Stats

Lifespan: Decades
Size: Medium
Diet: Decomposer
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: Northern Hemisphere
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Spores
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

The honey mushroom is a wood-decay fungus that forms sprawling underground networks; some Armillaria colonies are among the largest and oldest living organisms on Earth, covering thousands of acres. Its mycelium glows faintly in the dark—a phenomenon called foxfire—visible on decaying wood at night.

Life cycle

1.
spore
A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2.
mycelium
A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3.
fruiting body
A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Physalacriaceae
Genus: Armillaria
Species: Armillaria mellea