Tagged: culture

fungal influences on human culture

cryphonectria parasitica on wood 1

#222: Cryphonectria parasitica, Chestnut Blight

The American Chestnut Tree, Castanea dentata, was once one of the dominant trees in eastern North American forests. It rivalled oak trees in terms of size and abundance. The trees were also highly valued for their rot-resistant wood and edible seeds, making it one of the most economically important trees in eastern North America. So, if the trees were so common and so important, where are they today? The downfall of the American Chestnut began in New York in 1904, when a disease called Chestnut Blight suddenly appeared and swept across the continent. By 1950, the disease had infected and killed almost every American Chestnut. Chestnut Blight is caused by the Asian fungus Cryphonectria parasitica, which grows in the outer wood of the tree and essentially chokes trees to death. The aggressive pathogen has doomed the American Chestnut to extinction, unless humans can come up with a solution.

Amanita muscaria 0

#069: Amanita muscaria, Part 1: The Type Mushroom

You are undoubtedly familiar with this mushroom, even if you recognize neither its scientific name, Amanita muscaria, nor its common name, “The Fly Agaric.” If the word “mushroom” does not immediately bring this fungus to mind, then the word “toadstool” probably does. You have certainly encountered A. muscaria’s distinctive red cap with white spots in a variety of visual art forms. This toadstool frequently pops up in paintings, cartoons, video games, movies, and decorations. Essentially, A. muscaria is the default mushroom that people (in Western societies, anyway) think of when they hear the word “mushroom” – the type specimen for mushrooms, if you will. This is probably best illustrated by the Wikipedia page for “Mushroom,” which features a prominent picture of the photogenic Fly Agaric. Morphology Amanita muscaria produces large, umbrella-shaped agaric mushrooms with a circular, brightly colored pileus and a central, white stipe. The pileus ranges in size from...

#149: Haploporus odorus, the Diamond Willow Fungus or Aniseed Polypore 4

#149: Haploporus odorus, the Diamond Willow Fungus or Aniseed Polypore

This otherwise boring polypore has an incredibly strong anise-like odor. Native Americans of the Northern Plains considered this mushroom to have healing and spiritual properties.  Haploporus odorus can be found growing on hardwood trees in northern boreal forests.  In North America, it prefers the Diamond Willow tree, which gives it the common name “Diamond Willow Fungus.”  Another English common name is the “Aniseed Polypore,” which refers to its unique aroma.

#129: Phellinus igniarius and its use as a Tobacco Additive 7

#129: Phellinus igniarius and its use as a Tobacco Additive

Phellinus igniarius is probably the most dangerous regularly-consumed mushroom. By itself, the mushroom is pretty much useless.  However, many Native American groups discovered that the ashes of igniarius will increase the buzz of chewing tobacco.  Today, this practice is particularly widespread among Native Alaskans.  Despite attempts by health agencies to discourage this practice, usage rates are still above 50%.

#121: Amanita muscaria, Part 2: Connecting to the Divine 1

#121: Amanita muscaria, Part 2: Connecting to the Divine

Across the globe, Amanita muscaria (the “Fly Agaric”) is the go-to mushroom for connecting humans with the divine. I will forego describing this mushroom, since I have already done that in FFF#069.  Fortunately, you are familiar with this toadstool.  It is the mushroom with a red cap covered in white dots, with white gills underneath, and supported by a white stipe.  Probably about 90% of mushroom art is based on this mushroom, so you have definitely seen it around (for example: in Mario games, Disney’s Fantasia, lawn decorations, and Christmas ornaments).  Aside from the visual aesthetic the mushroom provides in your daily life, muscaria has had a deep and lasting impact on a variety of cultures around the world, from Hinduism to Siberian shamans to Santa Claus.

#069: Amanita muscaria, Part 1: The Type Mushroom [Archived] 6

#069: Amanita muscaria, Part 1: The Type Mushroom [Archived]

Note: This is an archived post. You can find the current version of this post here. You are undoubtedly familiar with this mushroom, even if you recognize neither its scientific name, Amanita muscaria, nor its common name, “The Fly Agaric.” If the word “mushroom” does not immediately bring this fungus to mind, then the word “toadstool” probably does.  You have certainly encountered Amanita muscaria’s distinctive red cap with white spots in a wide variety of visual art forms.  This toadstool frequently pops up in paintings, cartoons, video games, movies, and decorations.  It is because of the artistic over-use of the Fly Agaric that I referred to it above as “The Type Mushroom.”   When describing a new taxonomic division or species of fungi, mycologists collect a “type specimen” which best exemplifies the characteristics of that taxon.  This ensures that future mycologists know exactly what the original author intended to include in...

#066: Ophiocordyceps sinensis 1

#066: Ophiocordyceps sinensis

This fungus parasitizes caterpillars in the Himalayas and produces small, spike-like mushrooms. These mushrooms are highly prized for their supposed medicinal properties and have brought a lot of new wealth and new problems to the people living in the Himalayas.  Ophiocordyceps sinensis fruiting bodies are known as “Yartsa Gunbu” in Tibetan and “D­ōng Chóng Xià Cǎo” in Chinese, both of which translate to “winter worm, summer grass.”  The English names for the fungus are much less colorful: “Caterpillar Fungus” or (more recently) “Himalayan Viagra.”  sinensis (Fungi, Ascomycota, Sordariomycetes, Hypocreales, Ophiocordycipitaceae) is native to the meadows of the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau and can be found from 3,000m to 5,000m above sea level.  The parasitic fungus infects a variety of species of ghost moth larvae that live underground.  It initially infects the caterpillars in the late summer.  By winter, the fungus is ready to kill its host.  At that time, it...

#008: “A Glow in the Dark” 0

#008: “A Glow in the Dark”

Literature Connection: “A Glow in the Dark” from Gary Paulsen’s Woodsong [text here]. I remember reading this short story for an English class in grade school, probably sometime in October.  It was only after re-reading this story for this post that I realized how much of the story had stuck with me over the past 7 to 11 years.  Maybe now I know I found it so compelling.  We were most likely learning about suspense at the time, which is why I decided to use this story for the Fungus Fact Friday post before Halloween.  After reading this story and my explanation, you should never again question whether or not fungi can be scary.