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[theprinceofmycologia]

I went to the botanical gardens and found some cute critters...

Some frogs...

I think these are phantasmal poison frogs or Epipedobates tricolor, but I am not 100% sure.

Some koi fish...

And this majestic bug...

I think it's an Heteropteryx dilatata, but I am not sure...

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If anyone has a better idea of what some of these are, please let me know:)

[theprinceofmycologia]

I FOUND SOME MORE AWESOME IMAGES OF LOKICERATOPS

IT'S SO COOL!!!

LINKS:

A NEW DINOSAUR HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!!!!! NOT ONLY THAT, IT WAS ALSO NAMED AFTER THE NORSE GOD LOKI!!

BEHOLD THIS BEAUTIFUL DINOSAUR!! OH IT IS SO LOVELY!

HERE ARE SOME COOL PICTURES OF THE SKULL AND CASTS OF THE REAL BONES TO RECONSTRUCT THE SKULL

READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE:

[theprinceofmycologia]

A NEW DINOSAUR HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!!!!! NOT ONLY THAT, IT WAS ALSO NAMED AFTER THE NORSE GOD LOKI!!

BEHOLD THIS BEAUTIFUL DINOSAUR!! OH IT IS SO LOVELY!

HERE ARE SOME COOL PICTURES OF THE SKULL AND CASTS OF THE REAL BONES TO RECONSTRUCT THE SKULL

READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE:

[theprinceofmycologia]

Could you tell me about candida aureus and alternaria solani? My friend studies them and they look so interesting

Hiii, I am so sorry for reacting so late, I have just been really busy with exams and stuff. Anyway, here is the post about Candida Aureus. I will also post about Alternaria solani, but at another time because I am still occupied with my exams.

This post will focus more on the fungus itself, rather than the effect it has on humans.

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Candida aureus

Candida auris is a type of fungus that grows a yeast and can cause candidiases in humans. It is most often contracted in hospitals by patients with a reduced immunity.¹ The fungus can enter the blood causing fungemia (the presence of yeast or fungi in the blood) and cause serious infections.² These infections affect the bloodstream, central nervous system and the internal organs.¹

C. auris has attracted attention because of its drug resistance. It was discovered in 2009 and has seemed to spread globally in the past 15 years.

Identification and microscopic features

C. auris was first described and identified in 2009 after being found in the ear canal of a 70-year-old Japanese woman at the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital in Japan. It is a species of ascomycetous fungus of the genus Candida that grows as a yeast. It forms smooth, shiny, whitish-grey, viscous colonies on growth media.¹

Microscopically, cells are ellipsoid in shape.¹ The cells are approximately 2.5–5.0 micrometres in size and are arranged singly, in pairs or even in groups. C. auris does not form hyphae or pseudohyphae. Although, if it is grown under high-salt stress and depletion of heat-shock proteins, it can result in production of pseudohyphae like forms.³

Candida auris-fungus. Picture by Christopher Paul

Origins and emergence of the species

DNA analysis of four distinct but drug-resistant strains of Candida auris indicate an evolutionary divergence taking place at least 4,000 years ago. The common leap among the four strains into drug-resistance might be linked to to widespread azole-type antifungal use in agriculture. However, explanations for its emergence remain speculative.¹

Proposed scheme for the emergence of C. auris

Another possible explanation for its origins and spread is suggested to revolve around seawater. Molecular biologist Auke de Jong explains the correlation: ‘Because this fungus has a very high tolerance for salt, which is a substance many fungi cannot cope with. The sea could be a plausible route for the global spread of Candida auris; it may have been spread across the globe by the currents.’ ⁴

Vaccine development and treatment

As of June 2024 there is no human vaccine against Candida auris, however experiments involving the NDV-3A vaccine have successfully immunized mice against the fungus. This vaccine also improved the protective efficacy of the antifungal drug micafungin against C. auris infection in the mouse bloodstream.¹

Treatment can be complicated because of its multiple drug resistance and it easily being misidentified as various other Candida species.¹

Highly adaptable

Molecular biologist Auke de Jong also talks about how C. auris is a highly adaptable fungus. Besides its high tolerance for salt, it can also survive relatively high temperatures and commonly used disinfectants. The actions of mankind have accelerated the fungus’ adaptive capacity. Through the large-scale use of fungicides in agriculture, we have accelerated the adaptation process in this fungus. This contributes to the development of an fungus that is rapidly building an increasingly stronger resistance to the substances with which we fight it.⁴

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References

1.

2.

3.

4.

