Part 1/5

1. Identification of
Mushrooms based on
macroscopic and
microscopic
characters
Presentation on
By
Zeeshan Akram Hanjra
15211506-050

2. 1. What are Mushrooms ?
• A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-
bearing fruiting body of a
fungus, typically produced
above ground on soil or on its
food source.
• As mushrooms lack chlorophyll,
they don’t photosynthesize like
green plants.
• Mushrooms themselves are
tasty, popular to eat and a
beneficial source of nutrients for
people. Fig01. Anatomy of Mushroom

3. 2. Identification of Mushrooms based
on macroscopic characters
• The characters which are visible to naked eye are macroscopic
characters. Some of the macroscopic characters of
mushrooms are followings
2.1. Smell it
• Flowers aren’t the only things that smell in the garden.
Mushrooms have amazing smells, which can help with
identification. The corn silk smell of some Inocybe species
takes some people back to their childhoods of eating fresh
corn every day, all summer long.

4. Fig03. Agaricus augustus: anise or
marzipan
Fig04. Phallus impudicus: fetid, to put it
mildly
Fig02. Inocybe sp: corn silk or
spermatic
Here are a few mushrooms that you can sniff
from lawns and gardens

5. 2.3. Taste it
Once you’ve learned a bit about
mushrooms, you can begin tasting them to
help you identify them. Example, Russula
emetica is intensely bitter. Take a small
piece on the tip of your tongue, hold it
there for a few seconds, and then spit it
out. If you spit it out, it won’t hurt you.
2.2. Touch it
Not all mushrooms are the same to touch.
They are fuzzy, slimy, dry, smooth, spiny,
hairy, scaly, waxy and more.
Fig05. Russula emetica

6. Fig06. Fuzzy Mushroom (Rhodactis
indosinensis)
Fig08. Spiny Puffball Mushroom
Fig07. Scaly Mushroom (Pholiota Squarrosa)