About Mushrooms

Mushrooms belong to the kingdom Fungi, a massive group that includes molds, yeasts, mushrooms, and lichen. It might seem strange, but fungi are more closely related to animals than they are to plants, and not all fungi produce mushrooms. There are perhaps 5 million fungi species, but only around 20,000 species produce mushrooms. While a discussion of fungal reproduction would require volumes—it gets complicated—a decidedly simplified summary of mushrooms is possible.

The actual “body” of a mushroom-producing fungus is found below the substrate (what it’s growing on). What we know as a “mushroom” is actually a fruiting body: The mushroom produces many spores, which are each capable of producing another fungus (and eventually, more mushrooms). A mushroom is therefore akin to the fruit of a tree, and the fungal mycelium, which often resembles whitish “roots,” forms the body of the fungus. The mycelium, in turn, is made of tiny strand-like structures called hyphae. When a mushroom spore lands on a suitable area (often spread by the wind), it starts forming hyphae, which eventually produce mycelia and, if conditions are right, more mushrooms.