Macrofungal Identification
Macrofungi are the most easily recognised and identifiable of the fungi. The first step towards identifying macrofungi is to recognised which morphogroup they belong to. Morphogroups are groups of similarly shaped fungal fruit bodies, similar to the idea of recognising that trees are in a different group to grasses.
The morphogroups are:
Gilled Fungi
These most commonly recognised morphogroup of fungi. These are often called mushrooms or toadstools. They have an umbrella shaped fruit body which has plate-like structures called gills.
| Agarics | These have a cap and a central stem. |
| Chanterelles | These have gills that are reduced to wrinkles or maybe absent so have a smooth area under the cap. These typically have central stems. |
| Lateral Agarics | These are gilled fungi that are attached on the side. These often have reduced or absent stems. |
Stinkhorns
Another easily recognised group is the Stinkhorns. These all have an unpleasant odour as they attract flies so that they can spread their spores (tiny seed-like structures). These all start out as egg shaped structures which then may be develop into shapes like anenomies, or eggs, others are rounded cage-like shapes or phallic shapes. These are particularly common in mulch or litter.
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Coral Fungi
A pretty group is the coral-like fungi, which are often brightly coloured. These, like their name-sakes, are often branched or may have simple thread or rod like shapes.
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Puffballs
Puffballs as their name suggests are usually ball shaped although some of them look like balls with a stem. These have their spore-mass held within the ball, these spores may be released in a cloud when struck, hence the puff part of their name.
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Leathers
This is a group of fungi with thin reproductive surfaces. These fungi often look like fans or thin shelves. Some may have a stem which can give them a goblet-like appearance. Most leather fungi are found on wood.
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Polypores
This is morphogroup which has may different shapes. The unifying character is that the reproductive surface, which faces downwards, is made up of a collection of holes called pores. The size and shape of these pores may vary. Often a hand lense is needed to see the pores. These fungi may have a stem, while others are bracket-like. Most polypores are found on wood.
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Jelly Fungi
Jelly fungi, as their name suggests, have a gelatinous texture and are moist to touch. These have lobed to amorphous shapes. Most jelly fungi are found on wood.
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