Welcome to Mushroom World
Step into the enchanting world of fungi with Mushroom World – your trusted companion for learning about mushrooms. Whether you're a curious beginner or a seasoned nature enthusiast, our site provides clear, accessible information and beautiful images to help you better understand and appreciate the mushrooms you encounter.
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.
With thousands of mushroom species known to science, we've chosen to focus on the most common and easily recognisable ones. Each entry includes helpful descriptions, identification tips, and high-quality images, and we’re always working to expand our collection with new species and updated content.
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 Suillus luteus (Slippery Jack Bolete). It grows in Europe, North America, East Asia.
Dimensions: Cap 5-10 cm diameter, stem 5-10 cm tall * 2-3 cm thick
Description:
Suillus luteus, also known as Slippery Jack Bolete, is a medium to large bolete with a slimy, brown cap and a short to stubby stem which has brown granular dots and a well-developed ring. The mushroom is mycorrhizal, meaning it forms a mutually beneficial relationship with the roots of pine trees. Suillus luteus can be found in coniferous forests, especially those dominated by pine trees, in various regions around the world.
Cap chestnut, rusty, olive-brown, or dark brown in colour. It has a distinctive conical shape, later flattening out. It is slimy to the touch, bare, smooth, and glossy even when dry, and the cuticle is easily peeled off. Flesh whitish with a yellow tinge, unchanging, moderate and soft, unchanging when cut. Pores tiny, circular, initially yellow but turn olive to dark yellow with maturity. Like the skin of the cap, they can be readily peeled away from the flesh. Tubes concolourous with pores, adnate. Stem pale straw-yellow at first but later darkening, more or less cylindrical but may bear a swollen base. A membranous partial veil initially links the stipe with the edge of the cap. When it ruptures, it forms a membranous, hanging ring with is at first whitish, darkening with age, vinaceous-brown below and large. Spore print ochraceous or buff coloured.
Microscopic Features: Spores are sub-fusiform, exhibiting a smooth surface, with dimensions of approximately 8-10.5μm in length and 3-3.5μm in width.
Suillus luteus on the Nature First Web site.
Suillus luteus 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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