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
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Today's Mushroom
A quick highlight from our database
Today's mushroom is Verpa bohemica (Bell Morel). It grows in Europe, North America.
Dimensions: 2-4 cm diameter * 8-22 cm tall
Description:
Verpa bohemica, commonly known as wrinkled thimble-cap, early false morel, and bell morel, is a spring-fruiting fungus with a yellowish brown to brown, strongly wrinkled cap that hangs freely from the top of a long pale stem. It grows solitary, scattered, or in small groups on soil in woodland, especially under hardwoods, and appears in early spring, often around the same time as or slightly before the true morels. The cap is attached to the stem only at the apex, which is one of the most important features separating it from Morchella species.
Cap tan, yellow-brown, or brown, usually bell-shaped, conical, or somewhat irregular, with prominent longitudinal wrinkles and folds rather than the deep pits and ridges of true morels. The underside is paler, often whitish. The cap hangs completely free around the stem except where it is attached at the very top. The flesh is thin and fragile.
Stem creamy white to pale yellow, long and usually more or less equal, sometimes slightly enlarged at the base. It is often finely granular or scurfy, sometimes with faint concentric bands. The interior is hollow or loosely filled with whitish, cottony fibres. Spore print cream to pale yellowish.
Microscopic Features: Spores are ellipsoid to elongated-ellipsoid, smooth, measuring 48–85 x 15–24 µm, and hyaline. The asci are typically 2-spored, which is a useful microscopic character for this species.
Note: Verpa bohemica has also been placed in the genus Ptychoverpa, and the name Ptychoverpa bohemica is still encountered as a synonym. Although it is closely related to the true morels, it is not a true morel. Older specimens can sometimes look deceptively pitted, which is one reason it is frequently misidentified in the field.
Verpa bohemica 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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