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.
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Today's Mushroom
A quick highlight from our database
Today's mushroom is Baorangia bicolor (Two-colored bolete). It grows in North America, Asia.
Dimensions: Cap 4–15 cm; stem 5-10 cm tall * 1-3 cm diameter
Description:
Baorangia bicolor, commonly known as the Two-colored Bolete, is a medium to large bolete easily recognised by its vivid contrast of colours: a smooth, red to reddish-pink cap, bright yellow pores, and a yellow stem often flushed with red. The flesh is pale yellow and slowly bruises blue when cut or handled, which is a feature that helps distinguish it from similar species that bruise more rapidly and intensely. It typically grows in hardwood forests, especially near oaks.
Cap convex when young, gradually becoming broadly convex or nearly flat as it matures. The surface is dry and finely velvety when very young, but it soon becomes smooth and bald. At maturity, the texture resembles soft leather, and in older specimens, the surface may develop fine cracks. The colour is usually deep pinkish red to dark brick red, often fading to a lighter reddish or pinkish tone with age. The flesh is pale yellow. Pore surface usually slightly decurrent, running a short distance down the stem, especially in young specimens. It starts out bright yellow, gradually becoming orangish and then dull olive yellow with age, and occasionally reddish in older specimens. When bruised, the pores typically stain blue, often promptly but sometimes more slowly. Stem yellow near the apex, with the lower two-thirds showing red to rosy red colouration. When injured, it bruises blue very slowly and may show little to no colour change in some cases. The stem is solid inside, lacking a ring or any trace of a partial veil. The flesh is deep yellow. Spore print olive-brown.
Microscopic Features: Spores measuring 9–11 × 3.5–5 µm, subfusiform (somewhat spindle-shaped), smooth, and hyaline to yellow or golden in potassium hydroxide (KOH).
Synonyms: Boletus bicolor is an older name for Baorangia bicolor.
Boletus bicolor on the MushroomExpert.Com Web site.
The second photo is by Dave W under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.
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.
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