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Exploring the Fascinating World of Mushrooms

This quiz explores various aspects of mushrooms, including their nutritional value, ecological roles, and historical significance in textile dyeing. Test your knowledge on these fascinating fungi!

#Mushrooms #Fungi #Nutrition #Ecology #Biological Remediation #Textile Dyes #Research

1 [18] International mushroom research continues today, with a focus on mushrooms that may have hypoglycemic activity, anti-________ activity, anti-pathogenic activity, and immune system enhancing activity.

2 On the other hand, one-third of the subjects reported extreme ________.

3 Most mushrooms that are sold in supermarkets have been commercially grown on ________.

4 A colony of Armillaria ostoyae in Malheur National Forest in the ________ is estimated to be 2,400 years old, possibly older, and spans an estimated 2,200 acres.

5 "Mushroom" has been used for polypores, ________, jelly fungi, coral fungi, bracket fungi, stinkhorns, and cup fungi.

6 Though mushrooms are commonly thought to have little nutritional value, many species are high in fiber and provide vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, cobalamins, ________.

7 Mushrooms and other ________ play a role in the development of effective biological remediation and filtration technologies.

8 Though not normally a significant source of vitamin D, some mushrooms can become significant sources after exposure to ________, though this also darkens their skin.

9 Before the invention of synthetic ________, mushrooms were the source of many textile dyes.

10 Mushroom Observer (All images are made available under a ________ license.)

💡 Interesting Facts

  • the scaly hedgehog (pictured) is actually a species of brown mushroom found in spruce forests and used to dye wool in Norway.
  • the hexagonal-pored polypore mushroom produces the antifungal polypeptide alveolarin.
  • the orange webcap mushroom (pictured) can bioaccumulate the toxic element mercury.
  • the king stropharia, a prized edible mushroom, develops spiny cells which kill nematodes.
  • the soapy knight is actually a mushroom, so named because of its strong smell of soap.
  • the brittlegill mushroom Russula betularum grows under birch, while the closely related Russula emetica is found under conifers.
  • the bright red mushroom Hygrocybe miniata is found in rainforest and eucalypt forest in Australia and meadows in Europe and North America.
  • the bitter and inedible mushroom Russula fellea (pictured) smells of geraniums or apple sauce.
  • the pinwheel Marasmius (pictured) releases its spores in response to rain, rather than circadian rhythm like other mushrooms.
  • the Orange-girdled Parasol mushroom has an odor that has been described as similar to rubber or cut metal.
  • the Candy cap mushroom species Lactarius camphoratus has been used as part of a pipe tobacco mix.
  • the specific epithet of the mushroom species Crepidotus versutus is derived from the Latin word meaning "clever".
  • the cap surface of the mushroom Strobilomyces foveatus (pictured) is covered with scales, while the spore surface is covered with spines.
  • the Saffron Parasol is actually a small orange mushroom found throughout temperate regions of Europe and North America.
  • the branched shanklet is a mushroom that grows on the decomposing remains of other mushrooms.
  • the fluted black elfin saddle is actually a mushroom that appears in woodlands and lawns in North America and Europe.
  • the mosaic puffball mushroom (pictured) can bioaccumulate the trace metals copper and zinc.
  • the buff and yellow mushrooms (fruiting bodies) of the fungus Boletus radicans (pictured) can reach 30 centimetres (12 in) in diameter.
  • the cuticle of the mushroom Agaricus arorae, which was first described in Santa Cruz County, California, turns yellow in potassium hydroxide when cut.
  • the red-purple coloured inedible mushroom Russula sardonia has a hot peppery taste.
  • the red mushroom Russula sanguinaria, known as the "bloody brittlegill", smells fruity but is hot tasting.
  • the pink mushroom Gomphidius roseus appears to be parasitic on the related Suillus bovinus.
  • the slimy spike-cap mushroom Gomphidius glutinosus is edible and useful for soups and stews once the layer of slime is removed.
  • the small bright-blue mushroom Entoloma hochstetteri is featured on the reverse side of the New Zealand $50 bank note.
  • though the mushroom Lactarius subdulcis (pictured) is considered edible, it has a taste similar to ivy.
  • the yellow-green mushroom Entoloma rodwayi of wet forests in Tasmania turns a vivid blue-green upon drying.
  • the widely consumed porcini mushroom is often confused with the fungus Boletus pinophilus (pictured).
  • the odour of the poisonous mushroom Inocybe geophylla has been likened to semen.
  • the odor of the North American mushroom species carrot-foot Amanita (pictured) has been compared to an old ham bone, while the related gunpowder Lepidella smells of bleaching powder.
  • the deceiver mushroom Laccaria laccata (pictured), initially described by the Tyrolian naturalist Scopoli, is a traditional food of the Zapotec of Oaxaca.
  • the deadly mushroom Clitocybe dealbata is known as the "sweating mushroom" because this is a striking side effect of consuming it.
  • the dark purple-brown mushroom Russula caerulea is edible and mild-tasting, although the cap skin is bitter if chewed.