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[theprinceofmycologia]

What is your favorite fungus that has a symbiotic relationship with trees and why?

I think it has to be the amethyst deceiver or Laccaria amethystina. A species which forms symbiotic associations with all kinds of trees, but most often with birch and oak trees.¹

There are so many reasons why I love this fungus, so many.

First of all, it is absolutely gorgeous. I remember seeing this species for the first time as a kid when visiting the forest and just being in pure awe because of how beautiful it was. I have been fascinated with this mushroom ever since. Besides sentimental and aesthetic reasons, I have other motives as to why I love this fungus so much.

I like how this fungus itself is edible, but when growing in arsenic rich soils can absorb the arsenic and become toxic. I would just love to research how the absorption of arsenic affects the fungus in different stages. Maybe I have not been looking thoroughly enough, but I have not been able to find anything about it. I find its ability to become toxic by absorbing arsenic from the soil really fascinating.

Another reason I love the amethyst deceiver so much is because of the genus it is in. Laccaria is so amazing! Another Laccaria species, Laccaria laccata which also forms symbiotic relationships with trees, is really awesome. Recently while researching this species, I came across an article written in the early 80's that for some reason I had not run across before. It wrote about the relationship of L. laccata with the douglas-fir, specifically with douglas-fir seedlings. L. laccata is extremely effective in suppressing diseases and promoting growth in the seedlings.² It is probably so effective because it has mycorrhization helper bacteria or MHB.³

But seriously, I do not know how I had not run across this research before, because there is a lot of it. If it interest you I would really recommend researching it because it is so interesting!

This Laccaria laccata btw:

To me the amethyst deceiver just has so many interesting properties which I would love to research myself, this is probably the main reason why I love this species so much. I would love an opportunity to look at this species under a microscope and just learn everything about it! I want to research if the amethyst deceiver is also very effective in preventing diseases or stimulating growth, maybe it has other awesome properties. I just want to know more about it!

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I hope this properly answers your question, if you have any more questions let me know:)) It was tough choice btw, because I have like 500 favourite species of fungi lol.

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Image sources:

Text sources:

1.

2.

3.

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Mutuals:

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[theprinceofmycologia]

Night light mushroom - Mycena chlorophos

This post will discuss Mycena chlorophos, a bioluminescent fungus found in subtropical Asia.

Fruitbody

M. chlorophos' cap is initially convex before flattening out and often does not exceed 30 mm in diameter. The cap has radial grooves extending to nearly the center (around where the stem connects to the cap) and its margin has small rounded teeth. It has a pale brownish gray colour that fades with growth and it is thinly coated by a somewhat sticky substance. ¹

The gill attachment is free, or adnexed to a slight collar encircling the stem. Initially white then grayish in color, they are somewhat crowded, with 17–32 full-length gills and 1 to 3 tiers of lamellulae*. The gills are 0.3–1 mm wide with micaceous edges.¹

The whiteish stem is 6–30 mm long and 0.3–1 mm thick. The stipe is hollow, translucent and tomentulose (seemingy covered with hair). The base of the stem is disc-shaped or somewhat bulbous, measuring 1–2.5 mm wide. ¹

Bioluminescence (macroscopic and microscopic)

The distribution of luminescence in M. chlorophos is not homogenous. The light intensity in the cap and gills is greater than in the stipe. ² Wether the mycelium is biolumiscent, is not certain from my research. While text source 1 says that the mycelium has little to no luminescence, text source 4 claims that the mycelium is bioluminescent. So it might be bioluminescent, but it might also not be.

On microscopic scale, the luminescence processes are localized to the membrane of the hymenium and basidia cells of the gill. Some parts of the luminescence system are also known to be on the surface of the cell membrane. ²

Spores and microscopic features

The spores are white, smooth, roughly elliptical, and are 7–8.5 by 5–6 μm. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are 17–23 by 7.5–10 μm, and four-spored with sterigmata around 3 μm long. The paraphyses are 5–8 μm wide, shorter than the basidia, more abundant and form a somewhat gelatinous layer.

