Winner of the CBHL Award of Excellence
California is one of the most ecologically rich and diverse regions of North America, and home to hundreds of species of mushrooms. In California Mushrooms, mycologist experts Dennis Desjardin, Michael Wood, and Fred Stevens provide over 1100 species profiles, including comprehensive descriptions and spectacular photographs. Each profile includes information on macro- and micromorphology, habitat, edibility, and comparisons with closely related species and potential look-alikes. Although the focus of the book is on mushrooms of California, over 90% of the species treated occur elsewhere, making the book useful throughout western North America. This complete reference covers everything necessary for the mushroom hunter to accurately identify over 650 species.
California Mushrooms is a comprehensive guide, providing information on when and where to find mushrooms; guidelines on how to collect and identify mushrooms; keys to species; and overviews of nomenclature and taxonomy, morphology and phylogeny, fungal ecology, biology, and mushroom toxins.
“An excellent addition to the mushroom literature for the West Coast and should be in the library of all who would attempt to identify the mushrooms of California or surrounding areas.” —The Mycophile
“This book is useful well beyond discussing California mushrooms. You get a good comprehensive overview of the world of mycology, with all the types of fungi broken into their categories and with keys to help you identify the mushroom in hand.” —American Survival Guide Magazine