Mushroom WellnessJun 27, 2025
Mushrooms belong to the fungi kingdom, a realm as beautifully diverse and intricate as the animal kingdom. The simplest fungal lifeforms are single-celled yeasts, while multicellular mushrooms have an elaborate structure with above and below-ground parts, just like plants.
Herb Pharm believes that every part of the mushroom has value, which is why you’ll find them all in Mushroom Wellness’s broad-spectrum whole fungi powders.
We have created this glossary to help you understand the various parts of the surprisingly complex mushroom.
‘Basidia’ means club-shaped, as you can see in the drawing. These specialized cells are found on the hymenium of basidiomycete fungi.
The young, early form of a mushroom fruiting body before it has fully matured: picture a rounded or dome-shaped cap that is still tightly closed or just beginning to open, perched on top of a short and thick stem.
The uppermost part of the mushroom fruiting body that sits atop the stem and resembles an umbrella; also known as the “pileus”.
The fruiting body of certain fungi, known as cup fungi or ascomycetes, which grows in the distinctive shape of a cup.
The fruiting body is the mushroom. Depending on the species, it includes parts like the stem, cap, and hymenium (a spore-producing layer within the sporocap).
Thin, blade-like structures that hang from the underside of mushroom caps and help maximize spore production and dispersal; also known as “lamellae”.
A spore-producing layer of tissue found within the sporocarp, which is the entire fruiting body of a fungus. The sporocarp houses the hymenium on the gills, inside the pores, or on the hanging spines of a mushroom’s fruiting body, depending on the mushroom type.
Thin filaments that primarily form from mushroom spores during the germination process, then grow and intertwine to create the mycelium, just as individual threads are woven together to create a uniform fabric.
The intricate network of thread-like filaments called hyphae that compose the underground, vegetative body of mushrooms, analogous to the roots of a plant.
The protective coating of tissue that covers the developing gills or pores of a mushroom until it matures.
The tiny, earliest nodule of the developing fruiting body that is visible to the naked eye and resembles the head of a pin.
Tubes on the underside of mushroom caps that are present in polypore mushrooms, such as Reishi and Turkey Tail, and contain the spore-bearing hymenium needed to reproduce.
The very early stage of the developing fruiting body that precedes the button stage, during which a pinhead, or nodule, forms within the mycelium.
A circular structure on the stem of a mature mushroom, left over from the partial veil that once covered the developing gills or pores; also called the “annulus”.
A dense, hardened mass of hyphae that enables fungi to survive adverse environmental conditions such as extreme temperatures, drought, or lack of nutrients until conditions become favorable for growth. For example, Chaga forms a hard sclerotium that looks like burnt charcoal.
Single-celled reproductive structures that contain all the genetic material needed to form new hyphae and eventually fruiting bodies. They’re dispersed through wind, water, and animals, much like seeds.
The stalk that supports the cap of a mushroom; also known as the “stipe”.
Elongated, cylindrical structures that radiate downward from a mushroom and house the spore-bearing hymenium; also known as “teeth”.
A temporary protective membrane that surrounds the immature fruiting body of a mushroom as it develops, which is eventually shed as the mushroom matures.
Don't forget! Check your Rewards account for coupons.
CHECKOUT
You are about to leave the Herb Pharm website. The website will open in a new browser window.
This resource is shared purely for informational purposes and not as a direct endorsement.
Please select "CONTINUE" to continue to the website, or close this box to return to herb-pharm.com.