The cheilocystidia (cystidia on the cap edge) are 60 by 7–21 μm, hyaline, conical or ventricose. The tips of the cheilocystidia are drawn out to a point, or have a short appendage measuring 15 by 2–3 μm, which is sometimes branched, and is thin or slightly thick-walled. There are no pleurocystidia (cystidia on the gills). Pileocystidia (cystidia on the surface of the cap) are club-shaped, measuring 25–60 by 13–25 μm. They are somewhat thick-walled, and spiny on the exposed surface with short outgrowths extending up to 3 μm long. The pileocystidia are joined together and form a continuous layer over the young cap, but break up as the cap expands. The caulocystidia (cystidia on the stem) are conical or lance-shaped, hyaline, and smooth, with walls that are thin or slightly thickened. They measure up to 300 by 10–25 μm, but are shorter in the upper regions of the stem.¹

M. chlorophos are dikaryotic and have clamp connections present throughout the hyphae.²

A, (left) in light; (right) fruiting body in the dark; inset shows top view of the pileus. B, basidia. C, spores. D, caulocystidia. E, cheilocystidia. F, surface view of pileipellis terminal cells embedded in gelatinous matrix of the pileus. ³

Scale bars represent 20 μm, except in (A), where it represents 1 cm. ³

Ecology and distribution

The fungus is found in subtropical Asia, including India, Japan, Taiwan, Polynesia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, in Australia, and Brazil.¹

Fruitbodies can be found growing in groups in forests on fallen woody debris such as dead twigs, branches, and logs. In other words it is a saprobic mushroom. The fungus requires a proper range of humidity to form mushrooms.¹ Under extremely moist conditions fruitbodies will become deformed and under extremely dry conditions the mushroom caps become warped and broken.²

The optimum temperature for the growth of mycelia is 27 °C, while the optimum for the growth of primordia is 21 °C. These temperatures are consistent with the subtropical climate in which it is typically found. Peak luminescence occurs at 27 °C, and about 25–39 hours after the primordia begin to form, when the cap has fully expanded. At 21 °C, luminescence persists for about 3 days, and becomes undetectable to the naked eyes about 72 hours after primordium initiation . ¹

The most probable reason the fungus glows has to do with spore dispersal. The luminescent properties of the fungus attracts many insects that while eating from the mushroom also help spreading the spores.⁴

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Images:

Text references:

1.

2.

3.

4.

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Notes

The term marked*:

Lamellulae - shorter gills that do not extend fully from the cap margin to the stem.

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[theprinceofmycologia]

Okayy, so from what I can find, it could be a Leucocoprinus ianthinus (Sacc.) P.Mohr. I did some research about its physical appearance and properties and also found this picture:

These mushrooms look very much alike and seem to grow in the same type of environment.

If it is a Leucocoprinus ianthinus, it is a bit on the small side. What I forgot to mention in my last post, was that the stipe also had a vague ring or skirt. This is also a characteristic that the L. ianthinus has.

Unfortunately, I could find little information to identify this mushroom. It could be Leucocoprinus ianthinus (Sacc.) P.Mohr, but it might not be.

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Source image:

Text source:

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Mutuals:

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I woke up this morning and I found the most amazing thing! In the pot of my bear's paw succulent or cotyledon tomentosa I found this small mushroom.

It's about 2 cm tall and the cap is 0,8 cm broad. The gills are white/cream coloured. Unfortunately, I could not tell what the attachment of the gills was.

In the the somewhat blurry pictures below, it seems that this small mushroom has white mycelium.

I have not been able to identify the species, I will have to put some more time into researching that:)

What I have noticed is that anytime I pick up the pot with the cotyledon tomentosa and the tiny fungus, I can immediately smell the mushroom. I do not know if that makes sense, but is has a very strong fungi smell, so much so, I can nearly taste it.

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Hiyaa! I haven't posted in forever, I've been really busy. So sorry about that! I do hope you guys enjoy this cute little fungus:)

Mutuals:

@squidsandthings

@plants-and-thingz

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[theprinceofmycologia]

I woke up this morning and I found the most amazing thing! In the pot of my bear's paw succulent or cotyledon tomentosa I found this small mushroom.

It's about 2 cm tall and the cap is 0,8 cm broad. The gills are white/cream coloured. Unfortunately, I could not tell what the attachment of the gills was.

In the the somewhat blurry pictures below, it seems that this small mushroom has white mycelium.

I have not been able to identify the species, I will have to put some more time into researching that:)

What I have noticed is that anytime I pick up the pot with the cotyledon tomentosa and the tiny fungus, I can immediately smell the mushroom. I do not know if that makes sense, but is has a very strong fungi smell, so much so, I can nearly taste it.

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Hiyaa! I haven't posted in forever, I've been really busy. So sorry about that! I do hope you guys enjoy this cute little fungus:)

Mutuals:

@squidsandthings

@plants-and-thingz

@lameotello

@fairy-tales-of-yesterday

@flamingears

[theprinceofmycologia]

I found some really cool lichen and moss, last saturday:)

[theprinceofmycologia]

Mycena subcyanocephala

This post will discuss Mycena subcyancophala, a very recently discovered species of fungi, found in Taiwan.

