The Illinois Mycological Association is a group of fungal enthusiasts that meets frequently to learn about fungi through talks presented by experts, and to look for, identify and document wild fungi. We host monthly meetings with invited speakers, mycologist-led surveys to gather and document fungi, and an annual show at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
We welcome you to attend and learn more about fungi and the wild mushrooms of Illinois and the Chicago region.
May Mushroom of the Month: Ductifera pululuhuana, AKA White Jelly Fungus
We’ll leave it up to Michael Kuo to describe this ubiquitous fungus: “Ductifera pululahuana is “a mass of individual whitish, jelly-like globs growing in close proximity and often fusing together to form structures reminiscent of exposed brains; individual globs up to about 3 cm across, irregularly shaped but frequently roughly fan-shaped; stemless; flesh thick and gelatinous. Older specimens may discolor somewhat yellowish, brownish, or even pinkish to purplish.
"It fruits on the decayed wood of hardwoods, and is apparently one of the later fungal species that line up to decompose dead wood when a tree falls, since it typically appears on well-rotted logs after the bark has disappeared.
"The tongue-twisting species epithet of Ductifera pululahuana results from the fact that Patouillard originally collected the type specimen in Pululahua, Ecuador.”
Photo by IMA President Liz Weinstein
Join your local mushroom club
Video by the Illinois Mycological Association.
Speakers: Patrick Leacock, Tom Volk, and Britt Bunyard.
Video created by James Strzelinski, Spiel.
Members of the Illinois Mycological Association post their mushroom photos to iNaturalist to record fungal diversity for the Chicago Region. Mycologist Patrick Leacock reviews a selection of recent observations organized by his Top Ten Lists of most common macro-fungi.
