Sarah Brown
Mushrooms are a diverse group of fungi with a wide range of physical characteristics. The underside of a mushroom can have gills, teeth, ridges, or pores. Gills are thin-walled structures that usually surround the mushroom's stem and can be attached to the stem or free. They are composed of two layers: the lamellae, which extend from the stem to the edge, and the lamellulae, which are shorter gills that do not reach the stem. Gills play an important role in spore dispersal, as spores are typically found within the gills or pores. While many mushrooms have gills, it is important to note that not all mushrooms possess gills, and other structures like pores or false gills can be present instead.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Underside structure | Gills, teeth, ridges, or pores |
| Gill structure | True gills, false gills |
| Gill attachment | Decurrent, free, attached directly or by a notch |
| Gill colour | Various |
| Bruising | Possible |
| Spores | Found under the mushroom cap, within the gills or pores |
| Gills function | Help identify a mushroom |
| Gills location | Clustered around the stem |
| Composition | Lamellae and lamellulae |
| Lamellae | Reach from the stem to the edge |
| Lamellulae | Shorter gills that don't reach the stem |
| Examples of gilled mushrooms | Mycena pasvikensis, Green Pepe, Orange Mycena, Eastern North American Destroying Angel, Fly Agaric, Caesar's Mushroom |
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What You'll Learn
Gills are important for identifying mushrooms
While not all mushrooms have gills, they are an important feature for identifying mushrooms. The underside of a mushroom can have gills, teeth, ridges, or pores, and each of these structures can help determine the species. Gills, for instance, are small, thin-walled structures that usually appear in clusters around the stem. They can be attached to the stem, free, or have various forking or branching patterns.
Mycologists have many terms to describe gill structure, some of which are very precise and complicated. Some common features include stem attachment and colour. Stem attachment can be decurrent, meaning they run down the stem as with oyster mushrooms, or free, meaning they don't attach to the stem at all as with portobellos or amanitas. The colour of the gills can also be indicative, as they may be a very different colour from the cap, and they may bruise a different colour when pressure is applied.
Mushrooms with gills include the Mycena pasvikensis, a resilient brown mushroom found in northern Europe; the Green Pepe (Mycena chlorophos), a bioluminescent species found in subtropical regions of Asia, South America, Polynesia, and Australia; and the Orange Mycena (Mycena leaiana), an orange species that grows in clusters and has wavy gills towards the margin.
Other notable mushrooms with gills include the Eastern North American destroying angel (Amanita bisporigera), a deadly, all-white poisonous mushroom found in eastern North America; the Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), a beautiful, psychoactive mushroom with a red or orange cap found in the Northern Hemisphere; and Caesar's mushroom (Amanita caesarea), a highly regarded edible mushroom featuring yellow, orange, and white colours, native to southern Europe and North Africa.
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Mushrooms without gills may have pores, teeth, or ridges
While gills are a common feature of mushrooms, not all mushrooms have them. The underside of a mushroom can have one of four types of structures: gills, teeth, ridges, or pores. Mushrooms without gills may have pores, which are small, sponge-like holes that lead to tubes inside the cap. As spores mature, they fall from these tubes out of the holes and into the environment. Boletes and polypores are two common types of mushrooms known to have pores. Boletes grow in deciduous and coniferous forests by forming symbiotic relationships with trees, while polypores are typically found on rotting wood. Turkey tail is an example of a polypore that grows flat off the sides of decaying wood and fans out as it matures.
Some mushrooms have teeth on the underside of their caps. The caps can come in different shapes, sizes, colours, and textures, and the shape is unique to each species. Chanterelles, for example, have false gills that "melt" onto the stem, but these are not true gills. Instead, chanterelles drop their spores from the undersides of their curled caps.
Other mushrooms may have ridges on the underside of their caps. Ridges can have various forking or branching patterns, and the presence of true gills versus false gills can be an important distinction when identifying mushrooms. For example, oyster mushrooms have decurrent gills that run down the stem, while portobellos and amanitas have free gills that do not attach to the stem at all.
