Welcome to Mushroom World
Step into the fascinating world of mushrooms with Mushroom World – your go-to resource for fungi information. Our site offers clear information and beautiful images of mushrooms.
If you're curious about what fungi actually are and how they differ from plants and animals, be sure to visit our what are fungi? page for an easy-to-understand explanation.
Since there are thousands of known species of mushrooms, we have limited our database to the most common ones. New species are also continuously added to the site.
Come and explore the wonders of mushrooms with us. We hope you find our site informative, inspiring, and a valuable resource on your journey of mushroom discovery.
What you can do on Mushroom World
Browse the database
Explore mushrooms from the alphabetical list or search by name or properties.
Identify a mushroom
Know some characteristics but not the name? Use our mushroom identification helper to narrow it down.
New to identification? Start with identification basics.
Test your knowledge
Try our identification quiz and see how many mushrooms you recognise. Each run gives you new questions.
Upload your photos
Have good mushroom photos to share? Use the upload form and we will see if we can include them on the site.
Today's Mushroom
A quick highlight from our database
Today's mushroom is Strobilomyces strobilaceus (Old Man of the Woods). It grows in Europe, North America and Asia.
Dimensions: Cap 4-10 cm diameter, stem 8-12 cm tall * 2 cm thick
Description:
Strobilomyces strobilaceus, commonly known as Old Man of the Woods, is a medium to large bolete which is characterized by very soft dark grey to black pyramidal and overlapping scales on the cap surface. It is commonly found in forests with a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees in moist and shaded environments.
Cap at first convex-shaped and flatten out with age. It is covered with upright blackish scales that are woolly when the caps are young, becoming firmer on ageing specimens. The underlying cap colour ranges from almost white through shades of greyish brown to almost entirely black. Pores on the underside of the cap are hexagonal, coloured dirty white or grey. The flesh is thick and initially white but will stain pink and then slate grey and black after exposure to the air. Stem coloured like the cap and has a woolly surface and a thick, ascending ring-like structure at the top. Spore print blackish brown to black.
Microscopic Features: Spores are ellipsoidal, measuring 9-15 x 8-12μm, and have a finely meshed pattern.
Synonyms: The name Strobilomyces floccopus is commonly used for the mushroom in North America.
Strobilomyces strobilaceus on the First Nature Web site.
Strobilomyces genus on the MushroomExpert.Com Web site.
If you are interested in this mushroom, look it up in our database for more detailed photographs and additional information.
Many mushrooms are poisonous, and some can be lethally toxic. Distinguishing between edible and poisonous mushrooms can be very challenging. Therefore, we strongly advise against consuming wild mushrooms. This website does not contain any information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms.
Although efforts have been made to ensure accuracy on this website, the information may contain errors and omissions. Therefore, all content provided is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be relied upon or used as a basis for consuming any plants or mushrooms.
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