Fruitbody, spores and microscopic features

Mycena subcyanocephala might be one of the smallest mushrooms in the world, being about 1 milimetre tall. It is a part of the Mycenaceae family.¹

This species is characterized by their tomentulose (seemingly covered with hair) fruitbodies, a white cap with pale blue toned, thin-walled pileiocystidia (on the cap) and white caulocystidia (on the stipe), smooth round-headed cheilocystidia, inamyloid basidiospores, and the 2-spored basidia (visible in the picture below: B). ²

Mycena subcyanocephala. A. Basidiospores. B. Basidia. C. Cheilocystidia. D. Pileipellis. E.

Ecology and distribution

Mycena subcyanocephala is a lignicolous species of the section Spinosae², meaning that it lives or grows in or on wood.

This species has been found in (sub)tropical Taiwan. ³

Images links:

Text references:

1.

2.

3.

https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail/10132732-201912-201910010006-201910010006-9-17

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Note:

I was able to find very little on this species of fungi, I hope that most of it is correct. However, because so little is known, I cannot guarantee the validity of the information. Additionally, because of the lack of information, I cannot conclude anything or be sure about possibly correlated information.

Either way, I hope it is sufficient and you will enjoy the post:))

Mutuals:

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[theprinceofmycologia]

In this post I mentioned:

"Two other species, Mycena cyanocephala found in Chile and Mycena venata from New Zealand have been shown to be identical to Mycena interrupta."

This is about Rolf Singer's described M. cyanocephala in Chile. Which can be seen below.

Rolf Singer's description is not about the newly discovered Mycena subcyanocephala, which can be found in Taiwan. It looks like this:

This image is from iNaturalist.

I wanted to clear this up and make sure I was not spreading any misinformation:))

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Pixie's parasols - Mycena interrupta

This post will discuss multiple features of M. interrupta, including microscopic features. I would like to note that some of the given measurements in µm might not be entirely correct. The measurements differ per source I have found.

Biology and ecology

M. interrupta is a saprotrophic basidiomycete.¹ In other words it is a mushroom that feeds on non-living organic matter (detritus) and whose spores develop in the basidia.

This species primarily grows gregariously (in groups), however, sometimes it grows solitary or more dispersed. It can usually be found on eucalyptus logs or stumps in Oceania.¹ Otherwise they can be found in Nothofagus forests.²

Fruitbody, spores and microscopic features

The cap is 8 millimeters³ to 20 millimeters in diameter and about 4 milimeters high.¹ While it is globose when emergent, as they age they become convex with a slightly depressed center. The surface of the cap is shiny, gelatinous, transluscent, and striate (striped). The cap has a dull-blue hue in the center and near the edges have a more cyan-blue colour.¹

The gill attachment is adnate to free and the gills are moderately close to distant. The margins of the gills are blue and their sides white. There can also be one or two series of lamellulae.¹

M. interrupta has a central stipe which is up to 22 millimetres long and 2 millimetres thick. The surface of the stipe is often pruinose¹, meaning that it seems to be covered with some kind of frost or a powdery secretion. The stem is transluscent white and is attached to the wooden substrate by a bluish basal disc, which often fades to white.¹

The spores of M. interrupta are white, smooth, ellipsoid, or rarely sub globose. These basidiospores are 8-12 x 5.5-9 µm. The basidia are four-spored or sometimes two-spored, with stout sterigmata to 9 µm long; clavate or pear-shaped, with clamp connection at base.¹

Distribution and range

In Australia and New Zealand this species of Mycena is found in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland.⁴ This species can also be found in South-America, specifically in Chile.

Two other species, Mycena cyanocephala found in Chile and Mycena veneta from New Zealand have been shown to be identical to Mycena interrupta. This distribution suggests that this species has its origins in the flora of Gondwana.⁵

Links to M. interrupta images:

Text references:

1.

https://www.fncv.org.au/fungi-in-australia/

-> https://www.fncv.org.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/fungi_in_australia/fia-3-basidio-agarico-I.pdf

-> Pages 316 to 317.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Maybe a fun fact, if you aren't Australian, or just didn't know yet:))

Eucalyptus forests or sclerophyll forests are the most common types of forests in Australia and most species of eucalyptus are native to Australia.

