Along the Mushroom Trails

Page Two

 
When the fungi has notched gills, which are barely attached, it is called adnexed.

 

   
Short Gills are called Lamellulae. These are the gills that do not extend all the way to the stem. This is another important issue in helping to identify the mushroom. They are shown here on the mushroom Inocybe geophylla.
This mushrooms shows pores instead of gills that are used for spore dispersal. These pores are small holes on the underside of the cap. The holes are actually the ends of a series of tube like structures which produce spores. Eventually the spores are released into the wind for dispersal
 
     
 
Boletes have pores but the pores are fleshy, not hard as in a polypore. These mushrooms have tubes instead of gills and the stripe is mostly central.
 
 
One other method of spore dispersal is that used by Tooth Fungi. These have long thin teeth, sometimes they are called spines that hang down from the underside of the cap. They basically use the same method as gilled fungi except the process is through these spiny teeth. The hanging teeth can be up to a centimeter
 
 
Common puffballs release their spores in a different way. They have a hole, called an ostiole, in the top of their cap and the spores are released when the puffball ruptures.
 
 
The stalk like structure shown here is often refereed to as the stipe. This stipe is granulose below the ring and smooth above it. Granulose means, composed of or covered with particles giving a rough texture.
 
   
 
 

The ring often found on the stipe of mushrooms is called an annulus. This ring like structure may be thick or cobweb like. An annulus may be persistant and a noticeable feature as in the amanita species.

 
 
 
 

A volva in mushrooms, is a term used to describe the structure at the mushrooms base. It is the remains of the universal veil. These can be partially buried or in some cases completly buried in the ground. This shows the volva at the base of the stipe in Amanitas. This is Amanita aprica, Sunshine Amanita.

 
 
Scabers are the small scurfy pieces that stick up on the stems of mushrooms. Again this can help with identifacation.The word, scabrous, describes a mushroom having this type of stipe.
   
     
 
Many species of fungi have these scaly surfaces on their stems. Stipes with this kind of surface are called scabrous.