Did you know that fungi operate vast underground networks, silently transforming organic matter into rich, fertile soil?

Unlike other plants, fungi have a unique microscopic structure and lack chlorophyll, setting them apart in the plant kingdom.

They are either parasitic (obtaining nutrients from living plants) or saprophytic (obtaining nutrients from decaying or dead matter). Like some other plants, they multiply by the production of minute cellular bodes known as spores.

Mushrooms, toadstools, lichens, mildew, yeasts, dry rot, and molds are all part of the fascinating world of fungi. For centuries, botanical artists have celebrated their mystery and beauty through intricate drawings. Japanese artist Fukiharu Toshimitsu is the author and illustrator of the best-selling book, “Mushroom Botanical Art”.

The much-loved children’s author, Beatrix Potter, was deeply interested in natural history and especially fungi and made hundreds of mycological illustrations and Miss M. F Lewis completed three volumes over more than forty years in the United Kingdom completing her “polite” training in the arts with meticulous scientific observations.

Most of us know that the mushrooms we buy in the supermarket are cholesterol-free, sodium-free, low in calories and fat-free, unless you are making your favourite mushrooms on toast recipe. Mushrooms are also full of micronutrients such as copper, iron potassium, and phosphorus.

Mushrooms are now being looked at in the health arena to treat a variety of conditions.

The oddly named Turkey Tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor) is also called Cloud Mushroom which has a long history in Traditional Chinese Medicine. They are found all over the world, growing on trees, logs and branches. The name comes the shape and multiple colours of the mushroom which resemble the tail of a wild turkey. Turkey Tail has been used historically to support and strengthen the body’s immune system.

Lion’s man mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) is also used widely in Traditional Chinese Medicine however, it is native to both North America and Europe. It’s sometimes also referred to as Hedgehog Mushroom, Yamabushitake and its name refers to its long, dangling spines that are usually greater than a centimeter in length giving it a unique look of a lion’s name.

In the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, Lion’s mane has been shown to improve brain function and neurological diseases by enhancing neurite outgrowth in the brain which is the growth of axons and dendrites from nerve cells.  

This shows potential help slow or reverse cell degeneration in the brain which is the main characteristic of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

We have our very own New Zealand mushrooms which you may see from time to time popping up in the native bush or, even, in your own back yard.

The stinkhorn family, such as the red flower fungus (Anthurus archeri), use insects to spread spores by attracting them to a sticky and stinking spore mass. They are common on wood chip mulch in gardens, and you are likely to smell their rotting-flesh odour before you see them.

The Harore, or bootlace mushroom, was widely eaten and its English name refers to the thick ribbons that weave along plant roots and through soil to find food. It can live as a parasite on plants such as pine trees and if the wood on the tree becomes decayed by this fungus, the wood may emit a weak light known as bioluminescence.

Whether you like them or hate them, mushrooms are having a revival on a health level which has been known for thousands of years.