The Genus Hypomyces  

[ Ascomycetes > Hypocreales > Hypocreaceae > . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

The species in Hypomyces are fungi that parasitize mushrooms, covering them with powders, pimply crusts, and so on. Often the parasite fungus so transforms the host mushroom that it's impossible to tell what the host was. The Lobster Mushroom, for example, is a Russula or Lactarius mushroom that has been covered with a bright orange Hypomyces species, Hypomyces lactifluorum.

Six of the most commonly collected Hypomyces species in North America are keyed out below. However, the authoritative online treatment of Hypomyces, for readers whose interest goes beyond figuring out what species of funky stuff is covering this or that mushroom, is the USDA's Hypomyces Web Site. I highly recommend the site; it contains extensive information on the genus. Sadly, however, the site is a nightmare to navigate. It "looks good," but it uses frames, coupled with more Javascript than ought to be legal. I would love to offer direct links to species pages at the site, but it isn't possible; you will need to navigate the Javascript yourself to get to the wonderful content.