are truffles, highly prized in Europe. They are tuberlike growths (genus Tuber) remaining entirely underground a foot or so below the surface. Some dogs and pigs are trained to hunt them by their scent. Growing truffles commercially has proved difficult. They are not often found in North America, though they are found in California and Oregon.Shaggy-ManesShaggy-manes (Coprinus comatus) have white cylindrical caps, from four to six inches high, covered with ragged brownish tufts. Their spores are black. They have a curious way of freeing them. The gills liquefy from the bottom of the cap upward, and the spores mature and blow away just ahead of the liquefied area. These mushrooms must be gathered just before they mature and should be cooked immediately to prevent harm to the human body. Sulphur PolporeThe Sulphur Polypore (Polyporus sulphureus) often grows on rotten logs, the trunks of living trees, and in damp areas. Orange or sulphur yellow, it has overlapping, fan-shaped shelves from four to ten inches deep. ClavariasClavarias grow upright in finger like masses. Among the dark trees of the forest they look like clumps of pale-yellow or white coral. Another prized mushroom is the Chanterelle (Cantharellus Cibarius). The cap is a deep, rich yellow, with an irregular crumpled margin. It is depressed at the center, which gives it the name chanterelle, “little cup.”HyphaIf a spore reaches such a place, it begins to grow by sending out a hypha. The hypha lengthens from its tip, branches out, and eventually produces a mycelium. Knots about the size of a pinhead develop on the mycelium. These knots, called buttons, will become mature mushrooms. As a button grows, the cap and stalk become recognizable. Soon, either gills or tubes develop under the cap. Then very quickly, the stalk shoots up and the cap unfolds like the opening of an umbrella. Much of this growth results from the lengthening of cells as they abs...
