Mushrooms

What Are These Things?

If You Said Fungus…You Are Right

Fungus: any of a diverse group of eukaryotic single celled or multinucleate organisms that live by decomposing and absorbing the organic material in which they grow.

Plural is Fungi

Examples of Fungi

• Mushrooms• Molds• Mildews• Smuts• Rusts• Yeasts

But we are thinking about…

ShiitakeMushrooms

People eat them so they are food….but…..

What are they for ? Fungi recycle plants after they die and

transform them into rich soil. If not for mushrooms and fungi, the Earth would be buried in several feet of debris and life on the planet would soon disappear.

Many mushrooms grow towards light, following the sun just like plant. Unlike with plants, scientists do not yet know how mushrooms use sunlight; only that they do.

~ Mushrooms have no chlorophyll (a green pigment in plants), so they don't need sunshine to grow and thrive. Some of the earliest commercial mushroom farms were actually set up in caves in France during the reign of King Louis XIV (1638-1715).

~ Mushrooms are an excellent source of copper, a mineral that the body needs to produce red blood cells and for other functions.

Nutrition Who knew?

~ Mushrooms have significant amounts of B-complex vitamins

~ One portabella mushroom has more potassium than a banana.

Mushroom Colonies

Mushrooms are often in groups or colonies.

Fairy Rings

Some of the colonies are shaped like circles. They are called fairy rings. Some rings are so large that they can best be seen from airplanes.

Mushrooms are useful not only as food and medicine; some are also being used in bioremediation, to absorb and digest dangerous substances like oil, pesticides and industrial waste, in places where they threaten the environment.

Mushrooms

The Mushroom Growing Kit

Do not eat mushrooms that you find in the wild. Some are edible and some are

toxic (they will make you sick)

Look Touch But do not taste!