Fungi. What an odd miracle of mother nature. Their major function in the ecosystem is as decomposers and consists of numerous different types of life forms. The most common are molds and mushrooms. These devotees of decomposition can be boons for the environment, lethal for us, and extremely beautiful to see regardless of any poisonous predispositions. Here are 38 mushrooms that bring the colors of the rainbow to life.
1. Eastern yellow fly agaric mushroom, Amanita muscaria var. guessowii
(By Nicholas A. Tonelli, Wikimedia Commons)
This mushroom is found in certain parts of North America, south of the Appalachian mountains. They tend to grow mostly around conifer and deciduous trees.
2. The cup-fungus, Sarcoscypha coccinea
(By Ryane Snow, Wikimedia Commons)
Also known as scarlet elf cup, scarlet elf cap, or the scarlet cup, this fungus is found all across the world. It was used by the Native Americans in folk medicine.
3. The Ghost Fungus, Omphalotus nidiformis
(By Cas Liber, Wikimedia Commons)
This is a bioluminescent mushroom commonly found in Tasmania and Australia, as well as sparsely in India. It is presumed to be poisonous, though not lethal.
4. Marasmiellus coilobasis
(By Susanne Sourell, Wikimedia Commons)
This is a rarer species, one among 250 species under the family of Marasmiellus, which is the Greek word for “wasting”.
5. Turkey Tail, also known as Trametes versicolor
(By Ecornerdropshop, Wikimedia Commons)
As you can guess, this polypore mushroom found all over the world, gets its name from its multitude of colors, greatly resembling those of a wild turkey.
6. Laetiporus sulphureus, Yellow mushroom on an old oak tree
This fungus is made of tubelike spores, and is also known as crab-of-the-woods, sulphur polypore and sulphur shelf. They can be found all across North America and Europe.
7. Fruit bodies of Polyporus sp.
(By Otto Miettinen, Wikimedia Commons) https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25597421
This is the fruited body of one species among many under the genus Polyporus, which gets its name from the pores present on fungi under this genus.
8. Elmerina holophaea, a polypore with gills
(By Otto Miettinen, Wikimedia Commons)
This is a unique species under the genus Polyporus, and are a hydnoid type of fungi as they have gills present on the backside of the growth.
9. Hygrocybe firma
(By Ian Dodd, Wikimedia Commons)
This fungus is found across New Zealand, East Asia, and the Caribbean. It comes in a wide variety of similar shapes and colors.
10. Amanita caesarea, Caesar's mushroom
(By Archenzo, Wikimedia Commons)
This mushroom, straight out of Wonderland is a well-known fungus in Europe and while it is edible, it bears a great resemblance to certain poisonous mushrooms, not fit for consumption.
11. Entoloma chytrophilum
(By Tatiana Bulyonkova, Wikimedia Commons)
This blue beauty is found in Europe and Asia and is well known for its aesthetic appearance.
12. Mycena pura
(By Strobilomyces, Wikimedia Commons)
The purple pura is known for its bioluminescence and for its tendency to naturally accumulate boron.
13. Cortinarius magellanicus
(By Jason Hollinger, Wikimedia Commons)
Here’s another violet fungus which is most common to New Zealand and is found scattered across South America.
14. The black trumpet, Craterellus cornucopioides
(By Jerzy Opioła, Wikimedia Commons)
Believe it or not, this horned mushroom is edible and is found in Japan and Korea as well as North America and Europe.
15. Amanita phalloides, the death cap mushroom
(By Stanisław Skowron, Wikimedia Commons)
This tiny mushroom bears a great resemblance to Amanita caesarea (No.10 on this list), with the exception that this matchbox-sized fungus is extremely poisonous and deadly.
16. Yellow flower pot mushrooms, Leucocoprinus birnbaumii
(By Iorek85, Wikimedia Commons)
This mushroom also goes by the names flowerpot parasol and plantpot dapperling. It is a mildly poisonous mushroom and can be lethal if consumed in large quantities.
