Mushrooms of North America: A Comprehensive Field Guide & Identification Book of Edible and Inedible Fungi

By Leroy Hartmann

Do you want to save time and learn more on how to identify North American Mushrooms?

 Do you need a guide to help you navigate the woods and help you learn how to identify safe and toxic mushrooms?

 Are you looking for a simple and all-easy way to understand mushrooms, types - edible, & inedible, ecology, stems, Spore prints, fruiting body, etc?

If yes then keep reading!

????

A mushroom is the reproductive structure produced by some fungi. It is somewhat like the fruit of a plant, except that the "seeds" it produces are in fact millions of microscopic spores that form in the gills or pores underneath the mushroom's cap.

In this North American Mushroom Book, you will find:

 - Quick & Easy Secrets to identifying the different types of mushrooms

- The Step by Step Guide to understanding edible and inedible North American mushrooms

 This "Mushrooms of North American Book" by Leroy K. Hartmann will guide you to your journey towards learning and understanding the toxic and safe mushrooms of North America for a healthier lifestyle, to supercharge your health while still enjoying the pleasure of traveling and identifying different types of mushrooms through the woods!

Don't miss out on these unique tips:

 - How to look for mushrooms

- How to identify edible and inedible mushrooms

- Digging deeper into mycology

- Basic categories

- Cap and stem with gills

• Language: English
• Publisher: Larry Marshall
• Release date: Nov 9, 2022

Book preview

Copyright © Leroy K. Hartmann 2022

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Dedication

The most essential thank you goes out to everyone who has helped me along the way, including my parents, my brother, sister, relatives, friends, and coworkers. I've been motivated to keep pursuing my aspirations by you. You made gloomy days more pleasant. You gave me the confidence to know that I can accomplish everything I set my mind to, and you encouraged me to accomplish what I previously believed to be impossible.

I will always be grateful to you all for that.

Content

Copyright © Leroy K. Hartmann 2022

Dedication

Introduction

Section 1:

Chapter 1

About The Book

Chapter 2

How To Use This Book

Chapter 3

What Is A Mushroom?

Chapter 4

How To Look For Mushrooms

Chapter 5

Eating Mushrooms

Chapter 6

Digging Deeper Into Mycology

Chapter 7

Basic Categories

Chapter 8

Top Edibles

Chapter 9

Top Toxics

Section 2

Chapter 10

Cap And Stem With Gills

Chapter 12:

Atypical Caps

Chapter 13:

Shelf With Pores

Chapter 14

Shelf With Gills

Chapter 15:

Shelf/Others

Chapter 16:

Spherical Mushrooms

Chapter 17:

Cup-Shaped Mushrooms

Chapter 18

Coral And Club Fungi

Conclusion

Introduction

Over a million different types of organisms exist in a world as large as ours. While man is fully aware of a few of these organisms, many remain undiscovered in the wild. However, due to the progression of science, man has been able to narrow down the list of undiscovered organisms in the ecosystem. Therefore, it’s only a matter of time before we fully become acquainted with the environment.

A major organism that has truly caused a ruckus over the past centuries is the fungi mushroom. Of course, mushrooms have been around with man since the early ages more than any organism. However, for several reasons, it proved quite difficult to categorize the kind of organisms they are due to their unique characteristics.

Evidently, mushroom exhibit both plant and animal characteristics. At a cellular level, they possess a thick cell wall like that of a plant but derive nutrients differently than plants do. Instead, they depend solely on other organisms for survival, more the same way that animals do. This is because they don’t have any chlorophyll of their own.

Because of these varying features, scientists had no choice but to classify mushrooms as plants until they could figure out the organism they were. And just as they had hoped, things changed in the mid-18th century, during the time when the microscope was invented.

With the microscope, scientists were able to study the mushroom at a cellular level closely. Not only to learn about the features that make it what it is but to compare and see if they share the same qualities with any other organism. This went on for a few years till they became successful. By the end of the research, they had not only placed mushrooms as fungi, but they were also able to cultivate them in the lab.

The world has been able to learn what mushrooms are owing to the success of scientists. However, because of the numerous species that exist, there still lies the problem of being able to keep track of them. And so, mycologists have come up with a way to classify mushrooms into edible ones and poisonous ones.

While doing so, they have also been able to break them down into four basic categories depending on how they feed. Their main goal is to make things safe and easy so that anyone looking to collect or learn about these organisms will be able to find their way through.

SECTION 1:

A Complete Overview & Identification

CHAPTER 1

About The Book

The Guide to Common Mushrooms of North America is a simple pocket book written to help amateur mushroom hunters identify a few of the major mushrooms in the woods. It does so by providing basic info on the various mushroom species according to their various taxonomy and nutrition. 

However, that isn’t all to this book. It also takes time to explain a few histories about the mushroom and how it evolved to become what it presently is in the eyes of scientists—talking about the mushroom parts and their various functions to the organism to enable it to undergo its life cycle.

Also, the book highlights a few nutritional facts about mushrooms, discussing a few edible mushrooms in high demand in the market and how to identify them. While this book talks about the mushrooms one can eat, there are also pictorial representations to simplify it. This will help everyone get on track quickly. That said, endeavor to have a good read. 

CHAPTER 2

How To Use This Book

The book titled "Guide to Common Mushrooms of North America" is a basic material with the sole aim of guiding mushroom collectors on their mushroom hunt so the experience remains fun and safe. Even though it doesn’t majorly hit the scientific aspects of mushrooms in general, it ensures that anyone willing to collect mushrooms is able to identify between an edible and a toxic mushroom spot on. 

Furthermore, since this book only deals with physical characteristics, there wouldn’t be any need for instruments like microscopes or even the need to go through complex analyses like those of expert mycologists. This makes it the perfect book for kids, adults, and amateur mushroom collectors. 

Although it is crucial to bear in mind that due to the approach of this book to mushrooms, the number of species one might be able to identify is limited. This is because the identification process does not involve the use of sophisticated equipment like a microscope. That said, if you’ve gone through the recommended method for identification and you are still unable to identify a certain mushroom specie best to leave it to the experts. 

For you to be able to maximize the information in this book to identify mushrooms, it is crucial to observe certain measures listed below while cultivating. 

Things to consider include the following:

1. The picking stage is the first and most important thing to consider when trying to identify a mushroom. When picking