Of the at least 2.5 million species of fungus thought to exist on Earth, scientists have described around 150,000—six percent
Of the at least 2.5 million species of fungus thought to exist on Earth, scientists have described around 150,000—six percent.
Image: Robyn Beck / AFP©
You can't walk very far through a forest in this part of the United States without stumbling upon a mushroom, an eruption from a vast fungal kingdom that all life depends on, but about which we know very little.
Some are tall and thin with a helmet top, others are great flourishes of brain-like folds; some seem like they should be sheltering fairies in a storybook.
Many look like they could be delicious in the hands of a skilled chef; others... decidedly not.
But the dozens of species that enthusiasts and experts collected on a recent morning represent just a tiny fraction of life that is neither flora nor fauna.
"Mushrooms are not plants," said Amy Honan, who teaches mycology and fungal ecology at Oregon University.