Illinois Mushrooms Simple

Fungi

Which Kingdom are mushrooms a member of?

10,000

How many species of mushrooms are found in the US?

2,000

How many species of mushrooms are found in Illinois?

mycology

What is the study of mushrooms called?

pathogens

What do you call destructive mushrooms that cause plant disease?

Mycorrhizae

The symbiotic relationship between the roots of a plant and fungus, helping plants thrive even in harsh soil and drought conditions

Mycelium

The threads that mushrooms wrap around plant roots to provide water, nitrogen, carbon, and other minerals and in return giving the fungus with sugars and carbon

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How many mushrooms are listed as endangered or threatened species?

Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes

What are the two fungus groups that mushrooms belong to?

Basidiomycetes

Which is the most common fungus group for mushrooms?

Basidiomycetes

Spore droppers

Ascomycetes

Spore shooters

basidia

Club-like structures of Basidiomycetes

asci

Sac-like structures of Ascomycetes

cap

Structure that supports the spore-producing surface (AKA pileus)

gills

Downwardly directed with pores, spines, or veins (AKA lamellae)

agaric

Mushrooms with gills on the underside of their caps

Boletes and Polypores

(Two types) Mushrooms that possess tubes with pores

Tooth fungi

Mushrooms with spines or teeth

Chanterelles

Mushrooms with veins

protective layer

Initially connects the cap edge to the stalk (AKA partial veil)

ring

Forms at maturity when the protective layer breaks apart (AKA annulus)

stalk

Extends the cap into the air allowing the mushroom to better disperse spores (AKA stipe)

universal veil

Can cover the entire mushroom when young

volva

Forms when the universal veil tears open near the base of the stipe

hyphae

Microscopic strands that secrete enzymes that break down surrounding material into soluble molecules that are absorbed through cell walls

mycelium

The collective term for hyphae

fungus

Mushrooms are the spore-bearing, or reproductive parts of a ______.

fruiting body

Generally the only phase of a mushroom seen

Stalked Scarlet Cup

Not edible

Stalked Scarlet Cup special

Yellow Morel

Edible, the cap and stem are one, there are false morels that are poisonous

Yellow Morel special

Stalked Scarlet Cup, Yellow Morel

Which mushrooms are Ascomycetes?

Lion’s Mane, Bird’s Nest, Yellow Chanterelle, Crown-Tipped Coral, Dryad’s Saddle, Elegant Stinkhorn, Emetic Russula, Deer Mushroom, Giant Puffball, Green-Gilled Lepiota, Indigo Milk Cap, Jack-O-Lantern, Malodorous Lepiota, Orange Mycena, Oyster Mushroom, Rounded Earthstar, Shaggy Mane, Split-Gill, Spotted Bolete, Sulfur-Colored Chicken of the Woods, Turkey Tail Fungus, Wood Ear, Yellow-Orange Fly Agaric

Which mushrooms are Basidiomycetes?

Lion’s Mane

Edible, similar to Bear’s Head

Lion’s Mane special

Bird’s Nest or Splash Cup

Not edible, has eggs with spores

Bird’s Nest special

Yellow Chanterelle

Edible, can smell like apricots but not common in Illinois

Yellow Chanterelle special

Crown-Tipped Coral

Edible, tastes peppery

Crown-Tipped Coral special

Dryad’s Saddle

Edible, tastes like watermelon raw

Dryad’s Saddle special

Elegant Stinkhorn

Edible, but has toxic lookalikes

Elegant Stinkhorn special

Emetic Russula

Poisonous, causes vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps

Emetic Russula special

Fawn or Deer Mushroom

Edible, but has poisonous lookalikes

Fawn or Deer Mushroom special

Giant Puffball

Edible if completely white in middle, up to 2 feet across

Giant Puffball special

Green-Gilled Lepiota

Poisonous, may require hospitalization

Green-Gilled Lepiota special

Indigo Milk Cap

Edible, cap and stem bleed blue liquid

Indigo Milk Cap special

Jack-O-Lantern

Toxic, bioluminescent

Jack-O-Lantern special

Malodorous Lepiota

Poisonous, smells like rubber or tar

Malodorous Lepiota special

Orange Mycena

Not edible, has antibiotic and antitumor properties

Orange Mycena special

Oyster Mushroom

Edible, skin on cap can be peeled if soaked

Oyster Mushroom special

Rounded Earthstar

Not edible

Rounded Earthstar special

Shaggy Mane

Edible if picked fresh, liquifies into black ink

Shaggy Mane special

Split-Gill

Not edible

Split-Gill special

Spotted Bolete

Edible

Spotted Bolete special

Sulfur-Colored Chicken of the Woods

Edible, can be used as a chicken substitute

Sulfur-Colored Chicken of the Woods special

Turkey Tail Fungus

Edible, Chinese use as remedy for liver cancer and jaundice

Turkey Tail Fungus special

Wood Ear

edible, can be de/rehydrated, used in Asian cuisine

Wood ear special

Yellow-Orange Fly Agaric

Poisonous and hallucinogenic

Yellow-Orange Fly Agaric special

Yes, especially in forests

Have species of mushrooms in Illinois decreased over the past few years?

Habitat degradation and destruction from urbanization and agriculture

What is the primary cause of the declining mushroom population?

Manage areas to protect and maintain populations, and make decisions based on research

What should we do to conserve our mushrooms?

Zeus’s lightning

What did the Greeks think mushrooms came from?

80,000 of 1.5 million

Of how many estimated mushroom species have been discovered

The honey mushroom, Malheur National Forest in Oregon underground, 3.5 miles, 2,400 years

What is the largest living organism in the world? Where is it found? How many miles does it stretch? How old is it?

7 trillion

How many spores can a giant puffball contain?

chitin

What is the hard material found in mushroom cell walls and outer coverings of insects and crustaceans?

It has been colonized by bioluminescent fungi

Why does some wood glow in the dark when broken apart?

Six million tons, 5th

How many cultivated mushrooms are consumed each year? What is their rank of the most produced crops in the US?

animals

Are fungi more closely related to plants or animals?

Just a dozen or two

How many of the thousands of mushrooms in IL are edible?

We don’t have one

What is Illinois’s state mushroom?