Fungus Fact Friday

Category: Fungus Fact

#141: Pilobolus spp., the Hat Throwers 0

Fungus Fact

#141: Pilobolus spp., the Hat Throwers

Fungi in the genus Pilobolus grow on the dung (they are “coprophilous”) of herbivores and are well-known for their unique spore dispersal mechanism. Using highly specialized spore-bearing hyphae, the fungus can launch globs of spores up to 3m (10ft) away!  Its genus name literally means “Hat Thrower,” which is also used as a common name.  Another common name is “Shotgun Fungus,” but that can also be applied to Sphaerobolus spp. (FFF#122), so I recommend against using that name.

#139: Disciotis venosa, the Bleach Cup 1

Fungus Fact

#139: Disciotis venosa, the Bleach Cup

This medium-sized to large cup fungus is distinguished by the prominent vein-like wrinkles on its upper surface.  Although it resembles any number of other brown cup fungi, it belongs to the family Morchellaceae and is actually a close relative of true morels!  This similarity is borne out through microscopic examination, which may be required for accurate identification.  Disciotis venosa is commonly known as the “Bleach Cup,” since it gives off a bleach-like odor when broken, and as the “Veined Cup Fungus,” thanks to its veined upper surface.

#138: Gyromitra esculenta, a False Morel 0

Fungus Fact

#138: Gyromitra esculenta, a False Morel

This is one of the most common false morels. Anyone hunting morels should be familiar with false morels, since they appear at the same time and are potentially deadly.  Gyromitra esculenta can be distinguished from other false morels by its brain-like texture, reddish-brown color, and relatively thin stem.  Most people just call esculenta a “false morel,” but it has some other common names, including: “Brain Mushroom,” “Beefsteak Morel,” “Lorchel,” and “Turban Fungus” (the last name is used in Europe).

#137: Sarcoscypha dudleyi, S. austriaca, and S. coccinea, the Scarlet Cups 2

Fungus Fact

#137: Sarcoscypha dudleyi, S. austriaca, and S. coccinea, the Scarlet Cups

These medium-sized cup fungi are bright red, making them easy to spot against the brown colors of the forest floor. Sarcoscypha dudleyi, austriaca, and S. coccinea are all found in the spring during morel season, so make sure to check for morels when you find a Scarlet Cup!  These three species are indistinguishable from one another to the naked eye.  In order to definitively identify your mushroom, you will have to use a microscope.

#136: Inonotus obliquus, Chaga Mushroom 1

Fungus Fact

#136: Inonotus obliquus, Chaga Mushroom

Chaga (produced by the fungus Inonotus obliquus) is considered by many to be the most potent medicinal mushroom. Its popularity is on the rise and a quick internet search returns mostly websites offering to sell Chaga or sites touting its medicinal benefits.  Chaga purportedly has cancer-fighting properties, stimulates the immune system, reduces inflammation, and prevents aging.  The part of the fungus that people use is not quite a mushroom.  Instead, it is a sterile conk that looks like a large block of charcoal stuck to a birch tree.  This structure can be chopped off the tree, ground up, and steeped in hot water to make a tea.  Chaga tea is the usual way to take advantage of the fungus’s medicinal properties.

#135: Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, Ash Dieback Disease 1

Fungus Fact

#135: Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, Ash Dieback Disease

This emerging fungal disease of ash trees was first reported in 1992 in Poland. Over the past 24 years, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus has spread throughout Europe and (with the help of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle) is now poised to eradicate ash trees from the entire continent.

#134: Auricularia auricula-judae, the Jelly Ear Mushroom 3

Fungus Fact

#134: Auricularia auricula-judae, the Jelly Ear Mushroom

This distinctive, ear-shaped mushroom is brown in color and gelatinous in texture. Auricularia auricula-judae is a common find in North America and Europe and has a close relative in Asia.  As a result, the fungus has accumulated a variety of common names.  The two most commonly used names in English are “Jelly Ear,” “Wood Ear,” and “Tree Ear.”  Other popular names for this mushroom include “Judas’ Ear” or “Jew’s Ear.”  In most European countries, the regional common name translates to “Judas’”  Indeed, the species name for this mushroom translates to “Ear of Judas.”  English translations of Asian names for this mushroom include: “Wood Ear Mushroom” and “Cloud Ear Mushroom.”

#133: Russula virescens species group 3

Fungus Fact

#133: Russula virescens species group

Mushrooms come in all different colors, even green! Although green is an unusual color for mushrooms, certain mushrooms sporting green colors are common.  The most frequently-encountered green mushrooms are from the Russula   Of these, my favorite ones are the Quilted Green Russulas (also called Greencracked Brittlecaps), which belong to the Russula virescens species group.  R. virescens can be found in North America, Europe, and Asia.  However, preliminary DNA studies suggest that specimens found in North America actually belong to a few different species and should not be lumped in with R. virescens.  Unfortunately, mycologists have yet to formally classify these American species.  As a result, the North American species in the group can be called R. virescens for now.

#132: Microbotryum spp., the Anther Smuts 0

Fungus Fact

#132: Microbotryum spp., the Anther Smuts

Of all the sexually transmitted infections in the world, the anther smuts are probably the most bizarre. Fungi in the genus Microbotryum infect plants in the pink family (Caryophyllaceae) as well as a few other species.  When a plant infected with an anther smut tries to produce flowers, the fungus hijacks the process and forces the plant to make anther-like structures filled with fungal spores instead of pollen.  The spores are primarily transmitted to new flowers by pollinators, but can also be spread by wind or splashing raindrops.

#131: Class Ustilaginomycetes, Smut Fungi 0

Fungus Fact

#131: Class Ustilaginomycetes, Smut Fungi

These fungi are obligate plant pathogens with life cycles similar to the rust fungi. Thankfully, the smut fungi have much simpler life cycles: only one host and only two spore types.  To make matters easier, smut fungi only infect flowering plants (angiosperms), with just five known exceptions out of the over 1,400 described species.  Wondering about their common name?  Although the word “smut” has come to mean “something obscene,” it originally meant “dirt” or “excrement.”  Smut fungi produce copious amounts of powdery, black spores, which look like dirt en masse.  “Smutted wheat,” therefore, is wheat that has had its seeds replaced by the dirt-like spores of a smut fungus.