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Hawai'i is known for its verdant mountains and colorful ocean ecosystems, but few realize the depth and range of the islands' mushroom diversity. In fact, Hawai'i is home to over 230 species of mushrooms that are prized by foragers from around the world. In Mushrooms of Hawai'i, Don Hemmes and Dennis Desjardin present a beautiful and comprehensive guide to the treasure trove of mycological life in the Aloha State. Inside you'll find information on
- Mushroom identification
- Culinary and medicinal uses of Hawaiian mushrooms
- Where to find the best mushroom-hunting spots
- The seasonality of Hawaiian mushrooms
- And everything else you might need to make your foraging adventure a success.
Mushrooms of Hawai'i also includes beautiful illustrations to help you identify familiar treasures like morels, well-known dangers like Amanita muscaria, and exciting species unique to the islands. Whether you're hunting Copelandia cyanescens ("magic" mushrooms) in the pasture grasses high in the mountains of Maui, or foraging for Laetiporus (chicken of the woods), an edible mushroom sought after by foodies for its uniquely delicious taste, Mushrooms of Hawai'i is the must-have guide for fungophiles.
Don E. Hemmes was first introduced to the wonders of fungi as an undergraduate at Central College of Iowa where he worked on the cellular slime molds with Don Huffman. Later he studied under Hans Hohl at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (M.S., Ph.D. 1970) and as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich, and with Salamon Bartnicki-Garcia at the University of California, Riverside. Don taught General Biology and Cell Biology at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo for over 40 years. After serving as Chairman of the Biology Department and Natural Sciences Division, Hemmes is currently Professor Emeritus, living in Hilo, Hawai'i. He has been awarded many teaching awards including the Regent's Excellence in Teaching Award and the W. H. Weston Award from the Mycological Society of America for teaching excellence in mycology. In 1999 he was selected as Professor of the Year for Hawai'i by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation. He was honored as Fellow of the Mycological Society of America in 2004 for his research on Hawaiian Fungi and served as President of the Mycological Society of America in 2007-2008.
Dennis E. Desjardin's interest in mushrooms started at an early as as he accompanied his parents on forays into the mushroom-rich forests of northern California. After stints as a professional musician and carpenter, Dennis studied under Harry D. Thiers at San Francisco State University (M.S. 1985) and Ron Peterson at the University of Tennessee (Ph.D. 1989). He is currently Professor of Biology and Director of the H. D. Thiers Herbarium at San Francisco State University. He has been awarded the Alexopoulos Prize from the Mycological Society of America for outstanding research in mycology and the W. H. Weston Award for excellence in teaching in mycology. An authority on Marasmius, Mycena, and other groups of agarics, he is currently directing an NSF-sponsored survey of agarics and other fungi from Southeast Asia.
