Lets start below and work our way up. Most fungi start out with Hyphae, which are like very small threads that grow and branch out. when Hyphae grow bigger and connect, they make up mycelium, which in mushrooms, serve mainly as the roots of the mushroom.
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| Oyster mushroom ( Pleurotus ostreatus)growing in coffee grounds |
In some fungi, they have a fruit to help spread it's spores, which are like the seeds of a fungi. the fruit is known as a mushroom. The mushrooms can be identified many different ways, some of which being color, texture,anatomy (e.g. gills, cap), and even taste ( usually only if fairly sure).
mushrooms can look very different, while others can look very similar. It's not always easy to tell a poisonous mushroom from a choice edible one. I like to refer to a field guide. I use the "National Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms". it is very easy to use, and has many different mushrooms. It gives a brief description of the mushroom, whether it is edible, poisonous, or hallucinogenic, where it is located, season, and even look-alikes! Never eat a mushroom if you are not 100% sure on what it is.
Mushrooms have multiple parts, such as the stalk, which is the part of the fruit the goes from the ground up to the cap, the gills, which are the underneath of the cap, where the spores are stored, a ring, which is underneath the cap on the stalk, and looks like an extra layer of "skin" and the volva, which is where the mushroom sprout from the ground. not every mushroom has all these things. most shelf fungi don't have spores, for example.
Thanks for reading! I will probably edit this post, to add more information has it occurs to me. Please share this with a friend or someone you know, hopefully one who likes plants and mycology! I will come up with a new post next week, until then, Ciao!
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