structure of a mushroom![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The mushroom is composed of an underground part (mycelium) and an aboveground, often edible part that is also the reproductive organ.
spores ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Microscopic seeds acting as reproductive agents; they are usually released into the air and fall on a substrate to produce a new mushroom.
stem ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Axis supporting the mushroom’s cap.
gill ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Fertile spore-producing part of the mushroom, located under the cap.
mycelium ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Tangle of hyphae created through spore germination, from which the aboveground part of the mushroom develops.
hypha ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Microscopic filament, often white, that draws water and the organic matter necessary for mushroom development.
volva ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Remnant of a membrane that completely covered the immature mushroom and ruptured as the stem grew.
ring ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Membrane located under the cap and circling the stem; remnant of a membrane that covered the gills of the immature mushroom and ruptured as the cap grew.
cap ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Differently shaped and colored upper part of the mushroom that protects the gills; it usually resembles a headdress, hence its name.