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Mutuals:

Hiyaaaa, some more mycology info:) I know that some of you quite like the Mycena genus, so I hope you'll enjoy this post:))

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[theprinceofmycologia]

Pixie's parasols - Mycena interrupta

This post will discuss multiple features of M. interrupta, including microscopic features. I would like to note that some of the given measurements in µm might not be entirely correct. The measurements differ per source I have found.

Biology and ecology

M. interrupta is a saprotrophic basidiomycete.¹ In other words it is a mushroom that feeds on non-living organic matter (detritus) and whose spores develop in the basidia.

This species primarily grows gregariously (in groups), however, sometimes it grows solitary or more dispersed. It can usually be found on eucalyptus logs or stumps in Oceania.¹ Otherwise they can be found in Nothofagus forests.²

Fruitbody, spores and microscopic features

The cap is 8 millimeters³ to 20 millimeters in diameter and about 4 milimeters high.¹ While it is globose when emergent, as they age they become convex with a slightly depressed center. The surface of the cap is shiny, gelatinous, transluscent, and striate (striped). The cap has a dull-blue hue in the center and near the edges have a more cyan-blue colour.¹

The gill attachment is adnate to free and the gills are moderately close to distant. The margins of the gills are blue and their sides white. There can also be one or two series of lamellulae.¹

M. interrupta has a central stipe which is up to 22 millimetres long and 2 millimetres thick. The surface of the stipe is often pruinose¹, meaning that it seems to be covered with some kind of frost or a powdery secretion. The stem is transluscent white and is attached to the wooden substrate by a bluish basal disc, which often fades to white.¹

The spores of M. interrupta are white, smooth, ellipsoid, or rarely sub globose. These basidiospores are 8-12 x 5.5-9 µm. The basidia are four-spored or sometimes two-spored, with stout sterigmata to 9 µm long; clavate or pear-shaped, with clamp connection at base.¹

Distribution and range

In Australia and New Zealand this species of Mycena is found in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland.⁴ This species can also be found in South-America, specifically in Chile.

Two other species, Mycena cyanocephala found in Chile and Mycena veneta from New Zealand have been shown to be identical to Mycena interrupta. This distribution suggests that this species has its origins in the flora of Gondwana.⁵

Links to M. interrupta images:

Text references:

1.

https://www.fncv.org.au/fungi-in-australia/

-> https://www.fncv.org.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/fungi_in_australia/fia-3-basidio-agarico-I.pdf

-> Pages 316 to 317.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Maybe a fun fact, if you aren't Australian, or just didn't know yet:))

Eucalyptus forests or sclerophyll forests are the most common types of forests in Australia and most species of eucalyptus are native to Australia.

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Mutuals:

Hiyaaaa, some more mycology info:) I know that some of you quite like the Mycena genus, so I hope you'll enjoy this post:))

@squidsandthings

@plants-and-thingz

@fairy-tales-of-yesterday

@flamingears

@lameotello

[theprinceofmycologia]

Small staghorn - Calocera cornea

This post will discuss the small staghorn or the Calocera cornea. It is important to note that the description paragraph at the top of this post is a more generalised description, other paragraphs will go into more detail.

Description

Calocera cornea can be found on the deadwood of deciduous broadleaf hardwood trees, especially oaks, after heavy rains. On this deadwood it emerges in groups of smooth and cylindric fruiting bodies with rounded-off, or sometimes sharper tips.¹

While this fungus looks more like a club fungus than a jelly fungus, it is in fact a jelly fungus. This fungus namely has more gelatinous flesh instead of it being brittle. Additionally, microscopic examination shows this fungus to have Y-shaped basidia that charachterise members of the Dacrymycetales - a large class within the jelly fungi. ²

Fruitbody, spores and microscopic features.

The small staghorn can be found clustered in non-merging groups.² This fungus has a cylindric fruiting body with a rounded or sharpened apex (tip), which occasionally is shallowly forked. It grows about 2 - 18 mm high and 1 to 2 mm thick. The surface of the body is bald and greasy¹, firm but gelatinous.² Its coloration ranges from orange to orangish yellow, depending on weather circumstances and age. In drier weather the fruiting body will turn more orange and with age the apex will shrivel and get an orangish brown hue. This fungus has white mycelium.¹

Calocera cornea's smooth spores are ellipsoidal to sausage-shaped and about 7-10 x 2.5-4um in size. The spores are hyaline and inamyloid (clear and not changing colour with Melzer's reagent). When fully mature, they will often become 1-septate (developing a single cross wall), like seen in the picture on the left below. The basidia are Y-shaped or two-spored, visible in the picture on the right below.²

Ecology and biological role

This species is saprobic, growing scattered to clustered on the deadwood of decidious broadleaf hardwoods. They are mostly found on sticks up to five cm in diameter.¹

The species is saprobic, meaning that it feeds on dead or decaying organic matter. The small staghorn grows on deadwood, making its biological role to decompose wood.³

Distribution

The small staghorn is widely distributed in Europe (it is quite common in Britain and Ireland²), North America, Central America, South America, Asia, and Oceania.¹

Season

The small staghorn fruits through most of the year in moist maritime climates (in Europe), but can mostly found during the autumn.

