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 Bondarzewia berkeleyi (Berkeley's polypore). It grows in Europe, North America, Africa, Asia.
Dimensions: Fruiting Body 25-40 cm across
Description:
Bondarzewia berkeleyi, commonly known as Berkeley's polypore, or Stump blossoms, is a species of polypore fungus in the family Russulaceae. It is a parasitic species that causes butt rot in oaks and other hardwood trees.
Fruiting body consists of one to several spiraling caps arising from a single, gnarled stem-like structure. The individual caps are either kidney-shaped or irregular in outline, and can be loosely convex, flat, or have a central depression. They are dry and can have a velvety or leathery texture, sometimes with radially wrinkled or vague, semi-concentric zones of texture or colour. The caps are various shades of white to pale grey, cream, beige or yellow and turn sometimes brownish when mature. The pore surface is white, and the outer edges are tender and can be easily cut with a knife. Spore print white.
Microscopic Features: The spores measure 6-7.5 µm and lack ornamentation. They have a globose to subglobose shape. The spores are adorned with densely packed, amyloid, blunt-tipped spines that are approximately 1-2 µm long.
Bondarzewia berkeleyi 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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