Mushrooms are unique creatures of nature, which scientists still cannot classify as either plants or animals. In addition to being very tasty, they are also useful in various areas of human life. For example, this is medicine or recycling industrial waste. At the same time, eating some types of mushrooms can be dangerous for the human body.

We bring to your attention some interesting facts about mushrooms that you may not have known before.

Interesting facts about mushrooms for children and adults

Long before trees appeared on Earth, giant mushrooms grew on our planet.

There is an edible mushroom that grows in the wild that tastes like fried chicken. This mushroom is called “sulfur-yellow tinder fungus” (Laetiporus sulphureus).

For more than 2,400 years, a giant tree-killing creature has lived in the forests of Oregon. It is not one specific mushroom, but an area of ​​mycelium that “captured” 880 hectares of Malheur National Park in eastern Oregon (equivalent to 1,665 football fields).

About 350 million years ago, a mushroom grew in what is now Saudi Arabia and stood about 20 feet (6.1 meters) tall. It was probably the largest living creature living on land.

Scientists suggest that the Vikings used hallucinogenic mushrooms to induce battle rage.

The fly agaric mushroom contains psychotropic chemicals that cause macropsia or macropsia in humans. In this case, it will seem to the person that some objects around him look smaller or larger than they actually are.

Japanese scientists conducted a study and found that a lightning strike into the ground leads to an increase in the number of mushrooms in a given area.

Deer are practically the only animal species that “dilute” their diet with hallucinogenic mushrooms.
In 2004, Chinese scientists conducted a study in which they found that consuming mushrooms along with green tea reduces the risk of developing breast cancer by 90%.

Mushrooms are more similar in composition to representatives of fauna than flora.

Toadstool is one of the most dangerous types of mushrooms, the consumption of which can cause problems with the liver and kidneys.
The most expensive mushroom ever sold at auction was a 15 kilogram white truffle. Its cost is 330 thousand dollars.

In some countries, the sale of spores of “magic” (hallucinogenic) mushrooms has been legalized.

Some types of mushrooms tend to “dissolve”, so they must be eaten within a few hours of collection.
In 1799, the first documented study was conducted on the effects of hallucinogenic mushrooms. This happened in London after one family did not recognize harmful mushrooms from ordinary ones and ate them. Police found the father, mother and their two children dead at the kitchen table.

Fungi dispose of plants after they die. In just a few months they can turn a tree into rich soil. If it were not for mushrooms, the Earth would be buried in garbage and life on the planet would disappear.

Mushrooms are used not only as food, but also in the preparation of medicines. Modern research shows that mushrooms may be useful in making antibacterial, anti-inflammatory drugs and antioxidants. They are also an integral part of bioremediation - a set of methods for purifying water, soil and the atmosphere. For example, mushrooms can be used to process industrial waste.

Many types of mushrooms, when growing, “reach towards the Sun, just like plants. But scientists don't yet know how mushrooms use sunlight.

The oldest cordyceps mushroom was discovered in amber in 1859. Scientists suggest that the find is about 420 million years old.
Mushrooms are 90% water.

Mushroom is a very nutritious food. Some species can be a good source of vitamin B along with essential minerals such as copper and potassium. At the same time, they contain only a small proportion of fats, salts and carbohydrates. Portobello mushrooms contain more potassium than bananas.

There are about 30 species of mushrooms that glow in the dark. The chemical reaction that causes this bioluminescence phenomenon is called "foxfire".

Before the invention of synthetic dyes, mushrooms were used to dye wool and other natural fibers. They are capable of producing strong, vibrant colors.

The world's largest producer of edible mushrooms is China.

Mushrooms are considered one of the most mysterious living organisms on the planet. For a long time, biologists could not accurately classify them. Initially, the science that studies mushrooms - mycology - was a branch of botany. But since in terms of the composition of carbohydrates and minerals they are closer to plants, and in terms of protein content - to animals, in 1960 mushrooms were allocated to a separate, separate third kingdom.

