Mushrooms pictured on July 3 stamps issued by Royal Mail

By David Hartwig

Great Britain’s Royal Mail celebrated mushrooms in a July 3 set of 10 stamps.

Presented in two horizontal se-tenant (side-by-side) strips of five, the stamps show 10 different species of mushrooms found in the United Kingdom.

The stamps in one of the strips of five are valued at the first first-class rate (currently £1.70), and the stamps in the other strip of five are valued at the second-class rate (currently 87 pence).

The first-class stamps depict a penny bun (Boletus edulis), amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystine), collared earthstar (Geastrum michelianum), fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) and turkey tail (Trametes versicolor).

The species chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), clustered bonnet (Mycena inclinata), scarlet waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea), morel (Morchella vulgaris) and scarlet elf cup (Sarcoscypha austriaca) are shown on the second-class stamps.

Five of the species pictured on the stamps have the familiar toadstool shape of a central stalk (called a stipe) topped by a cap (pileus): the penny bun, amethyst deceiver, fly agaric, clustered bonnet and scarlet waxcap.

These species of mushrooms discharge spores from gills or pores under the cap. The five species tend to appear in the soil or in leaf litter rather than embedded in wood.

The turkey tail and chicken of the woods species represent fungus types that grow embedded in wood, usually when the wood is decomposing. These shelf mushrooms, known as polypores, lack a central stalk and have pores or tubes on the underside of the fruit.

Both turkey tail and chicken of the woods are easily identifiable edible mushrooms. Owing to the tough and leathery texture, turkey tails are usually dried and ground before consumption, and they are believed to act as a dietary supplement with various health benefits, including assisting with cancer treatment. Chicken of the woods, as the name suggests, has a similar texture and taste as chicken when cooked.

The collared earthstar, morel and scarlet elf cup species tend to grow in soil or leaf litter, similar to the toadstool-shaped mushrooms discussed earlier, but these three species do not have open gills or pores.

Morel mushrooms release spores through the pits and ridges of the honeycomb caps, the collared earthstar holds spores inside of its central ball, and the scarlet elf cup has spores lining the inside of its cup.

In a presentation pack included with the issue, Geoffrey Kibby, editor of Field Mycology, the journal of the British Mycological Society, discussed the range, diversity and importance of fungi.

“A recent estimate of the number of species worldwide is two to three million,” Kibby said, “but some believe that there may be as many as 19 million.” Kibby added that around 4,000 mushroom species exist in the United Kingdom, and the count reaches 15,000 if it includes microscopic fungi.

The new Mushrooms stamps were designed by Studio Up and printed by Cartor Security Printers by lithography. The stamps measure 35 millimeters on all four sides and are perforated gauge 14.5.

Each of the two horizontal se-tenant strips is available in sheets of 50 stamps (sold in panes of 25 at most postal outlets).

A presentation pack included with the issue contains all 10 stamps along with photos and text written by mycologist Geoffrey Kibby.

Royal Mail offers other related materials along with the stamps, including first-day covers and postcards. The first-day covers have two available postmarks.

A Tallents House postmark shows an illustration of clustered bonnet mushrooms, and the illustration on the alternative postmark, from Gills Green in Cranbrook, depicts the underside of a mushroom cap.

The stamps and other related materials can be ordered from Royal Mail’s website. In addition to the website, ordering information is also available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland.

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