- What is bioluminescence?
- Bioluminescent Species: A Small Selection
- Grow luminous mushrooms
- Storage of mycelium
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Glowing mushrooms (bioluminescent mushrooms) glow in the dark. Here's everything you need to know about the different types, breeding and growing of these bizarre mushrooms.
Glow in the dark mushrooms? For many, that sounds like a dream or fairytale world. The fact is, however, that the immense variety of mushroom species (estimates assume around 100,000) also includes more than 70 species that begin to glow at night. The technical term for glow-in-the-dark is bioluminescence. But what exactly is that?
What is bioluminescence?
Bioluminescence is the ability of a living organism to generate and emit light, i.e. to send it out. This is possible through certain chemical reactions that take place within the organism. A phosphor (luciferin) is oxidized to oxyluciferin with the help of an enzyme (luciferase) (consumption of oxygen and energy). When oxiluciferin decays, energy is produced that is converted into light of a specific wavelength (λmax 530 nm) with almost no loss. Because of the wavelength, we perceive the glow as green.
Why are the mushrooms glowing?
In nature, nothing happens without a reason. The unusual appearance of the mushrooms also has a biological function. The emitted green light is visible to insects and attracts them. Similar to the "bee and flower principle", the insects land on the mushrooms and transport spores that have stuck to them on their onward flight. This gives the mushrooms advantages in propagation and spread through their conspicuous glow.
Bioluminescent Species: A Small Selection
The variety of light mushrooms (syn. light mushrooms) is very large. In the next sections we will go into more detail about four representatives that occur in our latitudes. The selected species belong to the pillar fungi/ "cap fungi" (Basidiomycota).
- Honey Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea)
Honey fungus mainly inhabits deciduous wood. It occurs mainly outside closed forests. theSpecies is widespread in Europe and Germany and relatively common everywhere. The fungus forms a whitish fan mycelium under the bark, which glows in the dark in certain weather conditions. The fruiting bodies appear mainly in late summer and autumn from June to November. They are edible, but not really tasty. The term mycelium, which was just mentioned and which will appear later in the article, stands for the network of fungal cells lined up in a thread-like manner (also called hyphae), which usually grows underground.
Curious: cultures of this type were used in the first war submarines at the end of the 19th century as lighting for measuring devices and clocks.
- Tarter Dwarf Knot, Fairy Fire (Panellus stipticus)
Old trunks, stumps and branches of oaks and copper beeches lying around, but also other hardwoods. This bright representative is rarely found on conifers. The Herbe dwarf knot can be found in Australia, Pakistan, North Asia, North America, North Africa, the Canary Islands and throughout Europe. In Scandinavia, its distribution area extends up to the 65th degree of latitude. The species occurs in almost all types of forest, parks, gardens, rows of trees and also on single trees. Here mycelium and fruiting bodies glow in the dark. The fruiting bodies appear all year round. They are not poisonous, but inedible and therefore unsuitable as an edible mushroom.
However, many species do not thrive in the Central European climate. They prefer warmer, wetter climates. Examples include:
- Dark olive hornbill (Omphalotus olearius)
The warm-blooded olive hornbell is widespread in the Mediterranean; in Central Europe it is very rare to find. The preferred habitat of this bright representative are deciduous trees. It usually grows in clusters on olive trees, sometimes also on oaks or sweet chestnuts. The fungus appears from July to October and is poisonous, although not deadly. In this species, the mycelium and lamellae are luminous.
- Flor de coco (Coconut Flower) (Neonothopanus gardneri)
This mushroom is one of the most luminous and (as the name suggests) is found predominantly in Brazilian coconut forests. Here it grows at the foot of the coconut trees. Unfortunately, neither spores nor mycelium can be bought to make them specialnice way to grow at home.
Grow luminous mushrooms
Some of the species described are freely available and can be easily grown at home or, to stay with the correct choice of words: They can be cultivated.
If you want to grow the glowing mushrooms at home, you can either spores of the desired type can be used or mycelium. The use of mycelium is recommended, especially for beginners, but also for experienced mushroom friends.
Spores are very susceptible to contamination - work must therefore be sterile. However, this is difficult to do in most households. The mycelium is available in various forms on the Internet or in special shops. There are mycelial syringes, inoculation plugs, logs, pure cultures in Petri dishes and ready-made kits/glass cultures. Inoculation dowels have proven to be particularly robust and versatile. Inoculation dowels are small wooden dowels with mycelium growing through them. For example, they can be used for growing on logs or in jars. Cultivation on wooden trunks is particularly suitable for species whose fruiting bodies glow. Species with glowing mycelium do particularly well in mason jars.
Growing luminous mushrooms on tree trunks
In addition to the seed plugs, you only need a log. Dead wood is best. Depending on the species, it is important to note which types of wood are preferred as a substrate. Suitable holes are drilled into the trunk with a commercially available drill and the inoculation plugs are inserted, if necessary with the help of a hammer. The holes can then be sealed with wax, foil or tape. After that it's time to wait. Old tree stumps in the garden can be inoculated with climate-friendly species such as Armillaria mellea. At night, your own garden is transformed into a shimmering wonderland. Roots grown through with Panellus stipticus are particularly beautiful as eye-catchers in terrariums.
Growing glowing mushrooms in mason jars
Cultivation in a mason jar is a bit more complicated compared to the tree trunk method. But the effort is rewarded…
Required Materials:
- Pressure cooker
- Substrate container (jar)
- Substrate and raw materials (for approx. 2 kg wood substrate) :
- Wood chips 320 g
- Wheat bran 170 g
- Sawdust 650 g
- plaster 25g
- Water 820 g
The wood chips are completely covered with cold water and soaked overnight. Then let the wood chips drain over a sieve for 15 minutes. Here, too, care must be taken to ensure that a suitable type of wood is used as the substrate. Now wheat bran, sawdust and plaster of paris are weighed, mixed and added to the damp wood chips. Finally, the specified amount of water is added and everything is mixed properly. The substrate is now filled into the previously thoroughly cleaned jars. The jars are sealed and placed in a pressure cooker. This is filled with so much water that the glasses are half covered. To sterilize the substrate, the whole thing is boiled for at least an hour.
When the jars with the substrate have cooled down (room temperature), one or more inoculation plugs can be added. Then the jar is closed again. It takes about 3 to 6 weeks for the whole thing to grow through nicely. The more inoculation dowels are used, the faster the whole thing goes. Such glowing glasses are very special gifts for friends or acquaintances. A jar with the mycelium of a species like Panellus stipticus will amaze children in particular and is a beautiful and natural alternative to the night light in the children's room. In this form, Panellus stipticus glows for about 3 to 6 months.
Tip: There is a risk of contamination if the inoculation plugs go into the glass. Therefore, you should work in a place that is as clean as possible. The area below a fume hood is best suited for this. To do this, set the trigger to full power, disinfect your hands, open the lid and as quickly as possible into the glass with the dowels.
Storage of mycelium
The mycelium and/or spores can be stored at cool temperatures and in the dark, for example in the refrigerator. In this way, spores can retain their ability to germinate for months. Depending on how much substrate and oxygen is available, the mycelium can be stored for several weeks to months.
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