Oct 28, 2020
Liberal Arts Blog — The Marvelous Mushroom — Any Mycologists or Mycophagists Out There?
Liberal Arts Blog — Wednesday is the Joy of Science, Engineering, and Technology Day
Today’s Topic — The Marvelous Mushroom — any mycologists or mycophagists out there?
Have you ever collected mushrooms? Can you tell a poisonous mushroom from a non-poisonous one? Did you know that the largest organism on the planet may be a mushroom? Have you ever tried “chicken of the woods”? Today, a few random notes. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
IS THE BIGGEST ORGANISM ON EARTH A MUSHROOM?
1. Bigger than a blue whale or a redwood tree, a giant mushroom in Oregon (armillaria ostoyea) spreads over 2.4 miles and may weigh 35,000 tons. It has been estimated to be 8000 years old.
2. What appears above the surface (“honey mushrooms”) are just the tips of the subterranean iceberg. Below these fruiting bodies lies an immense network of tendrils (rhizomorphs) called the mycelium. The fungus feeds off the roots of trees, killing them.
3. The biggest rival to this mushroom’s claim of being the biggest organism in the world is a colony of aspen trees called “Pando.” (See last link below.)
NB: “Between 420 and 350 million years ago giant mushrooms were larger and more prevalent than trees. Mushrooms were between 8 meters (24 feet) tall, with trunks that were one meter (3 feet) wide, whereas trees were only a few feet tall.” (see second and third links below)"
CHINA, ITALY, AND CHESTER COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA
1. China accounts for 65% of world mushroom production.
2. Italy comes in second at about 10%.
3. Chester County, Pennsylvania grows 47% of US mushrooms!!! Principally white and brown buttons plus portobello, but also shitakes, oysters, enokis….
CHICKEN OF THE WOODS — “Laetiporus”
1. Supposedly tastes like chicken. I once ordered it. Will never do so again.
2. Each layer is called a “shelf.” The entire assemblage is called a “bracket.” A shelf can be 2 to 10 inches across and a bracket can weigh up to 100 lbs
3. Commonly found on the wounds of oak trees.
The largest living thing on Earth is a humongous fungus
Long Before Trees Overtook the Land, Earth Was Covered by Giant Mushrooms
The Largest Organism on the Planet Is Right Here in Oregon | That Oregon Life
The Five Most Expensive Mushrooms in the World
A link to the last three years of posts organized by theme:
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned this week related to science, engineering, or technology. Or, even better, the coolest or most important thing you learned in your life related to science and engineering.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. Or to cement in your mind something that you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply about something dear to your heart. Continuity is key to depth of thought.
