Sarah Brown
Mushrooms are a type of fungus with a distinctive umbrella-like shape, typically featuring a cap, a stem, and gills on the underside of the cap. They are the fruiting bodies of fungi, which release spores to help the fungus spread and grow. The term mushroom is commonly used to refer to the cultivated white button mushroom, but it can also describe a variety of other gilled fungi, with or without stems. Mushrooms can be edible, poisonous, or unpalatable, and popular edible varieties include portobellos, shiitake, and morels. Identifying mushrooms requires an understanding of their macroscopic structure, and they can be found growing on various substrates, including soil, living trees, and rotting wood.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Mushrooms are the fleshy fruiting bodies of fungi. |
| Number of Species | There are approximately 14,000 species of mushrooms. |
| Morphology | Mushrooms typically have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap. |
| Spores | Mushrooms produce microscopic spores, called basidiospores, on their gills, which help in propagation. |
| Ecology | Mushrooms grow on various substrates, including soil, living trees, and rotting wood. |
| Identification | Identifying mushrooms requires understanding their macroscopic structure, such as the shape, colour, and texture of the cap and gills. |
| Edibility | Mushrooms can be edible, poisonous, or unpalatable. |
| Common Types | Common mushrooms include portobellos, shiitake, oyster mushrooms, and fairy-ring mushrooms. |
| Fun Fact | The term "toadstool" for poisonous mushrooms originated in 14th-century England, implying a "stool" for toads. |
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What You'll Learn
The 'mushroom' term
The term "mushroom" is used to refer to the fleshy fruiting bodies of fungi, typically of the order Agaricales in the phylum Basidiomycota. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, which has a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap. These gills produce microscopic spores, which help the fungus spread across surfaces. The term "mushroom" also describes a variety of other gilled fungi, with or without stems.
Mushrooms are a part of the lifecycle of some fungi. A fungus begins its life as a spore, which can be carried away by the wind or transported by animals such as insects. When the spore finds a suitable environment, it germinates and grows into long, thin strands called hyphae. These hyphae form a network called the mycelium, which enlarges into a round structure called a "button". The button eventually ruptures and develops into a mushroom with a cap and stem.
The term "mushroom" is applied loosely, and it can be challenging to provide a full account of their classifications. Some mushrooms have pores or spines instead of gills, and they are typically given more specific names like "bolete", "truffle", "puffball", "stinkhorn", and "morel". The gills of mushrooms can vary in shape and attachment to the stem, and these distinctions are important for identification.
Mushroom hunting and identification require attention to detail due to the diverse nature of fungi. The substrate, or material that the fungus is growing from, can provide clues about its ecology. Additionally, spore prints can be created by placing the cap of a fresh mushroom on a sheet of paper and waiting for the spores to fall. While the terms "mushroom" and "toadstool" have been used interchangeably, "toadstool" often refers to inedible or poisonous fungi. However, there is no clear distinction between the two terms, and they can be applied to any fleshy fungus fruiting structure.
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Agarics and boletes
Boletes, on the other hand, are usually identified by having a sponge-like surface under the cap, instead of the gills found in agarics. They occur in a variety of colours, such as red, white, brown and grey. Many of the inedible boletes are either white or red. The Boletales are largely ectomycorrhizal fungi, hence they are found mainly in or near woodlands. Certain species are parasitic rather than ectomycorrhizal. The order Boletales was originally created to describe boletes, but it has since been expanded to include a large number of non-bolete species. The order now includes some gilled mushrooms that have similar flesh texture, spore-bearing tissue, and microscopic characteristics of spores and cystidia. The Sclerodermataceae, Boletinellaceae, and Gyroporaceae form a discrete group within the Boletales, and the boletes of Boletinellus and Phlebopus are more closely related to the earthballs of Scleroderma than to Boletus.
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Gill attachment
Mushrooms are a type of fungus with a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap. The gills produce microscopic spores, which help the fungus spread. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. However, the term "mushroom" is used to describe a variety of other gilled fungi, with or without stems.
The gills of mushrooms are attached to the underside of the cap and can vary in their attachment style. There are several types of gill attachment, including free gills, which are gills that do not attach to the stalk, and decurrent gills, which extend down the stalk, as seen in the genera Omphalotus and Pleurotus. These two types represent the extremes, and collectively, all variations between them are called attached gills.
Attached gills can be further categorized into specific types:
- Adnate gills adjoin squarely to the stalk.
