Mushrooms grow little skirts! How many cute creatures have you seen in bamboo forests?

In previous articles, we have emphasized one thing more than once: Don't bring wild animals and plants home to raise casually. It is not good for them, yourself, or the environment. It is true that we like to raise cute things, but as modern people, raising pets is almost the same as raising ornamental plants, or... raising mushrooms for fun? The bamboo fungus that appears today is quite beautiful! It is not difficult to buy, but the viewing period may be a bit short.

Image: kinoco-zukan.net

Phallus indusiatus, also known as long-skirted bamboo fungus, is a large fungus of the phylum Basidiomycetes . Previously, Phallus indusiatus was classified as an independent genus of the family Phallus. The genus name Dictyophora comes from Greek, meaning "net-like", which describes the unique net-like structure on the fruiting body of Phallus indusiatus.

Photo: Ajaykuyiloor/wikimedia

Later, scientists believed that this alone was not enough to make bamboo fungus an independent genus, so they merged it into the genus Psoralea, thus the current scientific name was given. There are many poisonous mushrooms in the genus Psoralea , and the yellow skirt bamboo fungus (P. multicolor), which looks similar to bamboo fungus but has a different color scheme, is poisonous! So it needs to be emphasized here again: even if you think you can identify it, don't eat wild mushrooms carelessly .

Yellow-skirted bamboo fungus｜rnr.id.au

Cute creatures in the bamboo forest

Dictyophora mainly lives under bamboo forests with moist air and rich humus. Sometimes they can also be found in other types of broad-leaved forests. The lignin and cellulose in dead bamboo poles and wood are the nutrient sources for their survival. When cultivated artificially, bamboo chips, bamboo pieces or straw are generally used as the main substrate. Like many saprophytic large fungi, the appearance of Dictyophora before the reproductive period is also white hyphae spreading in the substrate . It will not grow reproductive organs - fruiting bodies until the summer when the climate is suitable.

Bamboo fungus growing under the forest｜realmonstrosities.com

When the fruiting body of bamboo fungus just grows out, it is called mushroom bud, which is a milky white or light brown sphere the size of an egg. The outer layer of the epidermis is thick and elastic. When you peel it open, you will see the gelatinous middle layer and the filmy inner layer. The innermost layer is the future bamboo fungus. The commercial name of bamboo fungus bud is bamboo fungus egg. In fact, it is sold as food and is quite expensive . If you are rich and willful, you can buy one and keep it and watch it sprout.

Vertical section of bamboo fungus buds｜hokkaicamp.com

In a humid environment, bamboo fungus eggs will sprout umbrella-shaped bamboo fungus within one or two days. At first, the top will crack open, revealing a brown-green cap tip, and then the stem will quickly extend to 20 to 30 centimeters high, completely pushing the cap out. The white stem of the bamboo fungus looks thick, but it is actually hollow and covered with small holes like a sponge . There are many closely arranged pits on the surface of the cap, forming a maze-like grid pattern.

Although it is already in the soup, the structure of the bamboo fungus stem can still be seen clearly｜geocities.jp

Very elegant appearance

**The ornamental value of bamboo fungus is mainly concentrated in a structure under the cap - the fungus curtain, also called the fungus skirt. **When it first grows out, the fungus curtain looks like another small milky white umbrella under the cap; when the stem is about to stretch to its limit, the fungus curtain gradually stretches out and becomes an exquisite lace long skirt, hanging down like a bell to cover the entire stem.

The growth process of bamboo fungus｜Junji Takagi/youtube

When bamboo fungus germinates, the glycogen in the cells breaks down into small molecule sugars, which increases the osmotic pressure in the cells and absorbs water. The volume of the fully grown stipe cells is thirty-five times that before germination. **The speed of stipe elongation and mushroom curtain expansion is about two to three millimeters per minute. It takes only a few hours for the mushroom bud to become a complete body. **The best time for bamboo fungus is only these few hours. When it is fully stretched, it is time to spread spores, and its appearance will drop instantly.

Fully expanded bamboo fungus｜kasugak.sakura.ne.jp

Growth rate of bamboo fungus｜kasugak.sakura.ne.jp

Many large fungi release spores from the gills or pores and use wind to spread the spores around, but bamboo fungus is not like that. **Some green spore liquid is hidden in the pits on the bamboo fungus cap, and the basidiospores responsible for spreading the offspring are hidden in these smelly sticky liquids. **When the bamboo fungus curtain is fully unfolded, the cap begins to disintegrate, mixed with spore liquid, and turns into black-green foul-smelling mucus flowing downwards. If it rains, the spores can be washed away by the rain; if it is sunny all the time, there is no problem, the smell will attract small animals such as flies, beetles, snails, etc. to come and eat, and take the spores away by the way.

Flies attracted by spores｜livedoor.jp

Obviously, once the bamboo fungus grows to the stage of spreading spores, it is neither good-looking nor edible. And even if it has not yet reached the stage of spreading spores, the spore liquid must be removed when making dried bamboo fungus, otherwise it will taste smelly .

A more peculiar looking companion

Not only bamboo fungi, but all the Phallus family fungi basically spread their spores in this bizarre way. There are many species of Phallus with strange shapes, such as the most common white Phallus impudicus, which is very scary:

The genus name Phallus means "erect penis", and Linnaeus gave it a specific epithet, impudicus, which means "dissolute"...｜champignons.moselle.free.fr

There are more than one white ghost pen like Tintin, but the following one is even more mentally polluting. The red star head fungus (Aseroe rubra) of the star head ghost pen genus has several two-lobed tentacles on the top edge of the cap, and the spore liquid is distributed on the disk in the center of the tentacles. The scene when the fruiting body sprouts from the bud is as indescribable as Cthulhu.

Red star mushroom｜Cas Liber / wikipedia

Germinating red star mushroom | geograph.org.uk

However, when it comes to mushrooms that cause mental pollution, we have to count the mushrooms of the Clathrus family, a close relative of the Phallus family. Clathrus archeri, which is also native to Oceania like the Red Star Mushroom , is no less Cthulhu than the latter. The top of its fruiting body is cracked, like an octopus with tentacles extending, and also like the claws of a fantasy creature, so it has two super powerful common names, "Octopus Ghost Pen" and "Devil's Fingers".

Cladella acheri | Benutzer Oilys / wikipedia

The most spiritually polluting mushroom is probably Clathrus ruber of the Clathrus family. The fruiting body that emerges from the bud has no cap, stipe or veil, but is directly a bright red cage-like structure, which does not look like an organic organism.

Clathrus rubrum｜realmonstrosities.com

Author: Desert Porcupine

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)

If you need to reprint, please contact [email protected]

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