A mushroom is the fruiting body of a fungus.
Mushrooms are a good source of food:
- Button, Portobello - Agaricus bisporus
- Shiitake - Lentinula edodes
- Chanterelle - Cantharellus cibarius
- Hen-of-the-woods, Maitake - Grifola frondosa
- Morel - Morchella esculenta
Some mushroom species produce secondary metabolites that can be toxic, mind-altering, antibiotic, antiviral, or bioluminescent. Although there are only a small number of deadly species, several others can cause particularly severe and unpleasant symptoms. Toxicity likely plays a role in protecting the function of the basidiocarp: the mycelium has expended considerable energy and protoplasmic material to develop a structure to efficiently distribute its spores. One defense against consumption and premature destruction is the evolution of chemicals that render the mushroom inedible, either causing the consumer to vomit the meal (see emetics), or to learn to avoid consumption altogether.
Psilocybin mushrooms contain psychoactive compounds that can produce profound visual and cognitive effects in humans.