The Mycologeum: A Fungal Culture Exchange Program

Trade Your Mushroom Cultures & Contribute to Mycological Research

The Mycologeum is Mossy Creek Mushrooms’ dedicated fungal culture exchange program, designed for cultivators, bioprospectors, and mycology enthusiasts. Whether you’ve discovered a wild mushroom or cultivated a unique strain, The Mycologeum allows you to trade your cultures for one from our extensive library. Join us in preserving fungal biodiversity while expanding your own collection!

Do not submit strains you’ve acquired from other vendors. This program is for unique strains found in the wild or bred in a lab setting.

How It Works

1. Submit a Sample: Send in a cleaned culture or fresh wild mushroom following our submission guidelines.
2. Select a Trade: Browse our available cultures and choose one in exchange.
3. Receive Your Culture: If your submission meets our standards and is accepted, we’ll send you the culture you selected from our collection!

Submission Protocols

To ensure the integrity and scientific value of all fungal samples, please follow the protocols below:

1. Eligibility for Submission

We accept:

• Cleaned & Cloned Cultures: Ideal for experienced cultivators providing contamination-free isolates.
• Fresh Wild Mushrooms: For bioprospectors who need assistance with cloning and isolation.

INaturalist Integration (Highly Recommended!)

We encourage all bioprospectors to log their finds on the INaturalist app, which provides valuable metadata (photos, GPS coordinates, and dates).

Photos to Include in Your INaturalist Listing:

• A head-on view of the mushroom
• A side profile showing stem and cap structure
• A habitat photo showing the mushroom in its natural environment

Include the INaturalist Listing Number when submitting your sample.

2. Submitting Cleaned & Cloned Cultures

Agar Plate Submission

• Use sterile Petri dishes (60mm, 90mm, or larger) with nutrient-rich agar (MEA, PDA, MYA preferred).
• Ensure the plate is fully colonized and contamination-free.
• Label the plate with:
  • Strain name (if known) or collection code
  • Date of isolation
  • Your name or initials

Packaging & Shipping:

• Seal plates with Parafilm or stretch wrap.
• Place in a Ziploc bag and pack securely in a rigid box.

Liquid Culture Submission

• Use a 10-60mL sterile syringe filled with well-colonized liquid culture.
• Ensure the culture is clear of bacterial contamination.
• Label the syringe with:
  • Strain name (if known)
  • Date of culture preparation
  • Your name or initials

Packaging & Shipping:

• Cap the syringe with a Luer lock and place it inside a Ziploc bag.
• Wrap in protective padding and ship in a padded mailer or small box.

Slant Culture Submission

• Use a 15mL or 50mL sterile plastic tube filled with solidified agar (MEA, PDA, or MYA).
• Inoculate with a clean mycelial wedge and allow full colonization.
• Label the tube with:
  • Strain name (if known)
  • Date of isolation
  • Your name or initials

Packaging & Shipping:

• Wrap the slant tube in bubble wrap and place inside a sealed plastic bag.
• Ship in a padded envelope or small box.

3. Submitting Fresh Wild Mushrooms for Cloning

Selecting the Right Specimen:

• Choose young, fresh, and firm mushrooms with minimal decay.
• Avoid old, dried, or rotting specimens.

Collection & Handling:

• Harvest by cutting the mushroom at the base with a clean blade.
• Place in a Ziploc bag (paper bags are optional).
• Label the bag with:
  • Collection date
  • Location (GPS preferred or general region)
  • Habitat details (tree species, soil type, environment)

Packaging & Shipping:

• Ship overnight or 2-day shipping to preserve freshness.
• Pack with paper towels if needed to absorb excess moisture.

4. Sending Samples to the Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab (Highly Recommended!)

For DNA barcoding efforts, we encourage submitting a dried portion of your specimen to the Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab (OMDL).

⚠ Follow OMDL’s Protocols!

• Completely dehydrate the specimen at 95°F-105°F until it is cracker-dry.
• Label with the INaturalist listing number for tracking.
• Place the dried sample in a small labeled Ziploc bag.

OMDL WILL REJECT:

• Fresh mushrooms
• Agar cultures
• Improperly labeled specimens

Download the full OMDL submission guide before sending!

5. Culture Exchange for Contributors

• If you send a fresh mushroom sample, we will attempt to clone and clean it. If successful, we can send you a cleaned culture of your mushroom in return.
• If you submit a cleaned culture, you are eligible to receive a culture from our library in exchange.

How to Request a Trade:

• Check our website for available cultures.
• Include a note in your package specifying which culture you’d like in return.

6. Where to Send Your Samples

Shipping Address:

Mossy Creek Mushrooms
208 East Old Andrew Johnson Highway, Suite A
Jefferson City, TN 37760

Contact Email:

mossycreekmushrooms@gmail.com

Swabs Policy:

We may accept swabs on a case-by-case basis. Contact us first before sending swabs.

7. Next Steps After Submission

• Include your email in the package to receive a confirmation upon arrival.
• If a culture is successfully recovered, we’ll provide updates on its status and potential applications.
• Contributors will be credited if their strain becomes part of our archive and future releases.

Thank You for Contributing to Fungal Biodiversity!

The Mycologeum is more than a culture exchange—it’s a growing archive dedicated to preserving and expanding fungal diversity. By participating, you’re helping build a stronger mycological community and advancing scientific discovery!