With the arrival of Japan's rainy season, a mysterious type of green, glow-in-the-dark mushroom begins to sprout in Wakayama prefecture. The Mycena lux-coeli mushrooms, known locally as shii no tomobishi-dake (literally, "chinquapin glow mushrooms"), sprout from fallen chinquapin trees. As they grow, a chemical reaction involving luciferin (a light-emitting pigment contained within the mushrooms) occurs, causing them to glow a ghostly green.
The luminescent mushrooms were long believed to be indigenous solely to Tokyo's Hachijojima Island after they were discovered there in the early 1950s. In 1995, however, mycologists found the fungus growing wild in coastal areas of the southern Kii peninsula, as well as in Kyushu and other areas.
The mushrooms thrive in humid environments, popping up during Japan's rainy season, which typically lasts from the end of May to July. The caps can grow to as large as 2 cm (about 1 inch) in diameter, but because the mushrooms are prone to dehydration, they only have a few days to live once the rain stops.
[Source: Mainichi Shimbun]
Kve
Cool. I wonder, if i can to buy some anywhere?
[]Cube
These are in the video game metal gear sold 3 a japan made game.
There is a joke that if you eat them they recarhge your equipment battery".
The games character says there tasty.
[]izaac
It iz really really sweet
[]debe
we have jsut found one in our back yard in australia byron bay it was so exciting
[]one only but its exactly as the pic above
Michael Hill
I live in Queensland, Australia and have found this type of mushroom growing on a living living tree (Cycaid palm). They olny germinate after 2-3 days of rain in summer. I was looking at ways to cultivate these mushrooms. I have samples and was looking for someone who knows an simple way to grow these on demand.
[]michaelgrahamhill@hotmail.com
Ninja Frost
Are they didible?....????...??
[]Ninja Frost
edible??
[]tony jansen
nice
[]Glenn G
I saw numerous glowing white fungi, just north of sydney , fascinating, was just checking the web to find out a little more about them.
[]Jeff in Boston
I've seen small, shelf-like mushrooms on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, USA, that were luminescent. This was after I consumed about 2 bottles of wine on my own but I have photographic proof. Not nearly as nice as this picture, though - excellent work!
[]Curator
Hiya Jeff, chances are those are Jack O' Lantern mushrooms, highly toxic, not related to this species, but definitely fun to find! I like to take walks in the forest at night sometimes with my flashlight off just to see if I can spot some:D they I believe are the only glowing shelf fungi that grow in the USA, but I could be wrong.
[]dr e
no they are not edible, it glows because the enzymes are unstable. it is excited under certain conditions like firefly bioluminesence and warm hot dry air reacts.
[]dr e
most mushrooms are poisonous, you shouldn't cultivate what you don't know.
some mushroom spores can even kill you, so becareful.
i've seen people eat the wrong mushrooms yet they look so similiar and they died of excessive vomiting and external bleeding
"A thai family died from poisonous mushrooms, child survives without family."
[]Curator
Im sorry but you are incorrect, less than 1% of all known mushroom species are poisonous, and the vast majority that are, happen to be easily identifiable with a cheap $10 hip pocket mushroom guide (all the rain promises and more, amazon) the only poisonous mushroom that is almost identical to an edible variety is the death cap, almost identical to the spring time amanita, a choice edible... the key difference? spring time amanitas fruit in spring, death caps (also known as destroying angels) fruit in fall...also a difference in spore print... me? I stay clear of both... also, death caps account for over 90% of all mushroom related deaths in the world... although not all fungus, mold kills far more...
Main rule of thumb with any smart picker, if in doubt, don't even pick it to begin with!
[]Don't be afraid of mushrooms, or spread fear of them, its fairly simple to memorize the very few poisonous varieties for your area,and just dont touch a mushroom if your not sure about it, and many areas have at least one expert willing to teach a course at the local community college, some universities, like the one I attended, offer in depth courses.:)
MushroomEater
Mushroom hunting/ethnobotany/ethnology:
"...the world's most dangerous sport."
-Dale Pendell
[]Tirio
Are you thinking that Dr Richard Evans Schultes researches over native South american tribes is just "sport"?? be serious!
[]Thomas
I would like to know were when and how to buy this Mycena lux-coeli mushrooms (shii no tomobishi-dake ).And also want ot know cost per Quantity.
[]klowchad
Hum... rainy season huh... Does any one know how to reproduce them? I got some in my back yard and I really want to trans plant them to my garden but there not very many of them!
[]Tirio
You need a dead piece of wood or saw residuals, horse manure and some of those mushrooms. You must take care in watching the place where the fungus mycelium is developing so you can imitate the environment of the fungus. Remember that mushroom is only the "fructification" of all a complex web of mycelium, that is the really vegetative part of the fungus. If collect it you must cut the mushroom from over the base for avoid killing the mycelium. Also consider that maybe the fungus lives making some kind of symbiosis with trees from near areas (little problem because you must breed the compatible tree for success).
[]Take the mushroom spore print and place the printed paper in a mix of saw residual and horse manure. After that, cover the spore - manure mix with a dark plastic and just wait. When the substrate begins to glow, you have your own mycelium and just rain will make the mushrooms arise! good luck!!
dd12783
you can buy them online at sporeworks.com.Luminescent Panellus and ghost fungus. They tell you all about toxicity and so on. At least one is that Australia one your talking about
[]Cold
Yah they say they are poisonous.. but thats only cause they dont want you to eat them and obtain the magical powers they hold!
[]sskyec
im on the gold coast and have them growing on a cycad palm in my back yard. 3 of my friends were really drunk and ate some last night they seem fine didnt make them high or any thing probably harmful in high doses though
[]Glitter Doll
nature is so beautiful :')
[]Funginauts
Bioluminescent fungi are so amazing!
[]dorela
Really wonderful nature!
[]what
wow. really?
[]gabs
I thought that sort of stuff happens only in Pandora... I wonder...
[]Katie AkaTako
Nature is awesome! And seems like Japan has more than it's fair share of crazy unnatural nature.
[]aynadan
wow. really?
[]zevgoldman
Eating certain mushrooms will make everything glow in the dark or the brightest sunlight.
[]ggina
totally!!
[]ggina
can you smoke it?!
[]Charlotte Romo
I saw these on St. Thomas, USVI in 1990. I remember I kept shining my light on the area because I thought it was a bug but I finally figured out it was a mushroom! It was so fun!
[]Miguel
Very interesting, I had no idea these mushrooms existed. Thank you for sharing!
[]Ajimon Mathew
Hi guys. I also got a small mushroom which emits a green light. If any of you need it for any further study, pleace contact me.
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