Size
When mycologists talk about the size of macrofungi, they usually mean the diameter of a fully opened, mature cap (or the width of the fruiting body for mushrooms without a cap, such as bracket fungi or puffballs).
Although size seems like an intuitive trait, David Arora warns: it's one of the most unstable characteristics in mycology.
_gigantea_)_-_geograph.org.uk_-_228993.webp)
Giant (>25 cm)
15 mushrooms in the database
Large (over 15 cm)
64 mushrooms in the database
Medium (5–15 cm)
165 mushrooms in the database
Small (up to 5 cm)
92 mushrooms in the database
_-_seen_beside_the_path_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1068498.webp)
Very small (<3 cm)
22 mushrooms in the database
What affects size?
Unlike animals, which grow to a clearly defined genetic standard, a mushroom's size depends on environmental conditions during its short life:
1. Moisture: A mushroom is 90% water. In a rainy, warm season an ordinary (medium-sized) porcini can easily grow to "large" or even "giant". In a drought, the same mycelium will produce a tiny mushroom.
2. Competition: If honey fungus grows on a stump in a huge cluster of 50, the caps will be small. If only 3 come up from the same stump, they'll be several times bigger.
Standard classification
To make identification easier, guides use a conventional scale based on the average measurements of a mature mushroom:
- Very small (<3 cm): "Micro-mushrooms" (LBMs), which often need a hand lens to study.
- Small (up to 5 cm): Typical size for velvet shanks, small brittlegills or bonnets.
- Medium (5–15 cm): The most common size in the forest. This includes classic porcini, amanitas, Agaricus mushrooms and milk caps in their normal state.
- Large (over 15 cm): Powerful, massive mushrooms that catch your eye right away.
- Giant (>25 cm): Record-breakers (parasols, giant puffballs) that can weigh several kilograms.
Pay attention to size, but always allow for the weather the mushroom grew in!
Sources
- 1.Зерова М.Я. та ін. Визначник грибів України. 1979
- 2.Roger Phillips. Mushrooms (Roger Phillips)
- 3.David Arora. Mushrooms Demystified
- 4.Index Fungorum