  • the edible mushroom Russula xerampelina (pictured) has a taste and smell reminiscent of shellfish or crab.
  • the exposed flesh of the mushroom Boletus amygdalinus (pictured) will immediately turn blue when cut.
  • the name of the mushroom Amanita echinocephala (pictured) means "hedgehog-head" in Ancient Greek, referring to its spiny, or warty-looking cap.
  • the name teonanácatl, referring to a sacred mushroom of the Aztecs, translates to "the flesh of God".
  • the mushrooms Boletus zelleri, B. mirabilis, Suillus americanus, S. brevipes, S. lakei, and Leccinum manzanitae are all examples of edible boletes.
  • the mushroom Tylopilus plumbeoviolaceus has been described as "beautiful, but bitter-tasting".
  • a specimen of Australia's largest mushroom Phlebopus marginatus from Western Victoria weighed in at 29 kg, and caps can sometimes reach 1 metre across.
  • a species of mushroom in the genus Phlebopus can attain cap diameters of up to 1 meter (3.3 ft).
  • Tricholoma ustaloides (pictured), generally considered an inedible species of mushroom, is consumed by inhabitants of some Mexican communities.
  • although it produces its spores on gills, the mushroom Panus conchatus (pictured) is more closely related to species with pores.
  • although the mushroom Russula delica (pictured) is technically edible, its smell of fish or bugs and acrid taste make it fairly poor fare.
  • despite having a Ph.D. and being a foremost North American authority on the difficult mushroom genera Lactarius and Russula, Gertrude S. Burlingham only ever taught high school biology.
  • consumption of the psychoactive mushroom Psilocybe argentipes by mice who compulsively bury marbles significantly inhibits this behaviour.
  • consuming the elfin saddle mushroom would result in the harmful formation of monomethylhydrazine, a component of rocket fuel, in your body.
  • Spinellus fusiger is a pin mold that parasitizes several species of mushrooms.
  • Leucopaxillus albissimus, one of the larger mushrooms in the San Francisco Bay Area, has a fruiting body unusually resistant to decay.
  • Chroogomphus (pictured) is an edible mushroom that grows as a parasite on other fungi in pine forests.
  • mushroom species Mycena haematopus (pictured), also known as the "Bleeding Mycena", oozes a red latex when cut.
  • white kimchi, Shiitake mushrooms, and rice cakes made with mung beans are elements of Korean temple cuisine (pictured).
  • Nippon Steel Corporation, the Japanese steelmaking giant, once ventured into mushroom cultivation in an earnest bid to avoid layoffs.
  • Boletus calopus, a European mushroom, derives its scientific name from the Ancient Greek for "pretty foot," referring to its attractive stalk.
  • Disciotis venosa, Hygrophorus subalpinus, Mycena overholtsii, Plectania nannfeldtii, Ramaria botrytis, and Clitocybe glacialis (pictured) are all mushrooms that grow in or near snowbanks.
  • Cortinarius semisanguineus, whose common name is "Surprise Webcap", is a mushroom that smells of radishes.
  • despite its fishy smell, Lactarius volemus is considered a choice mushroom for eating.
  • phylogenetic relationships between the mushroom Bovista nigrescens and species of Lycoperdaceae were established based on ITS and LSU sequence data from north European taxa.
  • the mushroom Cystodermella cinnabarina can only be distinguished from similar fungi by performing chemical tests and microscopic analysis of spores, basidia and cystidia.
  • the mushroom Cortinarius triumphans (pictured) has a cap which is slimy in wet weather and sticky in dry.
  • the mushroom Cortinarius archeri is featured on the cover of the book Fungi of Southern Australia.
  • the mushroom Entoloma austroprunicolor of Tasmania's wet forests changes from bluish-purple, to reddish purple, to purplish grey as it ages.
  • the mushroom Lactarius glyciosmus smells strongly of coconuts.
  • the mushroom Russula integra is a popular food in Northern Europe.
  • the mushroom Laetiporus sulphureus is a good substitute for chicken.
  • the mushroom Lactarius rubrilacteus is also known as the "Bleeding milkcap" because it releases a dark-red milky substance when sliced or cut.
  • the mushroom fire-milk Lactarius is so named because of its acrid taste.
  • the waxcap mushroom Hygrocybe austropratensis (pictured) has been declared an endangered species by the Government of New South Wales.
  • species from the underground-dwelling mushroom genus Gautieria are the preferred food source of the Northern flying squirrel.
  • several species in the mushroom order Pezizales, such as Geopyxis carbonaria (pictured), Peziza violacea, Peziza praetervisa, and Rhizina undulata, grow on burned-over ground.
  • royal favourites were often compared to mushrooms, as they sprang up overnight, and grew in excrement.
  • the "Devil's Cigar" is a mushroom found only in Texas and Japan.
  • the agaric mushroom species Agaricus benesii is found under the pines of Monterey Cypress trees and bruises pinkish-red when injured.
  • the hallucinogenic mushroom Psilocybe naematoliformis (pictured) was first discovered in a tropical rain forest in the Uxpanapa Region of Veracruz, in southeastern Mexico.
  • the fungus Hypomyces tremellicola is a parasite that deforms the cap of the mushroom Crepidotus mollis.
  • "Pink Fairhead" is a common name for Calocybe carnea, a small pink mushroom of grassy areas in Europe and North America.
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