The Magic of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are mysterious organisms.  From the moment we see our first one – usually as a child – we are captivated by them - they are fairy umbrellas, toadstools, agents of enchantment.  They come in all shapes and sizes and a range of colors as well.  At some point we learn that what we see is actually a fruiting body – similar to a flower that turns into fruit or a seed.  But if you’re really lucky, you get a chance to learn that there is far more going on underground than you ever thought.

Mushroom growing out the mulch pile

The underground organism that creates the mushroom you see is call “mycelium”.  If you were able to see it, it would look similar to an underground spider web extending for miles perhaps.  The largest known organism, of the species Armillaria ostoyae, lives in Oregon and is 3.5 miles across; it is estimated to be at least 2,400 years old.  These organisms live in two ways: by decomposing dead organic matter, and by forming a symbiotic relationship with living plants and trees.

You can see some of the underground structure here

While the first way is what many of us have learned about (i.e., mushrooms appear because there is decomposing wood underneath them), it is the second way that is of most concern to those of us that love plants.  Some mushrooms have a symbiotic relationship with living plants and trees.  This relationship is called “mycorrhizal” which literally means “fungus roots”.  In most cases, the relationship is with the outside of the roots, known as “ectomycorrhizal”.  This complex and often far-reaching relationship allows for better absorption of nutrients and moisture because the mycelial web can extend far beyond the trees’ physical roots.  The fungi gain sugar and nutrients produced by the trees during photosynthesis.  It is a symbiotic relationship – each organism benefits.

 

The gills contain the spores that create new mushrooms

So the next time that you see a mushroom, think of all the work going on underground.  It makes me want to cheer when I see a mushroom in my yard - because I know that means I have good organisms at work below.

Here are some Internet references for identifying mushrooms - I am not advocating that anyone eat mushrooms.  In fact, I think they are better left alone to reproduce!  We need more of these things. 

Mushroom Expert.com

Mushroom Club of Georgia 

North American Mycological Association - be sure to check out their photo contest!

And here are some of the mushrooms that I've seen in my yard and in places that I've been:

Growing at the base of dead trunk

Growing on a log

Bird's nest fungus, Cyathus striatus

Perhaps an Amanita

Cauliflower mushroom, Sparassis radicata
(in my yard every year!)

Might be Russula silvicola

And after several days - gooey!

Evolution of a mushroom - before

Photo by Lillian Huffman

Perhaps Hygrophorus miniatus
(Photo by Lillian Huffman)

I think this is Calbovista subsculpta

Common morel, Morchella esculenta

Native Fall Foliage - Orange/Red/Purple

The red leaves of autumn complete the pleasing trio of colors that humans seem to prefer: green (the evergreens), yellow and red.  Last week I talked about Yellow fall foliage - a group which ended up being quite big!  However I think that this group - the trees with predictable orange, red or purple foliage - is probably the one that gets the most attention.  The arrival of fall color predictably raises the general interest in trees like Sassafras and Sugar Maples.  In fact, nurseries should just plan to stock those in the fall.

Parsley hawthorn, Crataegus marshallii

As I said before, there is a lot of variation in fall color even for the same type of plant. For example, the Parsley hawthorn leaves shown above were the only two red ones I ever found; the rest of the leaves turned yellow. Differences can be attributed to many factors (and here is an excellent site to explain it):

• Individual plant differences: This is how cultivars are developed. Acer rubrum 'October Glory' was a single plant that was selected for dependably rich red color in the fall.

• Climate differences: Was it wetter than usual, drier than usual, cooler or warmer than usual where this plant resides in the days leading up to autumn?

• Different locations: Some trees change color earlier in one location than another even when they are just a few miles apart.

Most people have learned at some point that chlorophyll is what makes leaves green. It is when trees stop producing chlorophyll that the "true" colors come out. Different trees have different amounts of the components that make the different fall colors: Carotenoids - Browns, yellows and oranges and Anthocyanins - reds and purples. So given those all those explanations, here are the “usual” oranges, reds and purples that I can expect to see in my area, starting with orange:

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is a predictable orange fall color tree, but there's a new kid on the block when it comes to screaming orange maples: Freeman hybrids whose parents are Red maple (Acer rubrum) and Silver maple (Acer saccharinum).  Names like Acer x freemanii 'Autumn Blaze' are apt indeed:

Acer x freemanii

Silver maple parentage shows in the leaves

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is another head turner. The bright orange leaves droop in the fall, making the tree rather distinctive (for me anyway) even when spotting it on the side of the road.  The leaves are also unique in shape - the number of lobes on the leaf can vary: no lobes, one lobe or two:

Notice the leaf on the left has no lobes

Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) has variable color but I think that orange is the most likely color that I see.  Sometimes you can find good red color as well.  Another orange/red highlight on the side of the road is Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), flaming up the side of trees here and there. This one has a bit of yellow:

Amelanchier arborea

Poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans

I could save the best of the reds for last, but I think I'll show you the best first.  This is a Scarlet oak (Quercus coccineus) that is across the street from my house.  It turns red very late in the year (this picture is from an earlier year, it is still fully green right now) but the wait is worth it.  Notice how much more vibrant it is from the other trees around it.  I was thrilled to finally get some acorns from it this year - I have planted them in my yard (hope the squirrels don't find them).  The nice thing about Quercus coccineus is that it is also a fairly fast growing oak. 

Scarlet oak, Quercus coccineus

Red oak (Quercus rubra) has good color as well and I always enjoy spotting it.  If you want to see what the acorns look like, take a look at my post from last fall about acorns.  While it is early in the year for these leaves to change color, I found several examples near my house this year already:

Quercus rubra

Red oak, Quercus rubra

Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) is a fairly modest tree until the red comes out.  Then people notice it.  The picture on the left below was in a business area - amazing, clear red.  I think it is probably a cultivar, perhaps 'Wildfire'. Wild trees are a little more variable, but I could not resist this picture of the changing leaves with the dark blue berries still present:

Nyssa sylvatica

Nyssa sylvatica

Another surprising tree with consistently good red color is Cornus florida, Flowering dogwood.  Here is a picture showing the good form of the tree and another showing the berries (a nice contrast):

Cornus florida

Cornus florida

Winged sumac (Rhus copallinum) with Persimmon (yellow)

Chances are you've seen sumac (Rhus spp.) growing on the side of the road.  With strong red color and large red fruit clusters, it is hard to miss.  We have at least two kinds near me.  I have Winged sumac (Rhus copallinum) in my own yard (this picture) and there is Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) on the roadsides nearby. 


Red maple (Acer rubrum) around my house turns yellow except for one tree in the front of the house that turns mostly red.  They are all wild trees.  It very variable and that is why I put it in as both yellow and red!  Predictable red color can be found in cultivars like 'October Glory'.

Red maple, Acer rubrum

Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), shown above, is another vine that has great fall color - even more predictable than poison ivy!  This one you will also see climbing trees on the side of the road.


Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) has a range of colors - I've seen pale yellow, orange (mixture of yellow and pink), pink, fuschia, almost purple.

Oxydendrum arboreum

Oxydendrum arboreum

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is the only tree that I have that truly turns purple, but the coolest thing about Sweetgum leaves is that they come in so many colors on the same tree!  This picture does not do it justice, but perhaps it will give you an idea of what to look for on the roadsides this fall.

Liquidambar styraciflua

Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua

Native Fall Foliage - Yellow

Fall color is spreading in my area.  What a beautiful sight - it is almost as if the trees were flowering again.  Generally the colors of tree foliage fall into 2 color groups: yellow and orange/red/purple.  I've decided to do one blog entry devoted to each group.  This entry is Yellow.

A southern form of Sugar Maple, perhaps Acer barbatum

Of course there is a lot of variation in fall color even for the same type of plant.  For example, I've seen Red Maples (Acer rubrum) that turn yellow, others that turn orange/red, and others that turn red/pink.  These differences can be attributed to many factors (and here is an excellent site to explain it):

• Individual plant differences:  This is how cultivars are developed.  Acer rubrum 'October Glory' was a single plant that was selected for dependably rich red color in the fall.

• Climate differences:  Was it wetter than usual, drier than usual, cooler or warmer than usual where this plant resides in the days leading up to autumn?

• Different locations: Some trees change color earlier in one location than another even when they are just a few miles apart.

Most people have learned at some point that chlorophyll is what makes leaves green.  It is when trees stop producing chlorophyll that the "true" colors come out.  Different trees have different amounts of the components that make the different fall colors: Carotenoids - Browns, yellows and oranges and Anthocyanins  - reds and purples. So given those all those explanations, here are the “usual” yellows that I can expect to see in my area:

Two maples here, one is Red maple which often turns yellow in the wild, but sometimes turns orange/red.   There are maple cultivars and hybrids that reliably turn red or orange.  If what you are seeing is a landscape plant (like in a parking lot or business/residence landscape), chances are it is a cultivar and the color would not be yellow.

