Armillaria mellea - Californian form

Photographer

Nathan Wilson

Common Name

Honey Mushroom

Location

Santa Cruz, California growing on the roots of a madrone stump.

Time

January 1994

Habitat

Dead or dying hardwood trees.

Comments

The genus Armillaria has recently been the subject of fairly extensive study. Originally the entire genus was considered to be the single species Armillaria mellea. The result of the recent studies has been the recognition of about 12 genetically separate species in the US. The specimen photographed here probably a form of the true Armillaria mellea that occurs in California. The form is macroscopically distinct from the true Armillaria mellea of Europe, but the two forms successfully mate under laboratory conditions. All of the Armillaria species are considered edible and some relish it.

Processing

Original image was taken on 35mm Fuji Velvia using a Nikon 55mm macro lens. The slide was then digitized with a Nikon Coolscan with 24bit color depth. The color depth was reduced to 8bits using Debabelizer.

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