The method of spore dispersal is a useful trait to examine when trying to identify mushrooms. While most mushrooms reproduce through gills, pores, or teeth, some have unique methods of spore dispersal. For example, stinkhorn spores are produced in a foul-smelling jelly that attracts flies to spread the spores. Puffballs, including the giant puffball, release their spores through a hole in the top of the cap called an ostiole, or when the mushroom ruptures. Coral fungi have a microscopic layer of spores covering all the branches, and cup fungi have a spore-bearing surface on the inside of the cup with no pores or gills. The morel mushroom, famous for its unique appearance, contains spore-producing sacs along the insides of its pits or wrinkles.
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Gills can be attached to the stem or free
The underside of a mushroom can have gills, teeth, ridges, or pores. Gills are small, thin-walled structures that usually appear in clusters around the stem. They are composed of two layers: the lamellae, which reach from the stem to the edge, and the lamellulae, which are shorter gills that do not reach the stem.
The attachment of gills to the stem is an important characteristic for identifying mushrooms. Mycologists use various terms to describe gill structures, and guidebooks can provide detailed information on different types of gills. Additionally, the colour of the gills and their tendency to bruise can aid in mushroom identification.
While most mushrooms have gills, some have pores instead. Pores are small, sponge-like holes that lead to tubes inside the cap. As spores mature, they fall from these tubes through the holes into the environment. Examples of mushrooms with pores include boletes and polypores. Boletes often grow in forests by forming symbiotic relationships with trees, while polypores are commonly found on rotting wood.
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Gills can be straight or wavy
The underside of a mushroom can have gills, teeth, ridges, or pores. Gills are small, thin-walled structures that surround the mushroom's stem, with an opening on one side. They are composed of two layers: the lamellae, which reach from the stem to the edge, and the lamellulae, which are shorter gills that don't reach the stem.
The colour of the gills is also important when identifying a mushroom. Sometimes the gills will be a different colour from the cap. Applying pressure with a fingernail or a knife can help observe whether they bruise a different colour.
Mushrooms that reproduce through gills, such as those in the Amanitaceae family, can be deadly or psychoactive. For example, the Eastern North American destroying angel (Amanita bisporigera) is an all-white poisonous Amanita found in oak-dominated hardwood forests throughout eastern North America. On the other hand, Caesar's mushroom (Amanita caesarea) is a highly regarded edible Amanita native to southern Europe and North Africa, featuring yellow, orange, and white colours.
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Some mushrooms reproduce without gills
Mushrooms are the fleshy fruits of fungi that grow on soil, rotting wood, or any suitable surface where they find nourishment. They reproduce asexually and sexually. Asexual reproduction is more frequent and happens when the basidium, a small club-shaped structure in the mushroom cap, matures and bears spores in the gills. However, not all mushrooms have gills.
Puffballs, for example, don't have gills or tubes, and they don't even have caps. They appear in fields or other open areas and can vary in size from smaller than golf balls to almost as large as volleyballs. Another example is the barometer earthstar, which reproduces asexually by releasing spores in the normal puffball manner during wet weather. During dry weather, its outer covering contracts and closes in on the inner core, squeezing out any remaining spores.
Mushrooms that reproduce sexually do so through plasmogamy and karyogamy for genetic diversity. Some self-fertilize, while others need mates. Sexual reproduction boosts genetic diversity, aiding adaptation and evolution, while asexual reproduction enables rapid expansion. This dual reproductive strategy is a major advantage, allowing fungi to thrive in a wide range of environmental conditions.
Additionally, some mushrooms reproduce through budding, a form of asexual reproduction where a tiny new fungus sprouts directly from the parent, eventually pinching off and starting its independent growth. This method is similar to the process by which yeast cells help make bread rise and beer ferment.
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Frequently asked questions
No, not all mushrooms have gills. The underside of a mushroom can have one of four types of structures: gills, teeth, ridges, or pores.
Gills are small, thin-walled structures that surround the mushroom's stem. They have an opening on one side and are usually found in clusters around the stem. The gills are composed of two layers: the lamellae that reach from the stem to the edge, and the lamellulae, which are shorter gills that don't reach the stem.
Just like plants need seeds to reproduce, mushrooms need spores. Spores are found under the mushroom cap, within the gills or pores.
To identify a mushroom with gills, observe how the gills attach to the stem. They may be ""decurrent", meaning they run down the stem, or "free", meaning they don't attach to the stem at all. You can also note the colour of the gills and whether they bruise a different colour when pressure is applied.