An interesting fact about mushrooms has already been scientifically proven: they are one of the oldest inhabitants of the Earth, appearing about 400 million years ago, even before dinosaurs. By adapting and changing, mushrooms were able to survive for hundreds of millions of years. There are supposedly 1 to 2 million species, but to date only about 100 thousand have been studied. Today we will tell you about the most interesting and surprising facts about mushrooms.

Structure and characteristics of mushrooms

Did you know that the above-ground, visible part of the mushroom, which we usually collect and put in a basket, is only a fruit, also known as a reproductive organ. The real body is underground. It is called mycelium (or mycelium) and consists of many thin threads. At a certain point, the threads gather into balls, which increase in size and break through to the surface. The body of the mushroom itself does not live long, but the mycelium can exist for tens and hundreds of years, perfectly tolerating both drought and severe frosts.

• The study of DNA revealed an interesting fact that some mushrooms are divided into male and female individuals. Having reached sexual maturity, mushrooms having such genes can produce common offspring.
• Mushrooms occupy a prominent place in the cuisine of most peoples. Being a rich source of easily digestible protein, they contain absolutely no fat or cholesterol. In addition, mushrooms are rich in vitamins and microelements that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of many systems of the human body. They remove toxins, stimulate metabolism, and some even inhibit the development of cancer.

• During the period of active growth, the pressure of the fungus reaches 7 atmospheres. The soft cap can penetrate not only concrete and asphalt, but also harder surfaces - for example, marble.
• The vitality and adaptability of mushrooms is amazing. They grow on plains and mountains, at altitudes of up to 30 thousand meters, in swamps and deserts. Both the Arctic and the sultry tropics can become their homeland. Even in the area of ​​the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, mushrooms managed to survive.
• Although mushrooms are 90% water, they can also sunbathe: when exposed to the sun, they, like the human body, produce vitamin D. Therefore, the stronger the concentration of sunlight, the darker the mushroom cap will be.

• Fungi are natural recyclers of dead plants. In just a few months they can turn a tree into soil. If it were not for mushrooms, there would be much more garbage on the planet.
• Reproducing by tiny spores, mushrooms release them into the air in huge quantities. For example, a champignon throws out up to 40 million spores, a dung mushroom - up to 100 million.

The record holder for reproduction is the raincoat. It throws more than 7 trillion spores over a distance of 2 meters, at a speed of about 90 km/h.

People began studying mushrooms in the distant past. In the 1st century AD e. The Roman botanist Pliny tried to divide them into useful and harmful to humans.

But to this day, opinions on the usefulness of mushrooms vary greatly in different countries. Interesting fact: the white mushroom, beloved and revered in Russia, is considered inedible in Switzerland, honey mushrooms and russula are not eaten in France, boletus mushrooms are not eaten in Italy, and in many countries only artificially grown mushrooms are eaten as food, without collecting wild ones. All of them are considered potentially poisonous.

In Russia, according to statistics, half of the residents collect mushrooms in the forests, about 20% prefer to buy them at the market, 16% in the store. Only 14% of Russians do not eat mushrooms at all. The most popular are boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, aspen mushrooms, milk mushrooms, saffron milk caps, honey mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms, etc. In addition to their wonderful taste and nutritional properties, some mushrooms are also medicinal.

Our Russian delicacy - porcini mushroom - is actually a whole pharmacy. It contains substances containing antibiotics, normalizing the functioning of the thyroid gland, anti-inflammatory and antitumor. In addition, it has a good effect on the condition of the skin, hair and nails.

Champignons, honey mushrooms, row mushrooms and other mushrooms also have a medicinal effect. In the field, the skin of raincoats is often used instead of a plaster: its inner part is famous for its bactericidal properties. Nowadays, there is a whole science about the healing properties of mushrooms - fungotherapy.

There are about 5,000 species of mushrooms growing in Europe, and almost 150 of them are considered poisonous. In fact, only fly agaric, toadstool and a few others are truly poisonous. But different cultures have their own ideas about mushrooms. The roots of this hostility probably lie deep in history. Many famous personalities once died from mushroom poisoning.

For example:

• the entire family of the famous Greek poet Euripides;
• Pope Clement VII;
• French king Charles IV and others.