Southern sugar maple has the leaf shape of a Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) but the color is a pure, deep yellow while Sugar maple turns yellow/orange.  Another local maple is Chalk maple (Acer leucoderme) which has a similar leaf, but it turns more orange/red in color.  The leaf of the Chalk maple usually is pubescent (has fine hairs, feels fuzzy) on the underside.

Red Maple, Acer rubrum

Southern Sugar Maple, Acer barbatum

Black cherry, Prunus serotina

Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana

The next pair of leaves look similar at first glance, both turn a soft yellow and have a similar elliptical shape, but the cherry has a toothed margin where the persimmon does not.









I spent several days this week looking around my yard and neighborhood for leaves to photograph.  Now that the leaves are changing color, it was a shock to realize just how many young persimmons I have.  I know there are fruiting persimmons in my neighborhood (you can see a picture of the fruit in one of my posts from last year), but I've never seen fruit on mine.  Only one of mine ever blooms (the others are too young perhaps), and it would need to be a female to set fruit and would need a male nearby for pollination.

Tuliptree, Liriodendron tulipifera

Muscadine grape, Vitis rotundifolia

Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is generally very boring when it comes to fall color.  Leaves drop early in the year so that by the time fall color season arrives half the leaves on the tree are gone and the rest turn a spotted yellow, a few at a time.






Muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia) is a plant not much noticed throughout the year, but when the leaves turn yellow - often in advance of neighboring plants - it shows up.  It is especially noticeable twining through pine trees because the yellow foliage just pops out of the green branches.

Bottlebrush buckeye, Aesculus parviflora

Pawpaw, Asimina triloba

Buckeyes (Aesculus spp.) also lose their leaves early in the year - I was hard pressed to find an example of these compound leaves that still have the original 5 leaflets attached on a group of leaves.  Sometimes the color is more soft orange than yellow.









The large, tropical-looking leaves of Paw Paw Asimina triloba) quickly fall off once the leaves turn yellow.










Musclewood's (Carpinus caroliniana) petite, toothed leaves and thin branches are easily confused with Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana).  The fall color doesn't offer any better clues - they both turn this nice shade of yellow.


Redbud's heart shaped leaves are very distinctive but unfortunately the fall color is not.  While much favored for it's early purple blooms in the spring, the yellow, spotted fall leaves are nothing to comment on.  This is a picture from my 'Forest Pansy' cultivar (Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy') - I'm not sure if that orange color is attributed to the cultivar, but it is certainly is an improvement over most wild plants.

Musclewood, Carpinus caroliniana

Redbud, Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'

Compound leaves often confuse people in the fall because the leaflets can fall off in advance of the leaf itself, making it look like the leaflets are indeed true leaves.  Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and Hickory are two of the ones I show here.  The ash leaf turns a pale yellow while the Hickory (Carya spp.) is a deep, almost orange-yellow color.  Hickories can be tall trees - they are quite striking when the whole tree colors up.  Around here, they are an essential part of the yellow-red-green landscape that people think of in the fall.

Green ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Hickory, Carya sp.

Other native trees around here with compound leaves that turn yellow are pecan (Carya illinoinensis) and walnut (Juglans spp.).

Bigleaf magnolia, Magnolia macrophylla

American beech, Fagus grandifolia

The deciduous magnolias are especially noticeable this time of year, particularly the large leaves of this Bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla). The shorter tree with the darker colored leaves to the right is Umbrella magnolia (Magnolia tripetala).  









American beech turns briefly yellow then transitions to a soft caramel color.  Young trees will retain their leaves during the winter and the leaves will fade to a pale tan, almost the color of old lace.













Other leaves that turn yellow/brown in the fall (and which are not pictured here) include:

• Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
• Some oaks like Post oak (Quercus stellata) and Water oak (Quercus nigra)
• Mulberry (Morus rubra)
• Sugarberry/Hackberry (Celtis spp.)
• American smoketree (Cotinus obovatus)

and sometimes Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), but it also turns purple so I'll show that in the next post.  Next week I'll go through all the ones that turn orange, red, pink and purple.