The tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae (scaly tree ferns), Dicksoniaceae, Metaxyaceae, and Cibotiaceae. It is … [Read more...] about Tree fern
spores
The World’s Largest Edible Mushroom Coexists with Termites, Which Is Why It Grows So Big
Most edible mushrooms are tiny, but there is one species in West Africa, as well as Zambia, that dwarfs all others. The Termitomyces titanicus is highly revered in Zambia, where mushroom-gathering is an integral aspect of life. While the world’s largest fungus (and organism) is Armillaria, which is now eating 1,000 hectares of Oregon, Termitomyces titanicus is the world’s … [Read more...] about The World’s Largest Edible Mushroom Coexists with Termites, Which Is Why It Grows So Big
The Sculpted Puffball: An Introduction to Calvatia Sculpta
Calvatia sculpta, also known as the sculpted puffball, is a unique species of puffball fungus belonging to the family Agaricaceae. With a height of up to 8 to 15 cm and a width of 8 to 10 cm, the fruit body is pear- or egg-shaped, with large pyramidal or polygonal warts covering its surface. The mushroom is edible when young but is inedible when the spores inside the fruit body … [Read more...] about The Sculpted Puffball: An Introduction to Calvatia Sculpta