The Roman Emperor Claudius, a great lover of mushrooms, was poisoned by his own wife Agrippina, who prepared him a dish richly flavored with pale toadstools. In those days, this was a very popular way to eliminate opponents.

Many poisonous and hallucinogenic mushrooms grow in the United States and African countries, and they are also found in Russia. Not being an experienced picker, you should behave very carefully in the forest. If the red fly agaric itself gives a warning signal with its bright cap, then the gray panther fly agaric is not so noticeable, but no less dangerous.

Many poisonous mushrooms are skillfully disguised as edible ones:

• False honey mushrooms or thin mushrooms are very easy to confuse with edible mushrooms.
• The pungent russula is practically indistinguishable from the real thing.
• You can recognize that the poisonous olive omphalot is not a chanterelle only by smell.

The leaders in the presence of toxic substances with the possibility of fatal poisoning are, of course, the pale grebe and the fly agaric.

It would seem that what could be unusual about a cap mushroom? But in nature there are not only the usual white mushrooms, milk mushrooms and boletuses, but also mushrooms with very original shaped caps, for example:

• bright orange, similar to coral sprigs, horn mushroom;
• the latticewort is red, maturing from a white egg-shaped body into a bright red lattice ball;
• combed hedgehog, more reminiscent of algae than a mushroom.

There are quite a lot of similar flowering mushrooms growing in tropical countries. There is a completely unique in shape Indian glass mushroom or a red mushroom from the island of Java, armed with tentacles. The nature of Australia is famous for its even more bizarre shapes and colors.

One of the most unusual mushrooms in the world is the “Bloody Tooth” (Hydnellum Peca). A bright red liquid is released from it, very similar in appearance to drops of blood. The mushroom scares away people with its appearance, and animals with its bitter taste. You can meet the “Bloody Tooth” in the coniferous forests of Central Europe.

Among cap mushrooms there are their own record holders in size and weight: most often these are porcini mushrooms, champignons, puffballs, umbrellas, etc. Edible tinder fungi can reach very large sizes (up to 20 kg).

The fact that the kingdoms of fungi and bacteria are the most ancient on earth is interesting in itself. There is a lot in common between them, but there are also significant differences.

• ergot and smut that destroy crops;
• tinder fungus, enemy of trees;
• late blight, affecting garden plants, etc.

In those places where mushrooms grow, tales are always told about them, stories and legends are composed. In the folk epic, mushrooms can be good or evil: they can reveal a buried treasure, or they can lead you into a swamp. But in real life there are such interesting facts about mushrooms that they sound no worse than any fairy tale for children and adults. For example:

• There are mushrooms that are taller than trees. Yes, yes, don't be surprised! This is exactly what everything looks like in the tundra. After all, the trees there are dwarf, no more than 20-25 cm, and the mushrooms tower above them. They grow very amicably, rushing to seize the short summer period. And deer eat the caps of tundra mushrooms with great pleasure.

• About 140 species of mushrooms contain hallucinogenic substances that have narcotic properties. Most of them grow in South America. Ancient shamans used this property of mushrooms in their rituals, and the Vikings used them to give themselves fearlessness and strength before battle.
• There are about 30 species of mushrooms that glow in the dark. In our country, autumn honey fungus is widely known, growing on old rotten stumps. In the dark, their flickering resembles the movement of living creatures. In the old days, people were so afraid of them that in their fairy tales they populated the forest with witches and goblin. And in the Brazilian and Japanese forests, during the rainy season, green neon mushrooms grow, scattering their glowing spores around. This unusual phenomenon is called bioluminescence.

• The largest white mushroom was discovered in the USA in 1985. He had a girth of 2 meters and weighed 140 kg. And the weight of the largest American mycelium (with an area of ​​900 hectares) was about two hundred tons.
• The most expensive mushroom is the truffle. It is grown today not only in France, but also in other countries. The cost of mushrooms is 400-700 euros per 1 kg. A white truffle weighing 15 kg was sold at auction for 330 thousand dollars.

