Welcome to Mushroom World
Step into the enchanting world of fungi with Mushroom World – your trusted companion for learning about mushrooms. Whether you're a curious beginner or a seasoned nature enthusiast, our site provides clear, accessible information and beautiful images to help you better understand and appreciate the mushrooms you encounter.
If you're curious about what fungi actually are, and how they differ from plants and animals, be sure to visit our what are fungi? page for an easy-to-understand explanation.
With thousands of mushroom species known to science, we've chosen to focus on the most common and easily recognisable ones. Each entry includes helpful descriptions, identification tips, and high-quality images, and we’re always working to expand our collection with new species and updated content.
Come and explore the wonders of mushrooms with us. We hope you find our site informative, inspiring, and a valuable resource on your journey of mushroom discovery.
What you can do on Mushroom World
Browse the database
Explore mushrooms from the alphabetical list or search by name or properties.
Identify a mushroom
Know some characteristics but not the name? Use our mushroom identification helper to narrow it down.
New to identification? Start with identification basics.
Test your knowledge
Try our identification quiz and see how many mushrooms you recognise. Each run gives you new questions.
Upload your photos
Have good mushroom photos to share? Use the upload form and we will see if we can include them on the site.
Today's Mushroom
A quick highlight from our database
Today's mushroom is Mycena pura (Poison Radish Ground Mycena). It grows in Europe, North America.
Dimensions: Cap 2-6 cm diameter, stem 3-9 cm tall * 0.3-1 cm thick
Description:
Mycena pura, also known as the Poison Radish Ground Mycena, is a small to medium-sized agaric that exhibits significant colour variation, often displaying purple tints. Certain variations are recognized as separate species or varieties, but all of them emit a distinct radish odour. This species is commonly found in wooded and open habitats, thriving in humus-rich soil.
Cap starts off convex or bell-shaped, then flattens out with a slight umbo. It has a lined margin and is smooth without any hair. When young, it is usually lilac to purple, but it often fades or changes to other shades like whitish, yellowish, pinkish brown, or reddish. Gills adnexed to adnate, may be sinuate and notched; whitish or sometimes slightly pinkish to purplish; developing cross-veins with maturity. Stem equal in width, hollow, and can be smooth or have fine hairs. It is typically the same colour as the cap or slightly lighter. The stem has no ring. Spore print white.
Microscopic Features: Spores are ellipsoidal to subcylindrical, smooth, measuring 6-9 x 3-4μm. They display amyloid characteristics.
Mycena pura on the First Nature Web site.
Mycena pura on the MushroomExpert.Com Web site.
If you are interested in this mushroom, look it up in our database for more detailed photographs and additional information.
Many mushrooms are poisonous, and some can be lethally toxic. Distinguishing between edible and poisonous mushrooms can be very challenging. Therefore, we strongly advise against consuming wild mushrooms. This website does not contain any information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms.
Although efforts have been made to ensure accuracy on this website, the information may contain errors and omissions. Therefore, all content provided is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be relied upon or used as a basis for consuming any plants or mushrooms.
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