More than 100 mushrooms in the genus Tricholoma have been reported in North America. Most are relatively large, showy mushrooms that grow on the ground near many species of temperate forest trees, both hardwoods and conifers. They typically fruit from late summer through early winter or even into spring in warmer areas. Some are fine edibles, including the matsutake. Others are inedible or even poisonous. Filling the gap between technical publications and the limited representation of Tricholomas in general mushroom field guides, this book is the first comprehensive guide to North American Tricholomas. It contains more than 170 of the best documentary photographs available, often with more than one image of a species to illustrate the dramatic variation exhibited by many Tricholomas. The species descriptions provide extensive identification information including scientific and common names, macroscopic and microscopic features, occurrence/habit, edibility, and a comment section that addresses such things as synonomy, comparisons with similar species, varietial differences, explanations of species' epithets, and other useful or interesting information. In addition, the authors provide a general introduction to Tricholomas that discusses identification features, ecology, simple chemical tests (for identification), and how to use the keys provided in this book.

Author Biography

Alan E. Bessette is a distinguished emeritus professor of biology at Utica College of Syracuse University. A professional mycologist, he has authored or coauthored more than twenty-five books, including Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America. Arleen R. Bessette is a psychologist and mycologist who has been collecting and studying wild mushrooms for more than fifty years. She has authored or coauthored several books on mushrooms and teaches classes on mycology and the culinary aspects of mycophagy. William C. Roody is a Wildlife Diversity Biologist with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. He has authored or coauthored several books on mushrooms and other macrofungi and has won several national awards for his photography. Steven A. Trudell, an affiliate professor in the School of Forest Resources at the University of Washington, teaches courses in fungal biology, mushroom identification, and mushroom photography. He is the coauthor of Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.