Alabama Mushroom Society |
Alabama Fungal Diversity Project
Part of the Alabama Mushroom Society's mission statement is "to promote advancement in the science of mycology." One of the ways we are working to fulfill that mission is by establishing the AMS Collection Committee, a team of dedicated individuals working to make high quality observations and collections of fungi in Alabama. These observations and collections serve several different purposes, as outlined below.
FunDiS Sequencing Grant: In 2021, the Alabama Mushroom Society applied for a Fungal Sequencing Grant through the Fungal Diversity Survey. We were lucky enough to receive the grant, which covered the sequencing costs for 50 fungi. This is how the Alabama Fungal Diversity Project was born. We started recruiting individuals that wanted to help us collect these specimens and the more we learned, the more excited we were to make scientific contributions. FunDiS helped put us in contact with the John D Freeman Herbarium at Auburn University where we could archive our collections. We submitted all 50 of our samples in November of 2021 and the results showed that nearly half of the sequenced specimens are either undescribed or have not been previously sequenced.
Data Collection: Primarily, by going out in the woods and logging excellent observations on iNaturalist, we are collecting data about what mushrooms grow in Alabama. There are many many under documented species in our state. In 2021, we set out on a mission to find Purpurcillium atypicola in Alabama. There was only one documented sighting that was logged on iNaturalist in 2018 here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/29178659 and zero observations on Mushroom Observer. As of December 2021, our team had logged 72 specimens of A. typicola in Alabama, proving that it is not rare, just under-documented. We aim to collect data to better understand what fungi are present in Alabama.
Herbarium Partnership: In 2021, we partnered with the John D Freeman Herbarium at Auburn University to archive vouchered fungi specimens from Alabama. By the end of 2022, we had logged, collected, dried and sent 382 fungi to the herbarium at Auburn where they are available for researchers to access and study.
In 2022, Collection Committee Chair and AMS President Alisha Millican was appointed as the Assistant Curator of Fungi at the University of West Alabama Herbarium, and we transitioned to the majority of our collections being deposited there. As of August 2024, we have accessioned more than 900 collections at UWA.
DNA Sequencing: In 2022, we partnered with Stephen Russell of Mycota Labs to have all our collections at the 2022 Alabama Mushroom Faire sequenced. AMS purchased equipment to be able to run our own PCR that same year, making DNA sequencing of specimens within out budget. However, in 2023, we were awarded a second FunDiS Sequencing Grant (through Mycota Labs) which allowed us to send sequences with zero cost to us. We sent in 1003 speciemens, which included collections made at the 2023 Alabama Mushroom Faire. With the establishment of the Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab using Nanopore technology that same year, it was no longer cost effective to run our own PCR. Through partnerships with Mycota Lab and the Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab, we are now able to sequence nearly every specimen we collect.
Supplying Researchers Directly: The magic of the internet has put us in contact with many different researchers who need boots on the ground collecting fungi for their research projects. We act as parataxonomists, in that we screen collections for correct identification, proper documentation and complete drying/preservation. We receive enough collections that we save them up and ship them directly to researchers in batches. Whenever possible, we will make a split of a collection and accession it at the University of West Alabama Herbarium, but priority for collection that can't be split goes to the researcher. We also handle any international shipping paperwork and foot the shipping costs, which can be costly when shipping outside the Country. We have, so far, sent specimens to researchers in 5 different countries and in 8 different states. See below for details on what fungi we are currently looking to collect for specific researchers. If you yourself are a researcher needing collections for your research, please reach out to us at almushroomsoc@gmail.com
If this all sounds interesting and you would like to get involved, find us on Facebook. at https://www.facebook.com/groups/AlabamaMushroomSociety or send us an email at www.almushroomsoc@gmail.com
You can learn about making your own useful observations and collections for our projects on our Citizen Science page here: Citizen Science How-To
Target Fungi
Unless otherwise specified, we will happily accept these target species from anywhere within the United States. Our primary objective is to act as parataxonimists, screening collections for proper identification, complete documentation and proper drying of the collection. We then send batches of collections to the researchers working on them, and whenever possible, we will split the collection for accession at the University of West Alabama Herbarium, with your name listed in perpetuity as the collector.
