Hello friends!
My name is Sarah DeLong-Duhon, and I am a master’s student at the University of Iowa. My thesis involves creating a global molecular phylogeny for the fungus Stereum, a genus that – before I began my investigation into the eastern North American species – had no molecular phylogeny despite being researched intensively for potential biomedical application. You can read my pre-print here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.10.16.342840v2. To get well-documented specimens of these fungi worldwide, in addition to herbarium collections, I am soliciting specimens from citizen scientists!
How you can help
- Make iNaturalist observations for Stereum or other genera of Stereaceae you encounter, and tag me @sarahduhon
- Take lots of pictures, preferably of good resolution and not blurry
- Top and bottom of mushroom, and the whole colony
- Take enough pictures to help identify the host plant (Bark and leaf litter are helpful, and zoomed out photos that show environment where found)
- Scratch the undersurface while fresh and take pictures to document any bleeding or color staining (some, when dry, will also stain color on wetting)
- Take lots of pictures, preferably of good resolution and not blurry
- Send me specimens, especially from locations outside eastern North America
- Are you in eastern NA? You are still welcome to send me specimens! I also highly encourage you to go out and make high-quality observations of Stereum using the instructions provided above.
- Strong preference for these specimens to be associated with iNat observations.
- Do it legally
- Don’t trespass, don’t violate park/preserve rules, collect on private property with permission if laws prevent you from collecting in public spaces.
- Spread the word to colleagues, especially anyone working in remote, undersampled locations. Where there’s wood, there is always Stereum.
- Have any questions about what I’m doing, or advice? Leave a comment in the thread!
- Professional or anecdotal advice on shipping specimens from other countries to the US is really appreciated - I haven’t nailed down the logistics yet.
Pictures
“Eastern North America”
If you’re outside this circle, I want your Stereum! Especially if you are in one of these blank areas on the map.
Bleeding/Staining Color
S. gausapatum bleeds/stains red, and will do so when dry too if
you wet it (with water or saliva)
S. lobatum bleeds/stains bright yellow, and will also stain when
dry, as I’ve done here by wetting it
Zoomed out photos / context for host ID
Clearly oak-dominated woods here. Bark is white oak.
Evergreen oak leaves, hickory (leaves and nuts), sweetgum fruits, etc. Helps narrow down the ID for logs missing bark.
How to store and ship Stereum
- Make sure they are fully dry
- Usually air drying works fine, but using a food dehydrator on low (~90F) until cracker-dry is always a good call. They should store well for a long time.
- Collections should be kept in plastic bags or paper packets.
- Make sure each collection is labeled, at minimum, with an iNaturalist observation number. Collector’s name, location, date, ID, etc. is all relevant info that can be included with each collection.
- Small box or padded envelope is appropriate for shipping depending on how much there is.
- Contact me for an address if you are interested in contributing! If you are outside the US, please hold on to collections for now and I will get back to you.
I’m in southeast Texas.