• The only moving fungus, plasmodium (slime mold), is found in central Russia. This translucent gelatinous mushroom, similar to a jellyfish, does not even have a leg, but is able to move, albeit very slowly. Rolling from side to side, in a few days he can get to another place and even climb a stump or tree trunk.

• Veselka vulgare, which is very common in Russia, grows the fastest of all mushrooms. The mushroom was included in the Guinness Book of Records. Every 2 minutes it grows by 1 cm. From a grayish egg it quickly turns into an umbrella on a long leg, but it does not live very long - only two days.

• The most exotic mushroom can be called dictyophora bell-shaped, or “Lady with a Veil,” living in the South American tropics. It, like a fungus, grows in just two hours, and then releases an openwork white blanket from under its cap. In the evening, the mushroom glows with a green mysterious light, and after a couple of days it disappears.

So, today we took a look into the most curious mushroom world. Its study is constantly ongoing, so there are probably many more amazing discoveries ahead.

A large number of people around the world love “silent hunting,” namely mushroom gathering. Everyone knows from childhood that the white mushroom is the best, the fly agaric is poisonous, and the truffle is the most expensive mushroom in the world and grows underground, but few people know that there are mushrooms that literally control insects.

We present to you the most interesting facts about mushrooms.

The mushroom consists of 90% water.

In nature, there is a living fungus called plasmodium, which can literally move. The speed of movement of this mushroom is half a millimeter per minute.

Many years after the Chernobyl accident, many new species of fungi were discovered in its vicinity, which perfectly adapted to the conditions of extremely high background radiation.

Interesting facts about mushrooms The same applies to their habitat, for example, there are mushrooms that live in sulfuric acid.

China ranks first in the world in the production of various mushrooms.

Those people who study mushrooms are called mycologists.

The growth rate of some mushrooms is almost equal to the growth rate of bamboo. One of these mushrooms is the fungus mushroom. No less interesting fact The thing about this mushroom is that it only lives for two days.

Besides interesting facts about mushrooms on our website there is with interesting facts about plants, as well as others interesting news about nature: " “.

Mushrooms are unusual representatives of the living world, separated into a separate kingdom of nature. They are used for food, medicine, industry and many other areas of life.

Mushrooms occupy a special place between plants and animals. Let's look at the most interesting facts about them.

1. Rough estimates indicate the existence of two million species. Scientists have studied only one hundred thousand, and classified even fewer.
2. Some of the most ancient inhabitants of the planet, along with ferns.
3. In terms of feeding, they are more similar to animals. They do not have chlorophyll and are incapable of photosynthesis; they feed exclusively on ready-made organic matter.
4. The above-ground part is only the fruit, and the real body is located underground and is called mycelium (or mycelium).
5. There are male and female individuals, differing in DNA structure. After the onset of puberty, they are able to reproduce common offspring.
6. The bodies are composed of the finest fibers-hyphae, forming mycelium.
7. They are able to enter into symbiosis with trees.

Mushrooms are a special type of plant organisms that live everywhere. It is perhaps difficult to find a place on Earth where mushrooms would not be able to find suitable conditions for growth. The sultry tropics and the Arctic, plains and mountainous areas, swamps and deserts, gardens and orchards, land and water are the home of mushrooms.

Mushrooms are characterized by a unique structure: their main body is the mycelium, consisting of interwoven mushroom threads. This is a kind of mushroom internet through which plants can transmit information about danger, about rain or drought.
Here's a wonderful picture we dug up on the Internet: this is a mycelium :))

And now - the most interesting facts about mushrooms that we managed to dig up in books and on the Internet:

Fungal spores can retain their ability to germinate for a long time. They can wait for an opportunity not a year or two, but ten or more years - and as soon as the opportunity arises - begin to grow. Sometimes, in the most unexpected places.

They can start growing on a pine cone, or on a tree, or on a bag of grain, or on the walls... as long as it’s damp and cozy :)

These are the opportunists...
While selecting material for the article, I couldn’t help but think that some plots for horror films, where people die under the yoke of certain plants or creatures that have invaded the planet, could well have been inspired by the study of mushrooms :)

In 2002, a robot discovered mushrooms inside a nuclear reactor.