Similar species

Similar species include Calocera furcata, Calocera viscosa, Calocera pallidospathula and some of the Ramaria species.

Calocera furcata (seen on the first row on the right below) grows on conifer wood. Its spores septate three times, while the spores of Calocera cornea have one septum. ¹

Calocera viscosa (seen on the first row on the left below) is much larger, up to 8 cm tall, with orange fruiting bodies that are usually branched two or three times. It clusters, i, usually on moss-covered, buried conifer wood. ¹

Calocera pallidospathula (seen on the second row below) is initially translucent white, and only its tips become yellowish with age. ²

Calocera cornea might also be confused with some of the Ramaria (seen on the third row below) species of coral fungi, but its greasy surface and rubbery texture are distinguishing features. ²

Sources & references:

Calocera cornea:

Microscopic features images:

Calocera furcata:

Calocera viscosa:

Calocera pallidospathula:

Ramaria species:

Text sources:

1.

2.

3.

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Hiyaaaa, I've got another mycology info dump:)

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Btw, if anyone wants me to go into more detail about this species, just leave a comment and I'll do some research and post about it:)

You can also leave a comment, if you want to be tagged in mycology posts:)

[theprinceofmycologia]

Planned posts

Hiyaa, I'm planning on researching a few species of fungi and posting about them. However, I don't know when I'll be able to post, I do know what I'll post about though.

I will post about:

Small staghorn - Calocera cornea

Pixie's parasols - Mycena interrupta

Mycena subcyanocephala

Mycena chlorophos

I can also post about other fungi, just send in a request. I cannot promise, however that I'll be able to post quickly, but I will post about it.

The post about the small staghorn is almost finished actually, it's just that I'm really busy, so I'll probably post it Thursday or Friday.

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If you wanna get tagged in mycology posts, just leave a comment:)

[theprinceofmycologia]

Devil's tooth - Hydnellum peckii

This post will specifically discuss the 'blood' or red liquid that Hydnellum peckii leaks.

While the adult fungus has a beige colour, the younger has a white colour and ''bleeds'' from its pores.

The red liquid the young Devil's tooth leaks is much alike to sap, caused by guttation*. When the soil surrounding the mycelium becomes very moist, it can force water into the mycelium's roots through the process of osmosis. The buildup of moisture creates a pressure within the fungus. Which, when high enough, forces the liquid to the surface of the fungi, causing it to ''bleed''. The liquid appears red thanks to the pigments found within the fungus.¹

The red liquid is actually called ''extracellular fluid''. It is thought to be a defensive mechanism of thd fungus with the goal to keep it from getting eaten by animals, or, attracting insects to help spread its spores.²

Chemical properties and medical applications

The red sap contains a chemical compound called atromentin, which has anticoagulant properties and is commonly used to help prevent blood clots from forming. The pigment-producing compound found in several fungi species, atromenin also acts as a smooth muscle stimulant and has antibacterial and antineoplastic (anticancer) properties.³

The Devil's tooth image:

Information sources:

1.

2.

https://soil.evs.buffalo.edu/index.php/Hydnellum_peckii

3.

https://soil.evs.buffalo.edu/index.php/Hydnellum_peckii

More about atromentin (C18H12O6):

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Notes:

* high root pressure

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@squidsandthings hiiya, I just did some research on the red liquid the Devil's tooth bleeds. If it interests you, you can read this post. I also added some links for further research.

@flamingears hiii, this might interest you too. I thought you mentioned liking mycology:)

[theprinceofmycologia]

Hello! Thank you for the Boop help (and sorry for my Boop spam on my end!) I was wondering, how do you get the black paw badge?

Hiyaa!

Np:) Thank you also for the boops!

You can get the black paw badge by giving 1000 boops. Hope this helps:)

[theprinceofmycologia]

Thank you for helping me reach 1k boops :)

Ahww, no problem:)) Thank youu for helping me:)