Alum pot

[paull]

On a trip to the bottom of Alum pot today we were shocked to see these growing on the wall in the passage that bypasses the last two waterfalls before the sump , was amazed at how the roots are just clinging to the rock,

 

[langcliffe]

Why "shocked"?

 

[paull]

Why "shocked"?

probably amazed rather than shocked, i know mushrooms are kept in the dark and fed on shit but they were just clinging to the rock with there roots PLUS ive never seen this  before

 

[kay]

They're not roots, they're mycelium. The mushroom part is just the fruit. The main part of the fungus is the mycelium. It's the mycelium which absorbs nutrients from the growing medium  - they can't manufacture their own food by photosynthesis like green plants can.

Mushrooms don't need to be kept in the dark  - in the wild they grow in fields. They need cool and damp  to fruit all year round rather than just in autumn, and this is easier to provide indoors - but there's no need to spend money on lighting.

 

[Alex]

They do look like something you will see in a computer game. I wonder if they have just fruited? I did not see any when I was down there some 3 months or so ago.