Predatory mushrooms

It turns out that there are even predatory mushrooms! They feed on worms. How do they catch, you ask... it turns out that predatory mushrooms know how to build traps! Their mycelium is arranged in peculiar rings, reminiscent of an adhesive fishing net. The more the victim tries to escape the bonds, the more the loops and rings of the ominous network tighten. A victim who carelessly falls into a trap is doomed. The process of absorption and digestion of the nematode lasts about 24 hours.

In these photographs you can see devices for catching nematodes: loops, catching rings, sticky heads. In one of the photographs, the rings have captured and are squeezing the worm.

Perhaps that's enough about predators - mushrooms. Let's talk about other fungal representatives that live in the wild.
For example, about foxes.

And here's another:

Did you know that leaf-cutter ants can grow mushrooms, which they later eat? Moreover, they did this already 20 million years ago.

About real and artificial truffles

Truffles grow not only in France, but also in many other countries. In Australia, for example, there are several dozen species! Romanian truffles are especially popular. But the Chinese have learned not to grow, but to fake mushrooms!

These underground mushrooms really look like French "black diamonds". There are decent specimens that can be distinguished from native French ones by those who really know a lot about truffles.

French truffles cost 400-700 euros per kilogram. The Chinese answer is the same amount of delicacy for 20 euros. True, Chinese truffles are colorless, but resourceful entrepreneurs paint them black. Another headache for French manufacturers is frog legs from China, which are also cheap and literally flood the market.

According to statistics, the best varieties of truffle are sold for 2 thousand euros per 1 kg.

Glowing mushrooms

Some mushrooms glow in the dark. A slight greenish glow occurs as a result of chemical oxidative reactions occurring in fungal cells when they absorb oxygen. By the way, mycologists have discovered about 68 species of luminescent mushrooms, and 7 species of them are distinguished by a rather ominous yellowish-green light.
10 out of 68 species of luminous mushrooms grow in Japan, and 8 in Brazil, and some of them are inside rotten tree trunks... the picture, believe me, is creepy...

Molds

The mold fungus Aspergillus niger (black mold) is the source of... citric acid. Only the production technology must be followed very clearly, because asperigus itself is highly toxic and can cause severe poisoning.

Molds can live on kerosene, fuel and brake fluids, and engine oil. Fungi can corrode leather, glass, plywood, wood, and many organic materials. Just remember rust... iron is not a hindrance to it...

Mushrooms are so different and so unusual in shape! Some are funny, some are scary, some are cute, some are unpleasant, some are repulsive... the world of mushrooms is very diverse. Today we plunged a little into this world... But we haven’t emerged yet, we’re just catching our breath and “swimming on” :)

Trembling orange.

A gelatinous something that changes its color depending on the humidity of the air. It can be white or yellow, it can turn almost brown... some tremors look very beautiful, like fairy flowers.

Raincoat.

These mushrooms can grow to gigantic sizes. Every now and then mushrooms weighing up to 5 kg are found. Raincoats are used in medicine as a means of removing radionuclides, for certain tumor diseases, and for treating the lymphatic system and endocrine system.

Also - for some gastrointestinal diseases. The raincoat contains substances that can stop the development of tumors, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. In ancient times, resorption of mushroom pieces was used to treat mastopathy and many other diseases. And it was used successfully :)
Raincoat is a kind of natural antibiotic.

Shiitake - Japanese mushroom versus French champignons

Japan also has a mushroom that is used to treat many diseases. It's called shiitake.

Due to its nutritional and medicinal properties, shiitake is the most cultivated edible mushroom in the world, its production reaches 450 thousand tons per year.

The healing properties of shiitake mushroom are used in cosmetology.

Shiitake mushroom extract used in cosmetic products, penetrating deep inside, is able to replenish the natural resources of the skin, accelerate the regeneration process of its cells, that is, it has a strong rejuvenating effect. So, in 2002 Yves Rocher created a special line based on an extract from shiitake mushrooms, Serum Vegetal de Shiitake, intended for women over 40 years old with any skin type.

And the French say that there is nothing healthier than champignons.