17. The pink waxcap, Hygrocybe calyptriformis
(By Len Worthington, Wikimedia Commons)
Found in North America, Northern Asia and parts of Europe, this is a gilled mushroom which has been listed as a threatened species in many parts of the world.
18. Jack-o'-lantern mushroom, Omphalotus olearius
(By Noah Siegel, Wikimedia Commons)
Unlike its namesake, these jack-o-lanterns can be deadly and are a poisonous, bioluminescent mushroom found in South Africa and the Western Cape Province.
19. Verdigris agaric (Stropharia aeruginosa), a toadstool fungus
(By Anneli Salo, Wikimedia Commons)
This slimy woodland mushroom has a wide distribution across Europe, North America, Britain, and even Iran. It has not yet been confirmed whether this fungus is poisonous.
20. Marasmius grandiviridis
(By wombata, Wikimedia Commons)
This is a rare and unique species under the genus Marasmius, found only on rare occasions, making its distribution difficult to pinpoint.
21. Chrysomphalina aurantiaca
(By US Forest Service, Wikimedia Commons)
This is another rare mushroom, believed to be indigenous to the forests of the Pacific Northwest.
22. Gomphus floccosus, orange chantarelle mushroom
(By Nicholas A. Tonelli, Wikimedia Commons)
Also known as the wooly gomphus, this orange bulb of fungus is believed to have medicinal properties.
23. Marasmius haematocephalus
(By Dick Culbert, Wikimedia Commons)
Not much is known about this mushroom, aside from its unique appearance, which may often take a flowery shape, as in the above picture, or a shape resembling jellyfish.
24. Pleurotus djamor, pink oyster mushroom
(By H. Krisp, Wikimedia Commons)
This fungus has been named for its appearance, but prior to this was known by numerous other different names, such salmon oyster mushroom, the strawberry oyster and the flamingo mushroom.
25. Ascocoryne sarcoides, purple jellydisc
(By Henk Monster, Wikimedia Commons)
This fungus, resembling the raw form of the human brain, has also been known by the name jelly drops and is widely distributed in Asia, Europe, and North America.
26. Laccaria ochropurpurea
(By Dan Molter, Wikimedia Commons)
This mushroom is indigenous to the Rocky Mountains and found on growths alongside conifer and hardwood trees.
27. Mycena haematopus, the bleeding fairy helmet
(By Bernard Spragg, Wikimedia Commons)
This mushroom also goes by the names burgundydrop bonnet, or the bleeding Mycena and has been seen commonly in Japan and Venezuela, as well as across Europe and North America.
28. Cortinarius puniceus
(By Pam Brophy, Wikimedia Commons)
This species is commonly found growing around conifer trees and is one among 2000 other species under its genus.
29. Hygrocybe cuspidata, the candy apple waxy cup
(By Justin, Wikimedia Commons)
This uniquely named mushroom is spread across the eastern part of North America and is well known for its appearance.
30. Fly Agaric, or Amanita muscaria
(By Peter Stevens, Wikimedia Commons)
The Fly Agaric is a gilled toadstool mushroom, and are another poisonous species, though not lethal unless consumed in large quantities.
31. Cortinarius porphyroideus, the purple pouch fungus
(By Bernard Spragg, Wikimedia Commons)
This mushroom begins its life white before taking on this purple hue in later stages. It is found in New Zealand and Australia.
32. Clavaria alboglobospora
(By Ian Dodd, Wikimedia Commons)
This white fungus bears a great resemblance to coral and grows most commonly in New Zealand.
33. Lachnum fasciculare Velen
(By Sava Krstic, Wikimedia Commons)
These tiny white bulbs, found in Australia, are so minuscule, they’re very easy to miss.
34. Calbovista subsculpta, sculptured puffball
(By Alan Rockefeller, Wikimedia Commons)
Calbovista subsculpta is a giant puffball, which can reach an average width of 5 inches. Like all true puffballs, this one is edible while its flesh is still white and firm. Once the flash darkens and becomes powdery, it is no longer suited for consumption.
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