Fungi are often mistaken for plants but they are actually in a kingdom of their own. Mushroom are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of fungi, typically produced above ground on soil, or on its food source. I call them "genius of the forest".
The image of picking mushrooms and placing them in a basket to bring back home for dinner is my dream since young. Though I never would have thought that I will put wild mushroom soup on my dinner menu. My knowledge not up to that level yet. But I like to take a close look for those beautiful "genius" while I am hiking in the forest or walking in the park.
Here are some of my collections over the years: Transparent Mushroom, Cup-shape Mushroom, Fairy Inkcap Mushroom, Beach Umbrella, Jelly-year Fungus, Cinnamon Cap, Lentinus sajor-caju, Crepidotus sp, Dead man's fingers, Bracket Fungi.
Transparent Mushroom
These almost transparent mushrooms were sighted at
Rifle Range Nature Park Nov 2022
Cup-shaped Mushroom
Orange cup mushroom, Cookeina speciosa, is a genus of cup fungi which has a cup-shaped fruiting body with a distinct stalk. They can be found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They are not that common to be found in Singapore, mostly on decaying vegetation in forested area. I was happy to spot them twice while hiking in the jungle.
They were sighted at Rifle Range Nature Park Nov 2022
Fairy Inkcap Mushroom
Coprinellus disseminatus is a species of agaric fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae. Unlike most other coprinoid mushrooms, C. disseminatus does not dissolve into black ink in maturity. The species was given its current name in 1939 by Jakob Emanuel Lange. Coprinellus disseminatus has about 143 sexes. Wikipedia
The fairy inkcap mostly forms dense masses swarming over rotting tree stumps and roots. The caps are beige when young and the pleated caps turn grey and then black in 2-3 days time.
Beach Umbrella
The prettiest mushrooms are often the tiniest, and they are most difficult to get a nice capture. Here is one of the example: Marasmius siccus (LEAP Fungi) or orange pinwheel, known as beach umbrella too, is very tiny (stem is 3–7cm tall, cap is 0.5–2.5cm) orange mushroom with a cushion-shaped or bell-shaped cap. The tough wiry bare stem is pale at the top, reddish brown below, gills are whitish.
They usually grow gregariously on leaf litter and woody debris in the forest. The orange color of Marasmius siccus fades in age or in dry weather; then it has less distinctive colors.
at Admiralty Park Oct 2022
Jelly-ear Fungus
An edible mushroom. It is named because of its translucent, thin and jelly-like texture and appearance. They mainly grows on dead tree trunk or fallen branches across the damp, shady areas of the Forest during most wet spells. This species is also known as the wood ear or Judas’s ear. Named after the apostle, Judas, who allegedly hanged himself from an elder tree out of shame after betraying Jesus.
MacRitchie Nature Trail & Reservoir Park May2022
Cinnamon cap
Lentinus sajor-caju
"Lentinus sajor-caju is a species of saprophytic mushroom. Cultivator-mycologists often incorrectly use the name Pleurotus sajor-caju for some warm weather varieties of Pleurotus pulmonarius, a commonly cultivated species of Oyster Mushroom. " Wikipedia
a big cluster at Winsor Nature Park
Lentinus
"Lentinus is a genus of fungi in the family Polyporaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with many species found in subtropical regions. The genus name Lentinus is derived from the Latin lent, meaning "pliable", and inus, meaning "resembling". " Wikipedia
Lentinus Sp.
Crepidotus sp
In most cases, the fruit body could be described as a stemless mushroom. It has a fleshy texture and consists of a cap with gills on the underside. The cap, viewed from above, is roughly semi-circular and, in general, is attached to wood by its flat edge. (but in some species a very short stem may be present). Caps vary in diameter from half a centimetre to 10 centimetres. The caps come in various colours and so do the gills.
Dead man's fingers
This certainly earnt its name! Finger-shaped, grey, brown or black, young one is pale grey whitish tips, blackening with age, reaching for the sky, spookily look as if someone buried beneath the woodland floor and trying to make a last-ditch attempt to escape. Haha some inspiration from horror movies...
Photos taken at Chestnut Nature Trail Mar 2021
"Coprinellus disseminatus (formerly Coprinus disseminatus;
commonly known as "fairy inkcap"or "trooping crumble cap") is a species of agaric fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae. Unlike most other coprinoid mushrooms, C. disseminatus does not dissolve into black ink (deliquesce) in maturity. "
Bracket Fungi
Bracket fungus or shelf fungus is one of the most common fungi found in Singapore. Two examples of bracket fungi: Fomes and Ganoderma. Below are some of mushroom from the family Ganodermataceae
"Ganoderma is a genus of polypore fungi in the family Ganodermataceae that includes about 80 species, many from tropical regions. They have a high genetic diversity and are used in traditional Asian medicines. Ganoderma can be differentiated from other polypores because they have a double-walled basidiospore. "-Wikipedia
Fasle turkey Tail, found on a tree bark in Chestnut Nature Tail.
A similar looking mushroom to the Turkey tail, commonly called false turkey tail. Scientific Name: Stereum ostrea, also called golden curtain crust. The stemless fruiting body is shell-like, large, layered groups of leathery brackets with multicolored zones; underside smooth. Zones color may vary, browns, rusty red, and sometimes green (from algae).
"Trametes versicolor, also known as Coriolus versicolor and Polyporus versicolor is a common polypore mushroom found throughout the world. Meaning 'of several colors', versicolor reliably describes this fungus that displays a variety of colors. For example, because its shape and multiple colors are similar to those of a wild turkey, so it is commonly called turkey tail."-Wikipedia
Common turkey tail found in different location at our Nature Park
"Ganoderma lucidum(Curtis) Lingzhi mushroom, also known as Reishi mushroom is a polypore fungus ("bracket fungus") belonging to the genus Ganoderma. Its reddish brown varnished kidney-shaped cap with bands and peripherally inserted stem gives it a distinct fan-like appearance. When fresh, the lingzhi is soft, cork-like, and flat. "
Pycnoporus sanguineus - Tropical Cinnabar Bracket Fungus
Fruiting bodies of Pycnoporus sanguineus growing on a log at Winsor Nature Park
Ganoderma applanatum (the artist's bracket, artist's conk, artist's fungus or bear bread) is a bracket fungus with a cosmopolitan distribution. The fruiting bodies are perennial, may persist for multiple years, increasing in size and forming new layers of pores as they grow. These layers can be distinguished in a cross section or from observation of the concentric rings on the upper surface of the fruiting body. This allows the fruiting body's age to be determined using the same method as tree rings.
