365 Urban Species. #035: Split Gill Fungus

Urban species #035: Split gill fungus Schizophyllum commune


Mushrooms can be deceptive.
Sometimes what seems like the most interesting aspect of one turns out to be an unimportant curiosity, at least as far as identifying the species goes. I thought this beautiful specimen would be identifyable by the delicate texture of the cap--down that looks like the crystals of freshly fallen snow. But underneath the fuzz, on the spore-bearing surface, is where I should have been looking.

The ridges under a typical mushroom, called gills, are where the fungus creates and releases reproductive spores. Gills are one of many strategies for increasing the surface area of spore production, and different fungus species can be told apart by their shape and configuration. The split gill is a unique configuration.

Split gill is one of the most widespread mushrooms on earth, growing almost anywhere where trees are found. Fungi that reproduce sexually, like Schizophyllum commune, aren't limited to the two sexes that animals and plants keep to. This species has 28,000 different sexual types. I know you think I'm making this up. Take it up with mycologist Tom Volk.

( See the gills! )