Mycology has its own vocabulary. I’m reminded of this every time I attend a mushroom conference, know in mycology circles as a foray.
I recently introduced the word hypomyces. Here are a few more words used regularly by mycologists, or people who study mushrooms.
Mycorrhizal means mutually-beneficial ; saprobic means decomposing dead organic matter.
The people who devote hours of research and planning to learn, and often share information about fungi are mycophiles - devotees of mushrooms.
Mycophagy is the act of consuming mushrooms, typically applied to eating wild mushrooms.
Beyond the limited animal world of males and females, the world of fungi, has four genders or mating factors. Beyond the mushroom genders, mushrooms also have two different styles of reproducing.
Ascomycete mushrooms produce spores within a sack-like ascus, which has eight nuclei lined up like peas in a pod and drop their spores on the ground.
Basidiomycete mushrooms reproduce using a projectile-like basidium with four nuclei, which rise up like pronged spears and shoot their spores into the air.
Mycologists appear to be in the throes of a botanical name make-over, thanks to DNA evidence. I expect to be using words that have not yet been invented.
I never expected the world of mycology to impact my writing life. This pursuit has fed my brain and my stomach.