Jerry
- Nov 13, 2021
- 3 min read

Mushroom Queen in the house

Updated: Apr 24, 2023

I have never blogged, but after some cajoling from friends to document and share my mushroom journey, I decided to debut some of my collections.

I start hiking in 2014 and of late, the pandemic has introduced me to seek deeper into my trails and that was how my mushroom journey began. The more I hike the more obsessed I am with fungi and I crown myself 'Mushroom Queen'!

This is guttation, some fungi are prone to exhibiting a curious phenomenon-they exude beads of moisture. — I found a crown!

The best hair accessories that i ever hace!

My obsession had me hike the same place over a period of 5 days to document the life-cycle of a rare mushroom ( Red Stinkhorn)

STINKHORN MUSHROOM

Stinkhorn mushrooms come in different colours and different forms and it's rare to spot them. So far I have found 4 types of it (Bamboo Stinkhorn, Octopus Stinkhorn, Red Cage Fungus, Dog stinkhorn and Basket Stinkhorn) in Kiara Trail. #stinkhornmushroom

According to scientists, these mushrooms are only edible while still in their egg form but have an unpleasant taste and smell of rot.

Where to spot: Normally below tree trunks

Sinister in appearance and stinky in smell! It attracts flies and inscets!

Looks like a lady in dress, so elegant! — Bamboo Stinkhorn

Devil's Finger and stinks to the high heavens!

Twinkle Little EARTHSTAR

The fungi below is an earth star. My first encounter with this miniature fungi

was by a stroke of luck!

It is extremely tiny (smaller than your fingertips) and it is earth colour.

Where to spot: Between dried leaves on dead or decomposing bark.

You normally find them in clusters. It is round and tiny. When the fungi mature the outer layer will split into four to eight and form like a star.

I have found them at Gasing Trail and Kiara Trail. Some earthstar as big as two inches as well (only found it in Gasing trail). These earthstars are said to be extremely rare but maybe only because they are so tiny! #earthstarmushroom

Earthstars are not edible and is known to cause intoxication when consumed

Bird's Nest Fungi

These tiny mushrooms show up wherever there's decaying organic matter, so you'll find them in rotting tree stubs, wood mulch, and dead vegetation even in your garden.

They are very small and rather hard to spot.

Diagram showing splash discharge of peridiole and its mechanism of attachment to vegetation. The force of the raindrop like a water cannon disperses the peridiole. Adapted from Money et al. (2013).

Club and Coral Fungi

Although mushrooms and fungi come in a myriad of shapes and colours, bright yellow, orange, red and pink are rare. And some of them glow in the dark.

Club and Coral Fungi normally line jungle floor with striking colours

Scarlet Elf Cup

If you are a regular at Bukit Kiara trails, you would have surely come across these Elf cups. Their growth is clustered around water source near streams or pools and definitely more in rainy season!

This red mushroom surely looks poisonous!

Black Earthtongue (Glutinoglossum glutinosum)

Purple Mushrooms

Deadly Fire Coral Mushroom

Podoatroma cornu-damae, also known as the poison fire coral, is a species of fungus in the family Hypocreaceae. The fruit bodies of the fungus are highly toxic and have been responsible for several fatalities in Japan. If eaten, the fungus can cause organ failure and brain damage. This is the only one in which the toxin can be absorbed through the skin! This has been spotted in Bukit Gasing on a number of occasions! PLEASE BEWARE!

Where to spot: They normally grow in clusters on a slope from the ground.

These Poison Fire Coral resembles chicken feet but watch out not to touch them!

Slime Mold

There are 900 type of slime mold in the world. They are mostly very tiny, once thought to be in the same groups as mushrooms (fungi) but now they are classified as a type of amoeba (singlecelled organism). With a micro lense it will bring you to another amazing world. Normally it last only a day or two.

The Rubber Cup

Galiella rufa, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. The fungus produces cup shaped fruit bodies that normally grow in clusters on woods or branches. Sometimes they form in varies interesting shape too. The fruit bodies have the texture of tough, gelatinous rubber and have a rough, blackish-brown outer surface, and a smooth light brown inner surface.

Where to spot: dead and rotting wood trees.

Blue Mushrooms

Of late the wet season has brought along many blue surprises around the #BukitGasingTrials. Eye catching, decent size and mysterious as they are rare! The blue mushroom will surely capture your attention even when you are gasping for breath on your next step!

Where to spot: I found them in clusters along the trails along Granfather's hill in Gasing. They turn slightly dark blue at maturity and black at the end of life.

No filters, this will surely knock out your blues!

photo contribution by Elysee

Most of my fungi photos were taken in Gasing Hill Trail, Kiara Trail and Puchong Wawasan. On your next hike, remember to slow down and pay attention to the fallen trees or dried leaves, you may spot any of these. Not sure if they are magic but they will surely blow your mind away!