Mushrooms that look similar are not always the same species as evidenced by an abundance of DNA studies on genera like Cantharellus Trametes Armillaria and Morchella. The genus Stereum is a wood-decay fungus abundant across the globe with many species endemic to certain regions or specific to particular host trees. In the 50s several species of Stereum were combined under the name S. ostrea due to their morphological similarity but DNA barcoding clearly shows these species to be phylogenetically distinct. DNA analysis and literature review shows S. ostrea is an East Asian species while S. fasciatum and S. lobatum appear endemic to the Americas and S. subtomentosum is found in Northern temperate regions. Morphological analysis shows that yellow staining and cap hair texture is key for differentiating these species in North America. Sarah DeLong-Duhon is a Master’s graduate from the University of Iowa Vice President of the Prairie States Mushroom Club and Founder of the Iowa Fungal Biodiversity Project. Her research focus is the phylogeny of Stereum a globally common genus of wood-decay fungi. She is experienced in the field and the lab extracting sequencing and analyzing fungal DNA to help unravel the mysteries of fungal biodiversity and evolution. The lecture will take place on Friday June 17 2022 7:00pm (Eastern Time)