; how do humans interact with fungi; how to find and collect and document fungi; how to stay safe in the woods; all quite similar to their first book. One delicious difference is the lovely essay on “What is a Species?” This is a question that many of us oldtime mycologists are asking almost daily!
Fungal species covered in this book are grouped according to their macrosimilarities. No one has been willing so far to do it by relatedness alone, since many genetically different species can look rather similar; a deep read of the text will let you know who your mushroom’s daddy is. When you are attempting identifications, it’s the macrocharacteristics that will primarily guide you.
There have also been improvements over MOTRC in ease of use: a six-part guide is provided in the introductory section “How to Use This Book,” ranging from how to use the Pictorial Key to the importance of reading the Intro Pages for each Mushroom Group, to Picture Matching, to Reading the Comments, to doing Independent Research, and finally To Ask Someone who knows more than you do! Sound advice for novices attempting to put names to an often bewildering array of fungi.
Another huge improvement is the colored page-section tags. I have always found MOTRC difficult to use as I could never find the section I was looking for without heading to the index first. Now, for the agarics, it’s all arranged by spore color, trophic status and size. There are also separate tabs for Agaricus, Lepiota, Amanita, Cantharellus, Russula and Lactarius, a HUGE section on Cortinarius, boletes, toothed fungi, etc. – so much easier to find what you are looking for!
Prefacing each tagged section/artificial grouping of similar looking species are helpful hints about how to recognize the various genera contained within.
Sections like the so-called “White Spored Multitudes” will always be a bit bewildering, as they were when once lumped into the overly ambitious Tricholomataceae grouping. Reading through these explanatory section pages ahead of time will help you to find more quickly the specific name of the mushroom at hand.
One stand-out section is their treatment of the genus Cortinarius. This is perhaps the best Cortinarius treatment in any North American field guide to date. With an estimated number of around 500 described, Cortinarius species in Cascadia (and countless species yet undescribed), their photos and descriptions of around 130, with many more merely described in comments, gives bewildered Cort hunters a real leg up in identification as well as an appreciation for the tremendous PNW Cortinarius diversity. The authors choose mostly not to use new genus names derived from the division of the genus Cortinarius by Kare Liimatainen et al., in their infamous “Taming the Beast…” 2022 publication. That paper was a radical attempt to simplify an unwieldily large genus but caused much consternation among those having to change so many names. These big changes take time to percolate and some are never accepted by all. These newly proposed genera are added in here as synonyms at the bottom of the Cortinarius species descriptions, where applicable. Corts that have been newly published with new genus names, like Calonarius flavipavonius, are shown with their new genus here.
Another nice addition to this expanded Cortinarius section is a full-page table that shows the colors produced by the various Dermocybe species, many of which are popular dye mushrooms.
I can understand not being willing to change genus names in Cortinarius, since the changes would be so many and contentious. I cannot understand why the authors choose to keep the older section name of Lepidella for the section of Amanita that contains A. smithiana. A. smithiana was placed in section Roanokensis by Cui et al in 2018, in a major revision of the genus; those changes have been well accepted worldwide. According to Cui, section Lepidella now only refers to saprobic Amanitas; if you believe as I do that the new genus Saproamanita is a better placement for them, then section Lepidella is gone. Another former Lepidella in the PNW, A. silvicola, was recently shown via DNA to belong in section Validae; that change is made here, providing a reminder that one cannot always tell genetic placement by looking at the macrocharacters!
The gilled boletes, species like Chroogomphus and Gomphidius, Phylloporus, Paxillus and Tapinella, are given their own section. A nice addition is a table that shows the Suillus species associated with various species of Chroogomphus and Gomphidius: if you know your Suillus, you can name your Chroogomphus/Gomphidius!
Authors Siegel and Schwarz are excellent field mycologists and fine photographers and this book reflects that honed skill set and, as noted in the part 1 of this review, all field-guide authors show bias in both edibility and toxicology recommendations. One man’s pleasant meal can be another woman’s gastrointestinal distress – not to mention (personal food tolerances aside) differences in palate. Although there is indeed one dangerous, even potentially deadly Cortinarius species found in Cascadia (C. rubellus), a generalized fear of Cortinarius – what I call “cortinoia” – frequently influences edibility/toxicity opinions. Many Cortinarius species have unknown toxicity; one could leave it at that, rather than add on an unnecessary and unfounded “likely toxic,” as these authors do.
Cascadia ís a temperate hotbed of Psilocybe species and this book does them justice. Seven species are illustrated and described, with several more mentioned in Comments. There has been increasing interest in the use of psilocybin in treating mental-health issues; its formerly shady reputation has been getting a boost in the public eye, not to mention the numbers of folks who use Psilocybe species recreationally. This book can help you to identify your possible drug of choice safely.
I have one criticism of this section: the authors state that a child’s death from a Psilocybe baeocystis ingestion was likely to have been caused by the (hypothetical) ingestion of an amatoxic mushroom also growing in the grass and eaten along with the Psilocybe. The actual case study does not bear out this supposition. High temperatures and convulsions were seen in several (6) children poisoned by Psilocybe mushrooms; the deceased victim suffered seizures that could not be resolved. Stamets, referring to this death in his Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World, points out that even the species of Psilocybe ingested is in dispute; the photo of the mushroom in the case study shows P. cyanescens. The child’s symptoms rule out amatoxin and psilocybin can be deadly dangerous to small children and dogs, regardless of exact species.
Amanita muscaria is another species of particular interest to me, especially as it relates to toxicity. Siegel and Schwarz correctly state that it is quite toxic and then go on to describe how it can be detoxified for food, claiming that most find them tasty. However, it is apparently only through caramelizing the essentially flavorless pieces of mushrooms, which are first twice boiled, that gives them flavor. Why start with a toxic species at all? They also incorrectly state that only A. muscaria has water-soluble toxins; in fact, so does Amanita phalloides! Amatoxin readily falls out of boiled A. phalloides and they are tasty, too – as reported by many who are in hospital with liver failure – yet no one is advocating A. phalloides consumption even with elaborate detox procedures, and rightly so. The authors add a “caution is warranted” disclaimer to their advice on A. muscaria as an edible but they then reference Rubel and Arora’s 2008 article, which basically advocates for A. muscaria as a safe and unremarkable edible species. Here is a link to my rebuttal to Arora and Rubel, for those who might be interested in an alternative viewpoint: Further Reflections on Amanita muscaria as an Edible Species.
I also have a few issues about printing choices. The names of the authors of published species appear faint and barely readable. Pages in MOC are also noticeably thinner than in their prior book. Apparently the paper is “ethically sourced” and created from a mix of new and recycled paper. As someone who loves and lives with hundreds of books, page quality matters to me. A heavily used field guide needs to be sturdy and this guide is meant to be used. The price for this paperback is also surprisingly high, at $59.95. I was pleased, however, to see that the type was larger in MOC vs. MOTRC; this improvement is greatly appreciated.
A deep read of any mushroom field guide covering so many topics and species will always find some issues and differences of opinion but on the whole, this book is a tremendous accomplishment for Siegel and Schwarz. It is readable, informative, deeply educational and attractive. It will help many people to learn about and become invested in the fungi that surround them and that’s a terrific thing.
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