Fungi are fascinating organisms — but misunderstood. They don’t belong to the plant kingdom and don’t require light to grow. They function in a totally different way.
The vegetative body of fungi consists of many long, thin, thread-like filaments known as hyphae, which are collectively referred to as a mycelium.
The mushrooms we observe are just the fruiting bodies filled with spores that help fungi reproduce.
The biggest group of large-growing fungi are the saprotrophic fungi that break down and feed on nonliving organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the soil. Commercially grown edible field and white button mushrooms, as well as exotic shiitake mushrooms, belong to this category.
