For those whose interest is less formal, the groupings listed below, based upon features visible to the naked eye, are usually sufficient. Agarics These fungi have caps with gills - thin blades projecting downwards beneath the cap. Fungi in this group include the field mushrooms, milk caps, bell caps and ink caps. These are fleshy cap fungi and they have tubes rather than gills. The stalks are generally central.
Most boletes grow on soil, with only a minority found on rotting timber.
Many have ridged undersides, however. They grow on soil or on leaf litter. Teeth Fungi Instead of gills or tubes on the fertile undersurface of the fruitbodies, teeth fungi have spiked tooth-like projections. These tough, often leathery growths mainly appear on dead trees and occasionally on living trees. Many take the form of brackets projecting horozontally from the host wood.