Mushrooms of Hawai'i

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, this book is the must-have guide for fungophiles.

Mushrooms of Hawai'i is filled with photographs of over 230 mushrooms species. An essential guide for the novice or advanced mycologist, this reference tool includes chapters on identification, mushroom-hunting spots, and the seasonality of Hawaiian mushrooms. From years of researched, this is the most complete book of the fungi of Hawai'i.
Dennis Desjardin's interest in mushrooms started at an early age as he accompanied his parents on forays into the mushroom-rich forests of northern California. After stints as a professional musician and carpenter Dennis returned to college and studied with Harry D. Thiers at San Francisco State University (M.S. 1985) and Ronald H. Petersen at the University of Tennessee (Ph.D. 1989). He also had the privilege of being trained by the renowned mycologists Drs. Alexander H. Smith, Rolf Singer, Meinhard Moser and Egon Horak. He is currently Professor of Biology at San Francisco State University. Dr. Desjardin has published over 140 refereed scientific papers on the taxonomy and evolution of mushroom-forming fungi in which he described 260 new species and 7 new genera. He has active research projects in the Hawaiian Islands, Micronesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, the African islands of Sao Tome and Principe, and has developed a recent interest in the origin and evolution of bioluminescent fungi. Dennis is co-author of the new field guide California Mushrooms (Timber Press, 2015).