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Mushroom Monday: Beech Mushroom (Hypsizygus tessulatus)
Today’s Mushroom Monday mushroom is the Beech Mushroom (Hypsizygus tessulatus). They are also known as shimeji mushrooms as well as by other names.
What do Beech Mushrooms Look Like?
Beech mushrooms come in different colors. Some have white caps, some brown, and there can be variation in between. They grow in clusters like a bouquet and are attached together at the base. The stems are white and thin and the caps are small and round. They can grow together in a tight group.
The hairless caps are convex and can have spots that look like water spots. They can have an appearance that is called tessellated, which means they look checkered. This explains part of the scientific name. The sizes can range from around one and a half to a little more than three inches across, although you may find smaller ones.
The gills of beech mushrooms are white and they are connected to the stem. The stem ranges from a little over one inch to a little over three inches tall. They are dry and hairless with a color somewhere between white and light tan. As mentioned, they join together like a bouquet.
Where can Beech Mushrooms be Found?
Beech mushrooms are saprophytic mushrooms that grow on hardwoods such as beech, sugar maple, cottonwoods, and aspens. They can be found growing in groups of between two and three and can be found in North America among other places. A related mushroom are elm oyster mushrooms (Hypsizygus ulmarius).
If you liked learning about beech mushrooms, check out our other Mushroom Monday posts on our TrueTreeTalk blog. Follow us on Facebook to keep up with these and other posts.
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