Mushrooms

Generalities and classification

Fungi have no leaves, flowers or chlorophyll and are not autotrophic but heterotrophic, therefore (although it seems obvious) they belong to a kingdom in their own right called the "kingdom of fungi" and not to that of higher plants.
The mushroom kingdom is divided into:

Myxomycota or mucilaginous fungi: molds and the like
Eumycota: real mushrooms with dimensions ranging from A SINGLE CELL to those of a very common "champignon".

The life of fungi is not autonomous but subordinated to coexistence with other organisms, to settlement in organic substrates (alive or dead), or to symbiosis with some plants. On the basis of their survival system, fungi can be classified into:

Parasites (subject to the presence of other organisms)
Saprophytes (whose presence is attributable to the presence of live or dead organic substrates)
Symbiotes (if in symbiosis, with favorable reciprocal exchange, with some plants)

NB. Compared to the whole kingdom of mushrooms, those defined are of greater food interest macromycetes (from the Greek, large mushrooms).

Fungal anatomy

The whole body of the fungi (or vegetative body) consists of a dense interweaving of filaments (called hypha) that intersect to form a real fabric (the mycelium).
Under certain temporal, climatic, lunar, etc. conditions, the mycelium evolves and grows forming the fruiting body or carpophore, which constitutes the structure normally associated with the "image of the" real mushroom ".
The fruiting body is responsible for the dissemination of fungal spores and performs the same function of the propagation of the seeds enclosed in the fruit for higher plants.

The most representative family of mushrooms is that of Agaricini, which have a carpophore structured as follows:

A stem or jamb, full or hollow, with an attached basal volva and a ring (which supports the cap)
An expanded portion called the cap.

NB. When the mushroom is young, the cap assumes a closed shape, therefore spherical; on the contrary, when the mushroom is mature the cap is more pigmented and assumes an open shape called umbrella.
On the underside of the hat (the one facing the ground) they are present lamellae pervaded by a dense mesh of hyphae, a structure better said hymenium; the latter is responsible for the development of basidia, cells useful for the production, development, maturation and propagation of spores.
NB. The shape of the carpophore, of the hymenium and of the spores are essential elements for the classification of families, genera and species of fungi.

Collecting mushrooms ... beware of the danger of intoxication!

As in all areas, even in mushroom picking the greatest danger lies in presumption of the layman to be able to carry out the work of an expert independently, in this case of a mycologist.
Collecting mushrooms autonomously, based on simple criteria of an empirical nature and without the right knowledge about it, can be extremely dangerous and in some cases even lethal; remember that ALL mushrooms are toxic, but the potential for food poisoning depends above all on the species, the habitat of the mushroom, the cooking method, the dose and the subjectivity of the consumer.
In this regard, the layman have developed some methods for evaluating the toxicity of fungi which, if on the one hand they have proved useful, on the other hand they have contributed to considerably increasing the chances of encountering a harmful species that does NOT comply with that precise criterion of analysis (analysis so to speak ...).
Some popular examples of NOT reliable analytical methods in predicting mushroom toxicity are:

The yellowing of parsley leaves on contact with the mushroom coil
The blackening of the coin or the silver or tin spoon in contact with the fungi
The blackening of onions or garlic cloves or breadcrumbs in contact with mushrooms
Coagulation of milk or egg white in contact with fungi.

It should be specified that these techniques have a certain reliability ONLY on the state of conservation / alteration of the mushrooms (therefore they can distinguish some toxic mushrooms), but they are not valid in any way for the recognition of the deadly nature (albeit in a state of freshness) of many other species.
Furthermore, it is NOT ADVISABLE to believe that mushrooms eaten by worms and snails can be edible rather than totally immaculate ones, as many animals (unlike humans) possess specific enzymes for the metabolization of toxins.

Pork chops stuffed with mushrooms and cheese on a bed of apples

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