Microscopy for Purposes of Identification (Newbie Question)

[Geoff Steckel]

In article <33923DC3.4081 at crosslink.net>,
Tim and Runjuan Childress  <timantoi at crosslink.net> wrote:
>   Please forgive the intrusion of a newbie in this scholarly company;

You're not alone - many non-PhD people are here.
I'm just an amateur, too.

>   My own interest at present is in identification and collection of
>mushrooms in the field, with a strong emphasis on mycophagy.

Many of us share your interests.

>Given the
>evident phenotypic variation among specimens, I would feel much more
>secure if I could use microscopic characteristics as an aid to
>identification.  In particular, I am thinking of spore shape, size
>and color.