Glossary

ANNULUS: The skirtlike remnant of the partial veil which shields the lamellae as they produce the spores and protects the spores until they are ready for release. It surrounds the upper part of the mushroom stem below the cap and sometimes slips down. Not found on every mushroom. Also called "annular ring."
ANNULAR RING: See annulus.
ANTABUSE: A chemical that prevents the human body from breaking down and excreting the by-products of ethyl alcohol. In combination with alcohol, it causes uncomfortable and dangerous side effects (see coprine.)
BULBOUS: Shaped like a bulb, especially at the base of a stem.
BUTTON: The rounded, immature stage of a mushroom with a cap, before the cap has expanded.
CAP: The top of the mushroom--usually the spore-bearing part. Also called "pileus."
CHITIN: The dense substance forming the indigestible outer skeleton of insects, and the material from which the walls of the mycelia are made.
COCOON: The egg-shaped immature form of a mushroom, usually as it erupts from the ground, especially in the Amanita genus. It is surrounded by the universal veil.
COPRINE: A chemical found in the Coprinus genus, especially prominent in C. atramentarius . Responsible for Antabuselike reactions if ingested within forty-eight hours of drinking any form of alcohol.
CULTIVATION: The collecting, growing of mycelia, inoculation onto special growth materials, and the harvesting of mushrooms using controlled methods.
CUP: The remnants of the universal veil surrounding the base of certain mushrooms, such as Amanita andVolvariella. Also called "volva."
DECANT: To pour off gently from the top of a liquid so as not to allow sediment or solid material to leave the bottom of the container.
DUXELLES: A method of preparing minced mushrooms for later use (see page___.).
ECCENTRIC: Not in the center.
EGG: An early stage of growth (see cocoon).
FAIRY-RING: A formation of certain mushrooms, such as blewits and Marasmius oreades, which grow in rings moving outward from a central point of origin.
FIBRIL: A fine hair or fiber.
FILAMENT: A long fine hair or fiber.
FIELD GUIDE: A book that carefully describes different mushroom species so they can be tentatively identified.
FOXFIRE: The release of energy visible in the dark, caused by the presence of phosphorus chemical compounds, especially in Armillaria mellea (honey mushroom).
FRUITING BODY: The part of a fungus that bears the reproductive tissues.
FUNGUS (pl. fungi): A plantlike living organism lacking chlorophyll and usually producing spores.
GENUS (pl. genera): A group of related species demonstrating common characteristics.
GILLS: Thin sheetlike curtains that usually bear spores. They are radially arranged under the caps of certain mushrooms.
GYROMITRIN: A chemical occuring in certain Helvella and Gyrometra mushrooms which when broken down in the human body forms Monomethylhydrazine, a poison.
HYPOGEOUS: Growing underground.
LATEX: The liquid that oozes from certain mushrooms when they are cut or bruised, especially Lactarius.
LOOK-ALIKES: Mushrooms that closely resemble and may be mistaken for other mushrooms.
MICA: A mineral consisting of shiny, transparent, platelike chemical crystals.
MONOMETHYLHYDRAZINE (MMH): A chemical used for rocket fuel. It is poisonous if inhaled or ingested. It is released from some Helvella and Gyromitra mushrooms by drying or boiling in water, and is a break-down product in the human body from a chemical named gyromitrin which is found in these mushrooms.
MUSHROOM: A structure bearing the reproductive organs of the plant that produce spores.
MYCELIUM (pl. mycelia): The mass of fine threadlike structures that make up the vegetative, food-gathering portion of fungi.
MYCOLOGY: The study of fungi.
MYCOLOGIST: A person who has been professionally trained to study fungi.
MYCOPHAGIST: One who has a special appreciation for eating mushrooms.
MYCORRHIZA (pl. mycorrhizae): The mutually beneficial growing together of mycelia and the root hairs of trees and other plants.
NEMATODES: Round-worms of various sizes, frequently parasitic, infesting plants and animals. Usually passes part of its life cycle in the soil.
PARASITE: An organism living on and injuring another organism.
PARBOILING: The process of boiling food briefly in water.
PARTIAL VEIL: A sheet of tissue under a mushroom cap. It stretches from the cap margin to the stem, and protects the sporebearing tissues until the spores are mature.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS: The process by which green plants make carbohydrates such as sugar, using water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight.
PILEUS: See cap.
PORES: Small openings of tubes where the spores are developed, under the caps of certain mushrooms such as polypores and boletes.
RHIZOMORPH: A solid rootlike cord of mycelial material.
SAPROPHYTE: An organism deriving its food from dead organic matter.
SPAWN: Mycelium produced artificially for the purpose of cultivating mushrooms.
SPECIES: The name given to a single kind of organism. Species can be divided into sub-species.
SPORE: The seedlike reproductive unit of a fungus, usually of microscopic size.
STEM: The upright pillarlike part of the mushroom, which supports the cap. Also called the "stalk" or "stipe."
STIPE: See stem.
SUBSTRATE: The material and/or location on which an organism grows and from which growth materials are extracted.
TAXONOMY: The scientific classification of organisms based on their similarities and differences.
TEETH: Narrow, round, spore-producing projections hanging from the bottom of the caps of certain mushrooms such as the hedgehog mushroom.
TENDRIL: A long, slender, coiled extension of a plant, usually used for its support.
TOXICOLOGY: The study of poisons and their effects.
UMBONATE: A mushroom cap having a rounded mound in the center.
UNIVERSAL VEIL: A sheet of tissue surrounding the entire fruiting body until it is ready to expand and disperse spores, seen especially well in the genus Amanita . Portions of the universal veil may remain as wartlike masses on the surface of the cap. The bottom portion may persist as a cup, or volva.
VOLVA: Cuplike remnants of universal veil at the base of the stem or attached to the lower stem in shaggy rings. Also called "cup."
ZONED: Having concentric bands of color, fibers, or scales, as on the surface of the caps of certain mushrooms such as Lactarius species.