Story behind the art of Daleen Roodt

Curious Allies: Mutualism in Fungi, Parasites, and Carnivores

The Fifth New York Botanical Garden Triennial

Four Days in the Life of Ruby Bolete

Hortiboletus rubellus, Hypomyces chrysospermus

The Hortiboletus rubellus mushrooms used in the painting, are from one of a select few locations where they have been recorded in South Africa. I saw this painting as a biographical study tracing the four-day lifespan of a Ruby bolete mushroom, exploring the unique characteristics revealed through our encounter. It traces the youthful development, blushing maturation, and eventual perils of ageing decay.

Inky-blue bruise marks appear where a gentle touch of my finger picked the young mushroom from the undergrowth. At the base of the stipes there are puffs of orange-tinted mycelium, distinguishing this species from other look-alikes. Some rhizomorphs, or mycelial threads, are visible, making evident the mycorrhizal relationship it has with the surrounding trees. And seeping through the mycelium, are tiny red guttation drops, as the mushrooms release excess moisture accumulated from a sweltering summer.

A seductive netting of surreal orange-reds wraps around the smooth stipe, leading up to the porous undercap of lemon curd delight. Some frills and cracks on the blushing cap speak of character and experiences lived in the hours passed.

But, as time goes by, the mushroom cracks and creases the beauty of youth, succumbing, as all life does, to the laws of decay. Snow-white markings on the drying undercap reveal the presence of Hypomyces chrysospermum, the so-called “bolete eater”, a parasitic ascomycete fungus. And so, the lifespan comes to an end, and all decompose in the same soil from which new life will spring.

Porcini from a Bed of Cedar

Boletus edulus, Cedrus deodara

Boletus edulis, most commonly known as the porcini mushroom, is a sought-after delicacy esteemed for its rich, sweet-nutty umami flavours. In nature, these mushrooms form unique symbiotic alliances with specific trees, exchanging water and nutrients with the roots. In this scene, the porcini is growing in conjunction with Cedrus deodora, the Himalayan cedar, evident by the blanket of needles and female cone scales from the tree.

I was foraging for mushrooms on a beautiful farm in the Midlands, a scenic area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, when I found some porcini growing in the dense shade of a patch of Himalayan cedar trees. One particular porcini caught my eye, beaming with perfection, growing not far from the giant’s trunk. I was captivated by the intensely colored brown-purple cap, radiating a galaxy of color unfamiliar to what is ever served on one’s plate. The stipe underneath was dressed in delicate textures that reminded me of silky netting, inspiring a perfect canvas for capturing spectrums of reflected light. For about an hour I sat capturing color and light as my loose brush would interpret it, and, eventually, carefully picked the beauty to go and embark on a detailed vellum study back in my studio. What a blissful reward, when I had acquired sufficient information, to delight in the earthy flavors of my precious subject, merging visual signals with an explosion of flavor, fusing external and internal senses, and thus uniting my subject with the very cells of my own body!

Presenting my porcini on a bed of cedar, I hope the thought of fresh forest scents will enrobe your imagination with the umami flavours of sweet, earthy intoxication, journeying your mind through a plethora of senses.

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