Mushroom

A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or its food source. The term "mushroom" is generally applied to those fungi (Basidiomycota, Ascomycota) that bear their spores on gills, waves, or other spore-bearing structures, usually on the underside of the cap. The study of mushrooms is called mycology, which is a branch of botany. Mushrooms are not plants; although they were once classified as part of the plant kingdom, they are now considered members of their own kingdom, Fungi. Mushrooms are used extensively in cooking and have medicinal applications in some cultures. In Hebrew, mushroom is called בּוּצָה (butzah), in Spanish seta or hongo, in French champignon, and in German Pilz. Some mushrooms are edible, while others are poisonous, with some being hallucinogenic. The most common edible mushroom is the Agaricus bisporus, known as the white button mushroom when sold in grocery stores. Mushrooms can appear either below ground (hypogeous) or above ground (epigeous) and possess different forms, sizes, and colors.