Look at the most beautiful and amazing mushrooms that exist on our planet.
Blue milky (Lactarius indigo). A fairly common species of mushroom, it grows in eastern North America, East Asia and Central America. It grows on the ground in both deciduous and coniferous forests. Color varies from dark blue in fresh mushrooms to pale blue-gray in old ones. The milk that the mushroom produces when cut or broken is also blue. The cap is 5-15 cm, the leg is 2-8 cm in height and 1-2.5 cm in thickness. The mushroom is edible and sold in rural markets in Mexico, Guatemala and China.
Panellus of the species Panellus stipticus. A common species, it grows in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. It grows in groups on logs, stumps and trunks of deciduous trees, especially oaks, beeches and birches. This is one of the bioluminescent species of mushrooms, although there are no mushrooms of this species from the Pacific regions of North America.
Orange tremella (Tremella mesenterica). This fungus most often grows on dead trees, but also on recently fallen branches. The gelatinous orange-yellow body of the fungus (up to 7.5 cm in diameter) has a sinuous surface that becomes sticky and slippery when it rains. The fungus grows in cracks in the bark, appearing when it rains. A few days after the rain, it dries out and turns into a thin film or shriveled mass that can be reborn after the rain. This fungus is widely found in mixed forests and is distributed in temperate and tropical regions, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. The mushroom is edible, although it is considered tasteless. This fungus produces carbohydrates that are valuable for research.
Rhodotus (Rhodotus palmatus). This mushroom is the only representative of the genus in the Physalacriaceae family. Not very common. The mushroom is collected in eastern North America, northern Africa, Europe and Asia. In Europe, the number of mushrooms is rapidly falling, so Rhodotus was included in the Red Book. Typically grows on the stumps and logs of rotting hard trees. Mature mushrooms are distinguished by their pinkish color and characteristic “vein-like” surface.
Pale brown Clavaria (Clavaria zollingeri). A widespread type of mushroom. It has a tube-shaped purple or pinkish-lilac body that grows up to 10 cm tall and 7 cm wide. The tips of the fragile and thin branches are usually rounded and brownish. This is a saprobic type of fungus, it absorbs nutrients by breaking down organic matter. Usually grows on the ground.
Starweed (Geastrum saccatum). Grows in North America and Europe on rotting trees. Mushroom pickers consider it inedible due to its bitter taste. A fairly common species, peak collection occurs at the end of summer. It is believed that the hole on the outer layer of the mushroom's body is star-shaped due to the collection of calcium oxalate crystals just before opening. In Brazil, the mushroom is called the “star of the earth.”
Scaly polypore (Polyporus squamosus). A widespread species of mushroom, it grows in North America, Australia, Asia and Europe. It causes white rot on hardwood trees. An alternative name for the mushroom, Dryad's Saddle, refers to Greek mythology and the dryads who could allegedly ride on these mushrooms.
Aseroe rubra. The so-called sea anemone is widespread and recognizable due to its unpleasant rotten smell and starfish shape. Grows in gardens on the forest floor and in grassy areas, it resembles a red star covered in brownish slime and has a white stalk. Attracts flies.
Coral mushroom (Clavulinopsis corallinorosacea). The mushroom is called so because of its resemblance to sea corals. These mushrooms have bright colors, mostly orange, yellow or red. They usually grow in old forests. Some coral fungi are saprotrophic, while others are symbiotic or even parasitic.
Brown puffball (Lycoperdon umbrinum). This type of mushroom grows in China, Europe and North America. These mushrooms do not have an open cap with spores. Instead, the spores appear internally, in a spherical body. When mature, the spores form a gleba in the center of the body, which has a characteristic color and texture.
Caesar's mushroom (Amanita caesarea). A very valuable edible mushroom native to southern Europe and North America. This mushroom was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1772. The rulers of the Roman Empire loved him very much. It has a characteristic orange cap, yellow spore-bearing plates and a stalk. This mushroom was highly valued by the ancient Romans, who called it Boletus.
Mycena interrupta. This mushroom grows in Australia, New Zealand, Chile and New Caledonia. In Australia it grows in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and South Australia, as well as in Queensland, although only in Lamington National Park. The mushroom cap is 0.6-2 cm, and they have a bright blue color. They are spherical when they appear and become wider as they mature. The hats are sticky and feel slippery, especially when it rains.
Elegant Xanthoria (Xanthoria elegans). This mushroom grows on rocks, often near bird perches or rodent burrows. By nature it is a lichen. It was one of the first lichens to be used in a rock surface dating technique known as lichenometry. It grows at a rate of 0.5 mm per year during the first century, and then its growth slows down slightly.
Conical morel (Morchella conica). An edible mushroom that resembles a honeycomb at the top. It consists of a whole network of wavy stripes with cavities between them. Very appreciated among gourmets, especially in French cuisine. The mushroom is very popular among mushroom pickers, not only from a commercial point of view, but also because of its pleasant taste.
Red fly agaric (Amanita muscaria). The well-known fly agaric is a poisonous and psychotropic basidiomycete mushroom. It grows in the northern hemisphere, but has also been introduced into countries in the southern hemisphere, first as a symbiont in coniferous forests, and then as a full-fledged species. Red cap with white dots - who doesn’t know the fly agaric? This is one of the most recognizable mushrooms in the world. Although fly agaric is considered poisonous, there are no confirmed cases of fly agaric poisoning, and in some parts of Europe, Asia and North America it is eaten after blanching. Fly agaric has hallucinogenic properties, its main psychotropic component is muscimol. Some peoples of Siberia use it as an entheogen, and it has great religious significance in these cultures.
