Red cap mushrooms invade SCC

Underground mushroom networks have invaded SCC campus grounds and have started to show on the surface.
The presence of mushrooms is more obvious around the 2600 and 2800 buildings where a species of red cap mushrooms with white stems called Amanita muscaria is showing up in big groups, lab assistant Amy Easton reported to The Ebbtide on Nov. 23.
The presence of this mushroom is special, said Jim Reddin, VCT professor and member of the Puget Sound Mycological Society. "I've never seen so many of these in one area," he said.
A large group of about 15 to 20 Amanitas stands behind the big rock between the 2600 and 2800 building underneath a hemlock, one of the trees under which they like to hang around. "They love to grow under Evergreens," Reddin said.
Amanitas and hemlocks have a long story of symbiotic interactions. They exchange nutrients, helping to keep each other alive.
Amanitas are "the archetypical mushroom," explained Reddin. The bright red caps with white flakes on top make people look down at them, but their looks can't be trusted. They are poisonous and can kill people. Amanitas "can destroy the liver," Reddin said. "And by the time you get the symptoms, it's already happened."
However, if people don't eat them, Amanitas won't harm anyone. Killing people is not part of their agenda. These Amanitas have made SCC's campus their home because of the evergreens and humidity that allow them to expand their underground networks, best known as mycelium in the science world. They're all about growing as a group, expanding their resources for their kind.
These mushrooms are not the only ones that have set their stems on SCC grounds, about eight other species have been classified by Reddin and many others remain unclassified. Reddin calls these unclassified species Little Brown Mushrooms (LBMs).
The second largest mushroom community on SCC campus is the Boletas. This kinda likes to spread around birch trees, but has been found under other types of trees near the VCT building, the 800 building, and in the parking areas. They don't stand out like Amanitas, but they're almost everywhere.
Boletus are fomey, slimey, flat mud colored mushrooms that look like giant slugs on the ground. However, this species is usually edible. Students love to kick Boletus around, a specimen that had been used as a soccer ball was found lying stem-up in front of the VCT building main entrance on Nov. 24.
"Everybody likes to kick mushrooms," Reddin said.
Another species find throughout SCC is the Suilus which according to Reddin is edible, but not necessarily tasty. This species has a brown top and white stem, and has no gills, but a spongy bottom which keeps lots of moisture inside.
One of the weirdest species present at SCC is the Helevela which looks like some lost piece of Art noveau. They are harder to spot, however if you are looking at them from ground level you'll see them as the black and white stems stand out. This particular species is edible, but the fumes when you cook it can make humans really sick.
The presence of mushrooms on campus can be harmless and even profitable, as some of these species invading our green areas could make good meals when fried with some olive oil and garlic. Still, people must remember "the rule of thumbs is, if you don't know it, you don't eat it," Reddin said.
"If you're not 100 percent sure what it is, don't even think about it."

Published in The Ebbtide, 2009