I am grateful to my professor C. T. Teng and his Fungi of China for teaching me much of what I know in the field of mycology. He has been very influential in shaping my career. In America, I have received significant support from many professors at the University of California, Berkeley campus. For the past 28 years, I am especially grateful for professor Dick Parmeter and Professor Wilford R. Gardner, former Dean of College of Natural Resources. As American distinguished scholars with academic background in the field, they encourage colleagues to write and publish. Dick encouraged me to write an English version of all the Chinese edible mushroom species in a monographic compilation. Gardner employed me to outreach and teach mushroom workshops to a wide range of audience. At this time, I would also like to dedicate this book with my deepest sorrows to Professor Dick Parmeter (1927-2010) and Professor Wilford R. Gardner (1925-2011).

Fungi treasures is an assemblage of information from many various sources accumulated over many years with many mushroom scholars, amateurs, businessmen’s books, broad knowledge, conference symposiums, fairs etc. This knowledge is supplemented with my own experiences in the America and China forests where I used western mycological techniques in fungi collection and identification. I get credit for writing the book, but I am thankful for the many experts whose monograph and articles are found within. I would like to express my appreciation then, especially to all the Chinese authors citied in bibliography in English plus any I have inadvertently omitted. I want my readers to know that this book would not have been possible without their dedicated efforts.

Much appreciation to my co-author, Dr. Yang Zhu Liang, a distinguished mycologist from Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Thank you for the fine contribution of 54 species of Yunnan and Tibet wild edible mushroom that can be found in Volume 3. Also much appreciation to Professor Toligor from JiLin Agriculture University for providing the rich Chinese information on 38 species of edible fungi in the Heilongjiang and Jilin area. I would also like to thank Professor Yuan Hai Ying for providing the medicinal values for many of these edible fungi species.

I want to thank Dr. Zhuang Wen Ying from the Microbiology institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dr. Wang Zheng, from Yale University, Dept. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology for their help with my proposal to create a Key to the genera of edible Bisidiomycetes Ascomycetes.

Professor Daniel J. Royse of The Pennsylvania Sate University for his research on Pleurotus specialty mushrooms, a genus that produces lots of edible mushrooms. I am deeply grateful for his contribution of the Pleurotus species key.

I would also like to acknowledge the following authors for their contribution on various cultivated mushroom species: Antrodia cinnamomea by Dr. Tun Tschu Chang, & WN Chou; Tuber indicum by Chen Juan; Grifola frondosa by Dr. Shen Qing; Agaricus blazei by Alma E. Rodriguez Estrada and Jo Kopytowski Filho; and an additional paper on Pleurotus eryngii by Alma; Volvariella volvacea by Dr. Chen; Lentinula edodes by Dr. Tan Qi.

Much thanks to the many mushroom lovers who donated numerous illustrations, pictures and high-resolution images to update this book. My deepest gratitude to Fred Stevens, California mushroom expert of the Mycological Society of San Francisco for allowing my use of the many beautiful photos in various volumes.

Thank you to Hsu Wen who made a special trip to the Yunan provice and South East Asia and provided me with many beautiful pictures. I am very fortunate for her contributions to this book, especially as co-writer for the termite mushroom species. Thanks to Professor Gary Emberger, Bill Roody, Mao Xiao Lan, Robert Mackler, Dick Dougall, Liu Jin Tain, Tain Jin Hua, Song L. G. , Taylor F. Lockwood, Professor Eugene Bossenmaier for their wonderful illustrations and photgraphs; and to Evelyn Borchert and SunnieWong for designing many of the illustrations and charts.

Publication of this book would not have been possible without the great help of rich Chinese references from many Chinese Mycologists especially Tan Fan He, Chen Shi Yu, He Yuan Su, Mao Xiao Lan, Huang nei lai, Zhang He Sheng, Lam David, Huang Jian Ping, He Xian Guo and Wang Jiang. Over the years of this writing process, I have learned a valuable amount and have greatly benefited from their writings and experiences while translating and editing their works into English.

I would also like to recognize and thank the American mushroom expert David Arora. I have learned a a great wealth of information from David Arora’s Mushroom Demystified. We mycologists refer to it as “The Mushroom Bible”.

I am deeply grateful for Dr. Wendy Helms and Jo-Sing Yang for providing valuable assistance in editing and reviewing this book.

I give special thanks to my undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, whose bilingual skills were essential in preparing the final version of this book. These students include Xu shan, Amy Jiang, Lu Wah Hung, Tian Jia and visiting scholar Xia Liang.

Now that the book is about to be published, I am overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. I sincerely thank my family for their unconditional support: my dear husband Anghe Zhang, my daughter May Zhang and my son-in-law Bishan Chen, my daughter Lili Zhang and my son-in-law Shu Huang. Also my four grand Children Kiate, Cliff, Bryant and Claire also give me many encouragement.