Color terminology and identification

[E. Parmasto]

For fungal taxonomy, two colo(u)r books are most
suitable:
   1) Methuen Book of Colour (by A. Kornerup & J.H.
Wanscher); 2nd ed. (1967) is better than the 3rd: it
has a table with colours characterized in Munsell
system. This is a pocket-book suitable to have with
in field work.
   2) Munsell book of color. Munsell Color Co., Inc.,
Baltimore (1942 and onwards). It is very good but
costly; there is a shortened version of it for soil
colours - most colours used in mycological
descriptions are represented.
   In the Ridgway's classical book published near a
century ago, the printed colours are faded (in
different copies differently), but the main thing: there
are only a few mycologists who do have it. For most
of us his color names without a book are useless.
   The ideal light, of course, would be full natural
light. All other sources of light are giving biased
results.
   Erast Parmasto