  | We need these mailed fresh and NOT dried, unlike most fungi on this list. You will find these in the fall, sticking out of the soil. Carefully dig them out and you will find them growing from a small ball of a Elaphomycete or a "false truffle" Head: Diameter 0.8–1.8 (2.5) cm, firmly attached to the stem. Surface slightly gelatinous, shiny when moist, slightly sticky, initially dark brown, reddish brown, later olive green, dark green to black, sometimes with a bluish tint, often with small brown spots. When mature, it is filled with spores.. Stem: Whitish to slightly yellowish, and in old specimens with brownish streaks, with white mycelium at the base. Interior: In young specimens it is whitish, later light yellow, delicate and fragile, especially in the underground part, with a mild or slightly bitter taste and no distinct smell. Microscopic features: Perithecia 600–750 × 200–300 μm, asci slender, 350–500 × 8–10 μm, spores filamentous, fusiform, 15–20 × 2–3 μm. For Richard Tehan, PhD |
| Please mail these fresh and NOT dried, unlike most fungi on this list. Look for these in the spring, sticking up from the soil. Carefully dig down and you will discover they are attached to beetle larvae, cicada nymphs or crickets, sometimes 12 inches or further below ground. For Richard Tehan, PhD |
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| Undescribed Tolypocladium Again, we need these fresh and not dried. For Richard Tehan, Phd |
| Purpureocillium atypicola |
| Clavaria fragilis (this link uses a depreciated name) These white fruiting bodies emerge from soil, often in groups and are cylindrical and usually unbranching. They are pretty fragile, which sets them apart from the tough, branching clumps like some of the "corals" Ramariopsis and Trechispora (We want these too! See below) For Joshua Birkebak, PhD |
 | There are very few other fungi on the East Coast that could be confused for this bright purple mushroom- and we want those ones too. If its purple and a coral shaped mushroom, please collect it for us. For Joshua Birkebak, PhD |
| Clavulinopsis species, including, but not limited to C. aurantiocinnabarina and C. fusciformis and similar These are orange or yellow spindles growing from soil. They are fragile and not usually branching. For Joshua Birkebak, PhD |
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| These are two very similar white "coral" fungi. Give your collection a good sniff and document what you pick up. We would like collections of both Ramariopsis and coral shaped species of Trechisporia, but do not want collections of Sebacina schweinitzii, which is also white, but is tougher and has wider, flat-ish branches. (This link is the same fungus under a depreciated name) For Joshua Birkebak, PhD |
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Trechisporia
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| Clavicorona species These are very small white little cone-shaped fungi that grow on conifer duff, and especially duff of Yew. These are not yet been documented in Alabama and are likely easily overlooked. |
| These are very small, fragile, white to yellow spines growing from wood, NOT with a layer of dense white crust beneath the spines. There are only two documented collections in Alabama both by me- Alisha Millican. Both times they were growing on wet wood with no bark left. One was on decaying Pine, the other I couldn't tell and both hardwoods and conifers were in the area. For Joshua Birkebak, PhD |
| Hirticlavula species. Only ever recorded from Denmark, Norway and California. Likely overlooked, these guys are a small head on a very hair stipe about 1mm tall growing on dead hardwood. For Joshua Birkebak, PhD |
 | Ceratellopsis species. Tiny pointy white fungi growing from decaying wood or plant matter. Likely overlooked, rarely documented. For Joshua Birkebak, PhD |
| Unusual Tylopilus Species Tylopilus is a genus of bolete mushrooms that tend to have brown-ish caps with pores that are white when young and turn pinkish as they mature. The majority of species are bitter on a chew and spit test. They can be frustrating to try and ID to species. The ones we are interested in will have stumped or been called interesting or unusual by bolete experts on iNaturalist, our Facebook group or another Facebook Mushroom ID group. For Todd Osmundson, PhD |
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 | Unusually darker, stouter Artomyces Ed Lickey, PhD |
| Small Black Craterellus Species We are looking for species that are not C. fallax or C. foetidus. There are a number of undescribed, small black species of Craterellus. On the left we have an example of what is probably C. calyculus and an unknown Craterellus on the right. For Rachel Swenie, PhD |
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| Clavulina Species From the Gulf South There are 9 or so described species of Clavulina that occur in the Gulf South and we would be happy to take any of them. I would hash out their look alikes here, as there are several, except, it seem everything that is remotely similar is already on our list! If its a coral shaped mushroom, we probably want it. For Rachel Swenie, PhD |
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| Tomentella and Odontia If someone identifies your crust fungus on iNaturalist or a FB mushroom ID group as belonging to one of these genera, please reach out to us! These crusts require microscopy to confirm, both having irregular, angular spores with spines. |
