edible and poisonous fungi
A mushroom is the fruit of a fungus. Its purpose is to disperse spores, microscopic single cells that can grow into new fungi. The fungus looks like a series of branching threads infiltrating the soil or in the wood of living or dead trees. (These higher fungi, which produce mushrooms, consist of many cells. Single-cell lower fungi, which don't produce mushrooms, aren't covered here.) Mushrooms in different groups take different forms because they have diverse strategies for disseminating spores. Ecology There are many lingering superstitions and prejudices, people overlook mushrooms' essential roles in our environment. Some fungi interconnect to a tree's microscopic root hairs, taking glucose (simple sugar) in exchange for the minerals and water the fungus obtains from the soil, a symbiotic (living together) relationship called commensualism. The fungus may also create plant hormones that stimulate the tree to grow. About 80% of trees depend on these overlooked fungi...