FUNGI
“Without fungi, rain forests could not exist” David Attenborough
MUSHROOM
“On the subject of wild mushrooms, it is easy to tell who is an expert and who is not: The expert is the one who is still alive” Donal Henahan
Are fungi and mushrooms the same?
They are different.
Mushrooms
All mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms.
Simply put fungi are two types those producing mushrooms and those that don’t produce mushrooms.
A Mushroom is the umbrella-shaped fruiting body-sporophore (cap & stem) of fungi. Mushroom is the reproductive structure of certain fungi. Mushrooms developed above the ground.
Mushrooms are of two types-edible and non-edibles (toadstools). Non-edible mushrooms produce colourful caps and are poisonous.
Types of fungi
Fungi can be with filaments (molds) or without filamentous hyphae (yeast)
Most of us are familiar with these relatively large, showy reproductive structures such as mushrooms, truffles, puffballs, shelf, and cup fungi etc and these form less than 1% of the fungi. The rest of the fungi produce reproductive structures not visible to the naked eye and include yeast (bread), fermenters (wine) and sources of antibiotics.
Fungi lack chlorophyll and hence can’t photosynthesise, and they are the best decomposers in Nature.
The fungus can grow below the ground, unlike mushrooms.
IN GENERAL
Fungi can be described in three ways.
Good– It eats the dead matter and cleans the earth of that uncomfortable view.
Bad- Fungi are bad for the trees. It can eat the tissues of living trees. The innocent-looking fungus can be lethal to this gigantic tree as time passes.
Ugly-Fungi can be poisonous. They must be cooked properly. If eaten raw they can cause food poisoning or allergic reactions.
There are three types of harmful fungi.
- One that kills you,
- One that makes you seriously ill and
- One that gives you hallucinations😂
Benefits from fungi
- Most antibiotics used by humans are produced from fungi
- Fungi are essential to many households in making bread, wine, cheese and beer
- Fungi are used in food (mushrooms, truffles) and are delicacies with high protein
“Fungi are the interface organisms between life and death” Paul Stamets
Thank you for your visit.
Take care, my friend.
Namaste 🙏🙏🙏
Mr Philo
You can check my other posts HERE
Image by © PTP-2023 All Rights Reserved
This post is part of Denzil’s Nature Photo Challenge #8 Fascinating Fungi
Philosophy Through Photography 
I love “experts are those who are still alive”!
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And is it not the truth?
It’s funny too!
Thank you, Dolly.
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Your posts are always so educational Philo. Thanks for sharing this info on my challenge!
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Thank you, Denzil for your kind and encouraging words.
🙏🙏🙏
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Great photos. I liked the video too 😀
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Thank you so much Cee Neuner.
Namaste.
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Thanks for sharing this insightful information about fungi and mushrooms. It’s interesting to learn that all mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms. It’s amazing how fungi play a vital role in nature, acting as decomposers, and being the source of many antibiotics used by humans. However, it’s important to know that some fungi are harmful and can cause food poisoning or allergic reactions if not cooked properly. Overall, it’s fascinating to learn about the various types of fungi and their importance in our lives. 👍👏👌😊
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Thank you, Pankaj Kumar.
You have beautifully explained things about fungi much better.
Appreciate for reading and commenting my post.
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