DK - WOW! The Visual Encyclopedia of Everything

The mushrooms and other fungi that can appear overnight

in damp places are not plants. They belong to a completely

separate group of living things that feed on dead or living

plants and animals. Each fungus forms a hidden network

of slender stems called a mycelium, and the visible part

is just the “fruiting body” that sprouts like an apple on a

tree to spread the spores that

grow into new fungi.

Fungi

(^1) OAK BOLETE
A typical mushroom has radiating gills beneath
its cap that produce millions of spores. Other
fungi, like the oak bolete, have spongy
undersides that release spores from tiny holes,
or are covered with spore-producing tufts.
(^4) SAFFRON MILK CAP
Many fungi grow around the
roots of certain plants, and
provide them with plant foods
in exchange for sugars. The
saffron milk cap, for example,
always grows with pine trees.
(^3) DEATH CAP
Some fungi are extremely
poisonous if they are eaten.
The well-named death cap has
probably been responsible for
90 per cent of all known deaths
from mushroom poisoning.
(^2) TURKEYTAIL
Fungi are vital to life because
they break down and recycle
dead organisms. The turkeytail
grows on dead wood, rotting it
down so the nutrients it contains
can be used by growing plants.
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018_019_Fungi.indd 18 03/01/19 12:09 PM