{Reader Asked WHY They Are Called Toadstools}

In my previous post: {Toadstools Digest Lignin in Nature} in one of the comments, a reader asked WHY they are called toadstools. 

Toadstools...

Indeed the toad's stool comes from old legends...

Why not let my husband Pieter J.C. Vedder speak about them; him being the expert.

THE MYSTIQUE AROUND MUSHROOMS
Fungi, mushrooms, or toadstools are very interesting creatures and at the same time highly misunderstood by most of us.

People are rarely neutral in their opinion about mushrooms - either they love, or they hate them.

Most mushrooms have a very short life span.

The fruit bodies of mushrooms may die every season, but their underground living network, the so-called mycelium, almost lives forever.

During the Middle Ages, toadstools were considered creations of the devil. People believed that when he traveled over the globe, disguised as an old fat toad, he ordered a toadstool to rise up from the earth when he wanted to rest. Some people believed that even touching them was harmful.  Toadstools growing in circles in clearings in woods and fields were believed to be places where witches danced. Today, more than 10,000 kinds of fleshy mushrooms are known. From the thousands of fleshy mushrooms we know, only a limited number are edible. Some 50 species are known as not just edible but indeed delicious. 

The biggest known edible mushroom, named Termitomyces grows in Africa in symbioses with termites as the name suggests. Their umbrella-like cap can reach up to over two feet in diameter. They are well sought after. In East European countries, fresh or dried wild mushrooms have been known as 'bread of the poor.' Historical records reveal that mushrooms also have been used for less benign purposes; Claudius the Second and Pope Clement VII were both killed by enemies who poisoned them with deadly Amanitas; more than likely Amanita phalloïdes or death cap. Some species have strong hallucinogenic and/or psychedelic qualities. The most well known in this area are certain Stropharias and Psilocybes. Psilocybes have strong psychedelic qualities. Psilocibyn is a substrate that can carry you away into very high spirits; sometimes even as high as heaven, but on a one-way ticket. One never knows how much of the toxic substance is in those fruit bodies. This is because the concentration can vary quite a bit, depending on growing conditions, the age of fruitbodies, etc. You maybe have heard my answer to the often-asked question if this or that mushroom is edible — 'you can eat them all, a few however only once.'

The Amanita muscaria with the little white flecks on the red cap makes it quite distinctive. It is perhaps the most attractive, beautiful species, often used in children's books with fairy tales, but good looking does not mean completely innocent. Many cultures portray this Amanita, with its strong hallucinogenic and psychedelic qualities as the archetypal mushroom. The substance contained in the Amanita muscaria attacks the central nervous system, producing intoxication and hallucinations. Mushrooms play an important role in maintaining the cycle of nature; they decompose and clear away left over pieces of wood and leaves, material not so easy degradable by other organisms. Most of these types are so–called saprophytic ones, meaning they only live on dead or decaying material. Others, so–called parasitic ones, are more aggressive and attack living plants or trees, penetrating them with their tissue, the mycelium, and finally killing them. 

Parasitic fungi have always been the bane of foresters. 

In the past, a parasitic fungus has been looked upon as being a biological evil. This view however is changing as science progresses. Recently discovered by Montana State University researchers, a new parasitic fungus attacks the Yew tree. This species is called Taxomyces andreanea for one notable feature; it produces small quantities of a very potent anti-carcinogen taxol, a proven shrinker of breast cancer tumors. 

For centuries, the Japanese have hailed the Shii–take mushroom (Lentinus edodes) as a life–elixir and cure–all. All kinds of extracts from Shii–take mushrooms are on the shelves in Japan where it is big business.

Mushrooms often live in symbiosis with other plants, most often roots of certain trees. Some trees even won't grow well without the presence of mycelium of certain mushrooms. My German friend Prof. Dr. Jan Lelley worked with the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, producing an inoculum, based on Mycorrhizae, for faster growth of pine trees. A good example of a mutual profitable symbiosis is the very expensive Truffle (Tuber melanosporum). This species will only grow and produce fruit bodies under certain conditions in the presence of roots of oak trees. The Truffle develops the well sought after fruit bodies approximately one foot under the surface; therefore, you need a pig with a sharp nose or a special trained dog to find them. The pig seems to be included in the price of up to $ 700/lb (or even more) for this particular Truffle. 

If you are interested in collecting some edible mushrooms yourself, think about this: Every year people die of mushroom poisoning in spite of repeated warnings. One has to be able to identify mushrooms correctly. People often make the literally fatal mistake of assuming that if animals can eat a certain mushroom, so can humans. Unfortunately this is not true, e.g. slugs can eat death caps without any harm, it's safe for them but not for us. There are many 'old wives' tales about how to identify edible and poisonous mushrooms. They are all false. Particularly dangerous is the saying that if you can peel it, you can eat it. You can certainly peel a death cap, which got its name for a good reason! Other sayings refer to staining silver spoons black. Ignore all these stories. One thing is for sure, the safest mushrooms are in the supermarket's produce section. 

It was inevitable that sooner or later somebody would get the idea of growing mushrooms. So far, mushroom growing has been economically successful for only a limited number of species. The U.S. is still the biggest mushroom producer in the world followed by, believe it or not, The Netherlands. The Dutch have been, and still are, the innovators in this field and without tooting my own horn, for many years I have played a role in that development. That's one of the reasons that my book Modern Mushroom Growing is by professionals called the 'mushroom bible' and has been translated into eight languages. My wife Mariette also wrote a book about mushroom harvesting techniques, organization, post–harvesting etc. 

Let me finish by saying that growing edible mushrooms over the years has been developed from an art into a science, assisted by all kinds of machinery and modern equipment. Mushrooms, microorganisms, molds, and toadstools have been our life, our work, and our hobby. It always has been and still is perhaps a somewhat mysterious but fascinating world. 

Editor's note: Meanwhile, China is playing a major role in mushroom production as well.

~

Pieter J.C. Vedder is a graduate of Wageningen University in Horticulture and Horticultural Engineering with a teaching degree. He founded the world's first and only practical Mushroom Training College in The Netherlands. Campbell Soup Company hired him as Vice President Training & Development for all of their US/Canadian and Australian plants. He also designed the high–tech Dudley, Georgia and Hillsboro, Texas plants. He has given seminars and done  consulting work with his wife Mariette all over the world. 

This seems to be an interesting post...

Interesting link:

A real toadstool | Post by blogger friend: Travels With Birds by David Gascoigne showing a toad on a toadstool!