Termitomyces
Sign in to saveTermitomyces is a genus of basidiomycete fungi known as termite mushrooms in Lyophyllaceae family farmed by fungus-growing termites. The fungi and the termites interdepend to live, as the termites house and culture the fungi, and the fungi in turn provide foods for the termites. Often after a raining, the fungi grow mushrooms, which are edible and highly regarded for their flavor.
Taxonomy · GBIF
GENUS
- KingdomFungi
- PhylumBasidiomycota
- ClassAgaricomycetes
- OrderAgaricales
- FamilyLyophyllaceae
Observations1,212
Groupfungi
via GBIF · iNaturalist · CC0
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Morphology
- Life as a ''Termitomyces'' fungus
- Comb-associated saprotrophy
- Opportunist antagonist ''Pseudoxylaria''
- Reproduction
- Research history
- Culinary use
- Lookalikes
- Species
- Reidentified as external
- Notes
- See also
- References
- External links
Termitomyces is a genus of basidiomycete fungi known as termite mushrooms in Lyophyllaceae family farmed by fungus-growing termites. The fungi and the termites interdepend to live, as the termites house and culture the fungi, and the fungi in turn provide foods for the termites. Often after a raining, the fungi grow mushrooms, which are edible and highly regarded for their flavor.
== Morphology == Termitomyces includes the largest edible mushroom in the world, Termitomyces titanicus of West Africa and Zambia, whose cap reaches 1 metre (3.28 ft) in diameter. It also includes Termitomyces microcarpus that grows caps of a few centimeters in diameter.