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29 January 2020 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Dr Marieka Gryzenhout and Gary Goldman.
Mushroom
Scutellinia scutellate, commonly known as eyelash cup, molly eye-winker, scarlet elf cap, or eyelash fungus, grows gregariously, or in clusters, and sometimes in dense swarms on moist hardwood logs, sometimes near water or marshy places.

Citizen scientists and nature lovers who are serious and enthusiastic about fungi, can now sit back and relax with a copy of the recently published nature guide titled FField guide to mushrooms & other fungi of South Africa (Penguin Random House Struik, Cape Town).

Dr Marieka Gryzenhout, a C-rated scientist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Genetics at the University of the Free State (UFS), co-authored the book with Gary Goldman, amateur mycologist from Cape Town.

The book contains descriptions of 200 species and extensive background information and tips on fungi.

‘They are all beautiful to me’

Dr Gryzenhout says fungi are her passion, both small and large. “Interest in mushrooms is currently booming in South Africa, and there was thus a great need to bring out a book with more species than my previous book, Pocket Guide to Mushrooms of South Africa, published in 2010.”

The latter is the first book that Dr Gryzenhout published on South African mushrooms. The book is still available in stores and she is currently revising it.

She does not have a favourite mushroom or fungus, “because they are all beautiful to me”, she states. In the book she published with Goldman, they cover, among others, general information on what fungi are – since very few people know about them. The book also serves as an identification guide, with a range of photographs for each species to make identification easier. 

Goldman furthermore added his flair and expertise, with general information on how to forage for mushrooms (hunting for mushrooms) for the dinner table, together with some tasty recipes.

“Citizen scientists are mostly interested in the edible fungi and mushrooms. However, they are beautiful and conspicuous, and it is gratifying to find them and actually being able to identify this rather ill-studied group,” adds Dr Gryzenhout.

Contributions of citizen scientists helpful

She says, in general, people were overjoyed that another guide on mushrooms was finally published. Dr Gryzenhout continues: “The excellent range of photographs, contributed by a variety of citizen scientists, were stunning and helpful.  In the time when the book came out, no less than seven mushroom-related societies were brought to life by citizens due to the rapidly growing interest in fungi and the need for information. A follow-up to the book is already needed!”

She says the book is bought as gifts and prizes in these societies, “which we are really humbled about. Since the book contains a number of first reports for South Africa as well as a range of edible and poisonous fungi, it is also important for biodiversity and human health.”

More than 1 500 copies of the book have already been sold since is appearance.

News Archive

Dean of the Faculty of Law delivers farewell lecture
2013-12-04

Prof Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS), delivered his farewell lecture during an event attended by distinguished guests from law circles in Bloemfontein, staff from the faculty, as well as family and friends.

The topic of his farewell lecture was: From leonine to universal partnerships. This theme was also the focus of his inaugural lecture and his later research. “It was a privilege to have been part of the development of universal partnership law,” Prof Henning said.

During the event, Prof Henning was honoured by colleagues, as well as members of the law profession, for his contribution to the academy. Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, thanked Prof Henning for his part in preparing a new generation of academics for the future.

Prof Elizabeth Snyman-Van Deventer from the Department of Mercantile Law, described Prof Henning as someone with an excellent knowledge of history, especially with regard to the Anglo-Boer War and the World Wars. “He is also one of only a few academics of which four postgraduate students became professors. He has lots of empathy with other people and, despite his long list of academic achievements, he is a very humble man. Two of his outstanding characteristics are his humanity and his modesty,” said Prof Snyman-Van Deventer.

Judge Faan Hancke, former chairperson of the UFS Council and Judge of the Supreme Court, said Prof Henning is a multi-faceted person. “He is an incredible academic who has published widely and is the author of several textbooks. He is also editor of a number of journals and serves on the editorial board of several publications. I have great admiration for his academic excellence and his absolute knowledge of partnership law. He is the best in South Africa and is also highly regarded internationally in this aspect of the law (he was, among others, director of the Centre for Comparative Partnership and Company Law at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies of the University of London). He is the ideal academic, who has achieved the highest rating in his specialist field of Mercantile Law in South Africa, namely a B1 received in 2012, and he is an excellent dean,” Judge Hancke said.

Prof Henning has a long association with the UFS. In 1968 he reported as a first-year student. Later, in 1974, he was appointed in the Department of Mercantile Law on a temporary basis. In 1998 he was appointed as Dean of the Faculty of Law. Some of the highlights in his career include his appointment as African representative of CIDOEC, Jesus College, Cambridge, and becoming the first South African being awarded an honorary fellowship to the Society of Advanced Legal Studies in Brittain, as well as the American Order of the Coif.

Prof Henning will continue his partnership with the university in 2014, acting as dean and continuing his research.

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