Stats

Lifespan

A few days

Size

Small

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Tropical rainforest

Range

Subtropical Asia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Toxins

Status

Rare

About

A tiny bioluminescent mushroom found on decaying wood in subtropical forests across Asia and the Pacific. Its fruiting bodies glow a vivid green in complete darkness, powered by a luciferin–luciferase reaction that is brightest just after the cap emerges.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   spore

   A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2. 2.
   mycelium

   A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3. 3.
   fruiting body

   A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi

Phylum

Basidiomycota

Class

Agaricomycetes

Order

Agaricales

Family

Mycenaceae

Genus

Mycena

Species

Mycena chlorophos