Why mushrooms?
I bet you think of mushrooms as spongy puffballs, or rather capped stalks that you see under your feet in the forest if you look down, or better buy in a supermarket. Think different. Like a red apple is a fruit of a much bigger plant, the spongy being is just a fruit of a much bigger organism, mycelium, with its “branches” – threads of hyphae – spread underneath the surface, in soil, wood or other food source. The “fruit” can be colorful and whimsical and cute, or practically invisible, microscopic. Whether you like mushrooms or not as food, you eat them willy-nilly every day – in bread! If not for mushrooms (yeasts) bread wouldn’t rise, beer wouldn’t brew, wine wouldn’t ferment. And there certainly wouldn’t be as many people living on earth – infection would shorten our lives drastically if not for penicillin (the main antibiotic), which is a byproduct of mushrooms’ activity. For centuries, the sudden eruption of circles of mushrooms from the soil was considered to be an “obvious” evidence of witches at work. In France mushroom rings were called sorcerers' rings. One Tyrolean legend says that the rings were burned into the ground by the fiery tail of a dragon. In Holland they were considered to be the marks where the Devil left his milk churn. In England, the mushrooms were believed to be seats where the sprites could rest after dancing. In some countries fairy rings were said to bring good luck to houses built in fields where they were spotted. In another traditions, the rings were sites of buried treasure, but there was a catch—the treasure could only be found with the help of fairies. The real origin of mushroom circles is quite simple. The underground body of the best-known fairy ring fungus, Marasmius oreades, grows outward in a circle. As it grows, the mycelium uses up all of the nutrients in the soil, starving the grass. This is the reason a fairy ring has dead grass outline. Umbrella-shaped “fruits,” mushrooms, spring up from just behind the outer edge of the mycelium. Many cultures had wonderful explanations for the fantastical origins of fungi. The ancient Greeks believed they came from Zeus’s lightning. In parts of Africa, mushrooms were regarded as souls of the dead. In parts of Central America one children’s story relates that mushrooms are little umbrellas carried by forest spirits to shelter them from the rain. The spirits leave the mushrooms behind at dawn when it is time to return to their underground world. The folklore of literarily any culture would give you its own mushroom tale. Even Santa Claus was linked to fungi. One anthropologist suggested that his red and white outfit symbolize Fly Agaric (the toadstool that has a red cup with white dots on it). But enough mythology inspired by mycology. Let’s look at some fascinating facts.
In conclusion: why mushrooms? – Because they are so unique, so fascinating, so full of life! |
Mushrooms always fascinated people. For many years they were classified among the dwellers of the Plant Kingdom, though they were lacking the most characteristic feature of plants – their ability to create organic matter out of sunlight and water. It was discovered that mushrooms build their cells out of chitin – which is what insects’ bodies are built of, and the latter belong to the Animal Kingdom. The scientists had no choice but to agree that mushrooms are so unique and special that they should have their own kingdom – the Fungi Kingdom.