The mushroom is just a part
Vive Cabeceiras · Conhecimento geral · guia nacional

There's a net the eyes don't always find.

The mushroom is a reproductive structure; the body of many fungi is a network of filaments, the mycelium. Every filament is called a hipha. The CCRES describes this network to colonize living or decomposing organic matter, from which the fungus obtains nutrients. The fruitful body develops from the mycelium and allows to disperse spores. If they find favorable conditions, they may give rise to a new mycelium. The visible mushroom counts only one part of the cycle; not all fungi produce hat-like structures. In the cultivation of some decomposing species, mycelium can develop in inoculated trunks. The same support can produce mushrooms for several years, while there are conditions and nutrients. This general explanation does not identify a species or document an occurrence in Cabeceiras. The network can also be organized into strings called rhizomorphs. In certain wood fungi, these help to cross branches or trunks and reach for another food. An outer layer protects the interior hyphae during this exploration. Another strategy is to form sclerotia: compact masses of hyphae with a resistant coverage. They allow you to go through unfavorable periods and, when conditions improve, they can originate mycelium or reproductive structures. These are forms of growth and resistance described by the Australian botanical garden, not local records.

Sources and context
DGADR / ICNF — Mushroom Collector's Guide, June 2013
https://www.icnf.pt/api/file/doc/7a3495dcc4432a1a
Accessed: 2026-11-06
Centre for Silvestre Resources Skills — production mushrooms
https://www.ccres.pt/cogumelos/producao
Accessed: 2026-11-07
Silvestrian Resource Competence Centre — General Mycology
https://www.ccres.pt/cogumelos/micologia-geral
Accessed: 2026-11-08
Australian National Botanic Gardens / Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research — The mycelium
https://cpbr.gov.au/fungi/mycelium.html
Accessed: 2026-11-07

Editorial summary. The date of consultation is not the date of the facts.
Text and recipe, when available. Photos, activities and updates on the page:
https://vivecabeceiras.pt/en/descobrir/terra-viva/?leitura=micelio#micelio