Unless otherwise noted, all photography copyright Richard T. Hanlin. Agaric - An agaric is a mushroom that produces its spores on thin plates, or gills, on the underside of the fruiting body. Most agarics consist of a cap borne on a stalk, but in some, a stalk is lacking and the structure bearing the gills is attached directly to the substrate, usually a tree. The mushroom forms from mycelium that is hidden in the soil or tree.
Agarics are soft and fleshy and short-lived.
Artist's conk - The artist's conk is a particular kind of bracket fungus, Ganoderma applanata . When fresh, the pore surface on the underside of the sporophore is pure white, but it immediately turns brown upon being touched. The artist uses this characteristic to create drawings on the pore surface. Once dry, the pore surface will no longer change color when touched, thus preserving the art work. Ascomycete - An ascomycete is a fungus that forms its sexual spores inside a special cell called the ascus .