The fungus, feared by neophytes, adored by gourmets, is neither an algae nor a plant in the strict sense of the word.

If the presence of fungi on Earth has been recorded for 450 million years, then only half a century has passed since buy golden teacher shrooms they no longer belong to the plant kingdom. They have their own classification: the reign of mushrooms.

Fungi are present in all environments, terrestrial or aquatic, and on all continents. Scientists estimate that there are over 610,000 species of mushrooms, but we humans only consume about a thousand. Some mycologists go so far as to suggest that there are 1.5 million species of fungi.

Others, well known, are unsuitable for consumption. Hallucinogens or moderate to very high toxicity, some mushrooms such as phalloid fly agaric are lethal.

80% of plants depend on fungi

Today we estimate that 80% of land plant species are more or less directly dependent on fungi for water and mineral salts. Therefore, fungi play a crucial role in the balance of the various ecosystems that surround us.

Mushroom, separate kingdom

Fungal cells have walls similar to those of plants. However, they cannot use light for photosynthesis and convert that light into energy.

However, like animals, they draw resources from their immediate environment.

In addition, they contain chitin, which is a derivative of nitrogen, which is also found in the cuticles (shells) of insects and is very difficult for humans to digest.

Three main families of mushrooms

Thus, there are three main families of fungi:

saprotrophs (also called saprophytes ), which feed on dead matter (wood, leaves, or excrement).

parasites , which, like parasitic animals, feed on living matter (animals, plants, or other fungi). They feed at the expense of their host, whom they deplete and usually kill.

symbiotic (mycorrhizal) also feed on living matter, but not to the detriment of their host, who also benefits from these exchanges (a significant improvement in the absorption of water and mineral salts, as well as disease resistance).



Fungus, complex organism

In most cases, the mushrooms that we are used to eating consist of three parts: mycelium, stem and cap.

We usually call the forming part of this complex organism a fungus. The outer part of the fungus is actually the fruiting body. This fruiting is generated by its underground vegetative apparatus or directly adjacent to a support (earth or tree).

When picking mushrooms, care must be taken to never pull them out, so as not to damage the tiny filaments of the mycelium.

An ideal remedy, firstly, in order to turn the fungus on itself, in order to separate it from the mycelium.

It is advisable not to use a knife to cut the fungus at its base (for species that gather at the stem, such as porcini mushrooms), because the part of the stem that you leave in place will rot, and this decomposition risks mycelium, due to which their growth slows down or stops.