- Notched gills are notched where they join the top of the stalk.
- Adnexed gills curve upward to meet the stalk.
These distinctions between attached gill types can be challenging to interpret, as gill attachment may change as the mushroom matures or in response to different environmental conditions.
Gilled mushrooms are often called "agarics" in reference to their similarity to Agaricus or their order Agaricales. The agarics and boletes include most of the forms known as mushrooms. However, other groups of fungi, such as the hydnums or hedgehog mushrooms, are also considered mushrooms by laymen.
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Spores and reproduction
Mushrooms reproduce both sexually and asexually, depending on their species. Fungi that reproduce only sexually are called teleomorphs, while those that reproduce only asexually are called anamorphs or imperfect fungi. Perfect fungi, or holomorphs, can do both. About a third of fungal species are known to use more than one method of reproduction.
Asexual Reproduction
Asexual reproduction is the more frequent method of reproduction in mushrooms. It involves the production and dispersal of spores from the parent organism. These spores are tiny cells that form on special hyphae and are so small that more than 1,000 would fit easily on a pinhead. They disperse by floating on the wind or hitching a ride on an animal. A mushroom releases spores from its gills, which then fall off and are capable of growing into new mushrooms.
Asexual spores are genetically identical to the parent and are produced by one parent only (through mitosis). They are released either outside or within a special reproductive sac called a sporangium. A single hypha can produce offspring in the form of these biologically identical spores. The adult produces them quickly and in large quantities so that more of them have a chance to survive. However, asexual reproduction does not allow for variations, and its offspring are adapted only to specific environments, making them resistant to change and prone to diseases.
Sexual Reproduction
Sexual reproduction in fungi often occurs in response to adverse environmental conditions. It is an important source of genetic variability, allowing the fungus to adapt to new environments. Fungi require the presence of thalli of different mating types in order for sexual fusion to take place. The simplest form of this mechanism occurs in fungi in which there are two mating types, often designated + and − (or A and a). Gametes produced by one type of thallus are compatible only with gametes produced by the other type. Such fungi are said to be heterothallic. Many fungi, however, are homothallic; i.e., sex organs produced by a single thallus are self-compatible, and a second thallus is unnecessary for sexual reproduction.
Fungal sexual reproduction includes the following three stages: plasmogamy, karyogamy, and gametangia. Plasmogamy refers to the fusion of two haploid cells, leading to a dikaryotic stage where two haploid nuclei coexist in a single cell. Karyogamy is the process where the nucleus of the fungus becomes pinched at its midpoint, and the diploid chromosomes are pulled apart by spindle fibres formed within the intact nucleus.
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Identifying mushrooms
Mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms. Fungi exist in their own kingdom, separate from plants and animals, but more closely related to the latter. Mushrooms specifically are fungi with a stem (stipe) and a cap.
Firstly, note the substrate, or the material that the fungus is growing from. Some mushrooms grow in soil, on living trees, or on rotting wood. Knowing the substrate can help understand the mushroom's ecology and narrow down its identification.
Secondly, examine the underside of the cap, where the spores are formed. This is called the hymenial layer. Observe the gills, which can run down the stem, fork into a Y-shape, or alternate between full-length and partial gills. Some mushrooms, like chanterelles, have "false gills", which are wrinkled folds instead of gills.
Thirdly, look for mushrooms at different stages of development. Young and old specimens of the same species can vary significantly in appearance. Additionally, pay attention to the colour and shape of the cap, as well as any unique characteristics such as scales or rings on the stem.
Finally, spore colour is an important trait for identification. By laying the cap of a fresh mushroom on a sheet of paper for a few hours, you can obtain a spore print. Field guides often organise mushrooms by spore colour, so this can be a helpful tool for identification.
Remember, mushroom identification takes practice, and it is always recommended to seek expert advice or guidance before consuming any wild mushrooms.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushrooms are fungi that typically have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap. They are the fleshy fruiting bodies of some Ascomycota.
Common mushrooms include the fairy-ring mushroom, shiitake, enoki, oyster mushrooms, fly agarics, paddy straw mushrooms, and shaggy manes.
Mushrooms can be identified by their macroscopic structure. Most are basidiomycetes and gilled. Their spores, called basidiospores, are produced on the gills and fall in a fine rain of powder from under the caps. The gills can be attached, notched, adnate, or adnexed.
No, not all mushrooms are edible. Some are poisonous, and some are unpalatable.
