Bioluminescent Mushrooms
This post will discuss four species of bioluminescent mushrooms, all of which are gorgeous and fascinating. Some of these species will be rather rare and elusive, while others will be more widespread and might be familiar to you.
A/N: Because this is a longer post discussing multiple species, I will focus solely on the spores under "Spores and Microscopic Features".
@rainbow-nigthmare I hope you like it :DD
@squidsandthings, @fungus-gnats, @fairy-tales-of-yesterday, @jatropha, @lameotello, @lovelyalicorn, @writingraccoon, @edukincon, you might also find this interesting <333
Little Ping-Pong Bats - Panellus pusillus
On the left: Panellus pusillus on a log . On the right: Panellus pusillus on a log, displaying bioluminescence.
Fruitbody
Little ping-pong bats are, as the name implies, very tiny fungi. The kidney-shaped caps measure up to 15 millimetres and are cream to white.
On the underside of the cap, the cream coloured pores appear large for the size of the fruit-body. It has about three pores per millimetre.
A small disc attaches the stem to the substrate, which is often some form of rotting wood.
Spores and Microscopic Features
The spores measure 35 × 1.52 µm and are ellipsoidal, smooth and generally colourless, but will appear white in mass.
Ecology and Distribution
Panellus pusillus can be found on living and dead trunks, fallen logs and branches of eucalyptus trees, or other species of trees in forests. On the wood, it appears in large groups, with overlapping caps.
It is a widely distributed species. Namely, it has been recorded in Australia, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Eternal Light Mushroom - Mycena luxaeterna
Two pictures above: Mycena luxaeterna on a log, displaying bioluminescence.
Fruitbody
Mycena luxaeterna's cap is parachute-shaped, and grows up to 2 centimetres in diameter. Initially, the caps are dark greyish-brown, changing to greyish-yellow or pale greyish-brown with a pale white ring at the edge as they mature. The gills are attached to the stem.
Their thin, cylindrical, hollow, fragile stipes reach up to 8 millimetres in diameter. These stipes are enveloped in a thick gel and emit a constant yellow-green bioluminescence.
The mushroom has a slightly radish-like smell and a similar, somewhat bitter taste.
Ecology and Distribution
The eternal light mushroom was discovered in a small and limited area of the Atlantic rain forest in São Paulo, Brazil. It is known to exist only at this location. It grows on decomposing twigs, rarely on dead leaves or undergrowth, and in clusters of two to twenty individuals.
Jack-O'-Lantern Mushroom - Omphalotus olearius
On the left: Omphalotus olearius on a log. On the right: gills of Omphalotus olearius, displaying bioluminescence.
Fruitbody
Omphalotus olearius' cap measures between 4 and 20 centimetres in diameter and is bright brownish orange to yellowish orange in colour. Initially, it is broadly convex with the margin slightly inrolled, but quickly becomes shallowly to moderately depressed. It is bald, and dry or faintly greasy.
The gills are decurrent, meaning they run down the stem and have the same colour as the cap and luminescent when fresh.
The stipe is 3.5 to 14 centimetres long, and 1 to 2.5 centimetres thick in diameter. The stipe tapers towards the base, has a solid texture and a bald surface.
The flesh is pale orange, and does not change colour when sliced.
Spores and Microscopic Features
The spore print is whitish, being creamy white to yellow.
The spores are 5–7 x 4–6.5 µm, sublacrymoid to subglobose, smooth, and hyaline to yellowish in KOH.
Ecology and Distribution
The Jack-o'-lantern mushroom is saprobic; growing in large clusters on the stumps or buried roots of hardwoods, especially olive trees and oaks. They grow during the late summer and fall.
They are distributed in central and southern Europe, especially along the Mediterranean coast.
Toxicity
This mushroom and other members of the genus Omphalotus are seriously poisonous mushrooms that contain the toxin muscarine. When consumed, muscarine causes gastric upsets that can last for several days.
Bitter Oyster - Panellus stipticus
On the left: gills of Panellus stipticus, covered in water droplets. On the right: gills of Panellus stipticus, displaying biolumenescence.
Fruitbody
The cap of Panellus stipticus is 5 to 30 millimetres across, convex in shape with an inrolled margin, becoming planoconvex with the margin even or slightly curved under. In outline, it is semicircular to kidney-shaped. The surface is dry, finely velvety to woolly, and often becomes wrinkled and somewhat scaly as they mature. It is tan to pale yellowish-brown or orangish-brown, sometimes fading to off-white as they age.
The gills are pale tan, crowded, forked, and usually have strong cross veins, which gives a reticulate appearance.
The stipe is eccentrically or laterally attached, tapering towards the substrate. It is 3 to 7 millimetres in diameter and 0,3 to 2 centimetres long. It is tan to buff in colour, and covered with longitudinal silky fibrils. Further, it does not display a ring.
The white to pale brown flesh is known to have a tough texture.
Spores and Microscopic Features
The spore print of the bitter oyster is white.
The spores are 2.5–5 x 1.5–3 µm, ellipsoid to suballantoid, smooth, hyaline in KOH, and amyloid.
Ecology and Distribution
Panellus stipticus is saprobic on the deadwood of hardwoods, particularly oaks, usually growing in shelving clusters. It grows from spring through fall, but might also overwinter in warm climates, or during winter warm spells in temperate areas.
It is widespread in Europe, but also distributed in Anatolia, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. In North America, it is more common in the east than the west, where the mushroom's northern range extends to Alaska, and it has been collected as far south as Costa Rica.
