Fungal groups, classification, and identification. Fungal mechanisms belong in Fungal Biology.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Ergot fungi that infect rye belong to which genus?
Claviceps grows inside a grass flower's ovary, where a grain would normally develop.
Which genus includes the fungus widely known as black bread mold?
Rhizopus stolonifer also causes soft rot in fruits such as strawberries and peaches.
In the name "shiitake", what does the Japanese word "shii" refer to?
The name joins "shii", a tree the fungus grows on, with "take", the Japanese word for mushroom.
Black bread mold often starts as a fluffy patch of which color?
The patch darkens as Rhizopus develops tiny black reproductive sacs at the tips of upright stalks.
Penicillium's spore-bearing branches resemble which object under a microscope?
The brushlike tips carry chains of dry spores, which can detach and drift on air currents to new places.
How do shiitake growers often trigger a new crop of mushrooms from logs already colonized by the fungus?
The soaking imitates heavy rain, which can signal the fungus to produce mushrooms.
Ergot fungi mainly attack plants in which group?
Rye and wheat are grasses, which is why ergot can contaminate cereal harvests.
A large, mature brown button mushroom is sold under which name?
A portobello cap opens as it grows, exposing dark gills that stay hidden beneath the closed cap of a young button mushroom.
What is the scientific name of the fly agaric mushroom?
The species name comes from the Latin word "musca", meaning "fly", which also appears in the common name.
Which cheese owes its blue-green veins to Penicillium mold?
Cheesemakers add selected mold strains on purpose; their enzymes help create Roquefort's strong flavor.