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 Chroogomphus rutilus (Copper Spike). It grows in Europe, (North America).
Dimensions: cap 5-12 cm dia; stem 6-12 cm tall * 0.5-1.2 cm dia.
Description:
Chroogomphus rutilus, commonly known as the Copper Spike, is a medium-sized mushroom with a reddish-copper to golden-brown cap and thick, decurrent gills. It is mycorrhizal with conifers, especially pines, and is typically found in woodland and forest clearings.
Cap medium-sized, at first convex with the margin rolled inwards, later flattening and sometimes with a broad central umbo. Surface smooth, sticky when moist, shiny when dry, and varying in colour from reddish-copper to golden brown or purplish brown, often darker at the centre. Gills thick and widely spaced, running down the stem, initially pale ochre to yellowish and later becoming cinnamon to rusty brown as spores mature. Flesh yellowish to orange-brown, unchanging when cut. Stem cylindrical or slightly swollen at the base, smooth or finely fibrillose, coloured like the cap or paler towards the base. Spore print very dark smoky-olive to black.
Microscopic Features: Spores large and bolete-like, subfusiform in shape, measuring 15–22 × 5.5–7 µm.
Note: Chroogomphus rutilus as traditionally known in North America is now recognised as a different species. Molecular studies have shown that the true C. rutilus is confined to Europe, while North American collections previously assigned to this name are genetically identical with Chroogomphus ochraceus.
Chroogomphus rutilus on the www.first-nature.com web site.
Chroogomphus ochraceus ("rutilus") 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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