MUSHROOM LOVERS TO GATHER IN CAPE

Mushroom enthusiasts will meet in Cape Girardeau Aug. 12 through 15 for the 1999 North American Mycological Association's annual convention.

The gathering at the Holiday Inn is expected to attract some 200 people from the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The theme of the conference is "Show Me the Mushrooms!"

Participants will make several forays to collect mushrooms. On the schedule are such mushroom havens as Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Big Oak Tree State Park.

"We are going out in the woods to collect all kinds of mushrooms," said Ken Gilberg, president of the Missouri Mycological Society. Gilberg lives in Wildwood near St. Louis.

"We hope to find a lot. I hope it rains," he said.

The mushrooms collected by the participants will be displayed in the Jackson Room of the Holiday Inn. The display will be open to the public from 2 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 14.

Gilberg said he and his fellow fans of fungi aren't commercial collectors. "We are amateurs in the true sense of the word."

They love to hunt, identify and eat mushrooms.

"We go out in the woods, collect everything, bring it back and try to identify what it is," said Gilberg.

"It is a great hobby. You can be a hunter and a vegetarian at the same time," he said.

"You don't have to buy any special equipment for this hobby," said Gilberg. "We are interested in all kinds of fungi."

Gilberg said he eats about 80 different types of mushrooms.

"You can find $50 worth of mushrooms in the woods for nothing. That is always fun," he said.

There are about 3,300 species of mushrooms throughout the word. About 3,000 of these species grow in the United States and Canada.

Like other fungi, mushrooms differ from green plants in that they lack chlorophyll. Mushrooms survive by absorbing food material from living or decaying plants in their surroundings.

Mushrooms vary in size, from under an inch to about 15 inches in height. They come in a variety of colors, including brown, black, red, orange, blue and green.

"It is as varied as it is for flowers," he said.

The convention will feature presentations by mushroom experts and mushroom cooking demonstrations.

"There will be an expert in slime molds there," said Gilberg.

Different mushrooms are associated with particular kinds of trees.

A shiitake mushroom, for example, grows on oak logs.

"When trees have these mushrooms, they will grow more healthy," said Gilberg. "It is all part of the eco-system."

A few types of mushrooms are poisonous. But Gilberg said it isn't a big concern.

"There are maybe only about six that will kill you," he said.

Some mushrooms also are hallucinogenic.

Gilberg, who grew up in Missouri, said his interest in mushrooms blossomed while he was living in New York City.

"I was gathering pounds and pounds of edible mushrooms in the city of New York," he said.

Gilberg said he hopes a chapter of the Missouri Mycological Society will be established in Cape Girardeau.

He said that would make it easier for area residents to learn about mushrooms.