By the way, mushroom treatment is called fungotherapy by specialists.

This is the most amazing mushroom in the world! In addition to its strange appearance, this mushroom has the ability to... walk. Well, not to walk, of course, but to move around. Of course, even the slowest of snails is a walker compared to Plasmodium... but, nevertheless, this is the only “walking” mushroom! Its other name is teardrop.

This mushroom can be tiny - only 1 mm. And it can be huge - up to one and a half meters! Teardrop grows in dark, damp places, preferring to settle under the bark of fallen trees. It is also found here among us. The speed of movement of the mushroom is approximately 1 cm per hour! Plasmodium can easily climb onto a stump or tree trunk and sit comfortably there until it “wants” to move on.

The photographs show all the stages of reproduction of this amazing mushroom.

This is how Plasmodium reproduces...

By the way... the reproduction of plasmodia is also very unusual... by the time it is ready, the mushroom moves out into the open and gathers into a dense lump covered with a crust. Multi-colored fruiting bodies of strange, varied shapes grow from the lump... they contain spores that will be carried with the wind to a new place of settlement...

Veselka

This is the rarest mushroom in the world! It is the size of a chicken egg. As soon as this “egg” matures in the sun, it seems to shoot upward like a white arrow! Within a few hours, the arrow (or umbrella) oozes mucus (which, by the way, smells rather bad). And by the morning you will no longer be able to find the place where you spotted this miracle just now.

This fungus is capable of defeating even cancer cells.

Perhaps that's enough useful information for today. Let's now just look at photos of various mushrooms. If someone is really interested in the topic, write, I will be happy to select material and compile it into an article especially for you.

In the meantime - the promised photos AMAZING MUSHROOMS

The most poisonous mushrooms

There are more than 100 types of mushrooms that can kill. Pale toadstool is one of the most dangerous, poisonous mushrooms in the world.
This mushroom is famous because it has caused more fatal poisonings than any other mushroom.

Mushrooms are important for the environment

Fungi play an important ecological role by decomposing organic matter and returning important nutrients to the ecosystem. Fungi digest organic matter in rotting wood and lawns. Many plants require fungi to survive, as fungi extract minerals and water from the soil to the plant, while plants provide sugar compounds to the fungi.

In the 4th century BC, the Greek scientist Theophrastus mentioned truffles, morels, and champignons in his works. Five centuries later, the Roman naturalist Pliny also wrote about mushrooms. He was the first to try to divide mushrooms into beneficial and harmful.

In Switzerland, residents do not collect or eat porcini mushrooms, which grow there in abundance. And in Finland they generally look at Russian tourists with baskets with a smile - like, what can they take from them: Russians :))
the most interesting facts about mushrooms
Mushrooms contain on average 90% water.

In 1864, potatoes in Ireland were dying from a fungus called potato blight. At the same time, it was discovered that potato fields located near copper smelters were completely unaffected by the fungus.

This is how a small fungus gave impetus to the development of the science of pest control.

It turns out that mushrooms also have gender! Scientists have isolated a gene that regulates “sexual differences” in fungi.

The microscopic fungus Pilobolus kleinii, which decomposes the dung of herbivores, has the ability to shoot its spores over long distances, giving them the highest acceleration in nature, 180 thousand times greater than the acceleration of gravity, according to a paper published in the journal PLoS ONE.

We eat mushrooms every day without even knowing it.

We use mushroom products every day without even realizing it. For example, yeast, which belongs to the group of fungi, is used in the preparation of bread, wine and beer. Medicines derived from mushrooms treat diseases and prevent the rejection of transplanted hearts and other organs. Mushrooms are also grown in huge quantities to produce flavorings for cooking, vitamins and enzymes for removing stains.

And finally, news from researchers from Johns Hopkins University:
Experts believe that Mushrooms make us better people
What is the essence of research? It's simple!

It turns out that people who eat hallucinogenic mushrooms in the right quantities can reap significant benefits from their gourmet hobby.
Recent studies confirm that when used correctly, hallucinogenic mushrooms make a person kinder, calmer, and happier.

Mushrooms and people are truly amazing creatures