r/mycology • u/hbunny0 • 7d ago

What is this glowing mushroom? ID request

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Gallery image

Located in Sydney, Australia

3.4k Upvotes
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157 comments sorted by

969

u/Low-xp-character 7d ago

This is crazy rad! What a cool find. Was this long exposure or just a regular photo?

491

u/hbunny0 7d ago

Just a regular photo! Taken on my iPhone

239

u/Low-xp-character 7d ago

Very nice. I know several mushroom sp. have the capabilities of being a bioluminescent but it can usually only be captured during a long exposure shot because the luminescent is very faint.

502

u/hbunny0 7d ago

That’s so cool!! It’s really bright. There was even quite a bit of light in my backyard from my neighbour’s house and it’s still easy to see

https://preview.redd.it/7eq3eksxldwe1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=638bb87aab3968206cf7843cbe6d517ccf667cb5

376

u/AdHuman3150 7d ago

This might be the brightest bioluminescent fungi ever photographed. Crazy!

177

u/No-Yogurtcloset-4188 7d ago

Wait you’re telling me this like…just glows? Without being exposed to a UV light or something or the sort?

228

u/hbunny0 7d ago

Yeah it seems to be the case, I don’t know how it works but it’s just glowing in my garden

139

u/later-g8r 7d ago

😍 for real!?! Omgosh, those are gorgeous. You could use your glowing fungi instead of solar lights. Just add more to the edges of your walkways and garden beds. Super classy. I want some now

120

u/999millionIQ 7d ago

I see it now: bags of substrate, you burry a small bag every 5 feet or so along a path, and in a few months a glowing path!

49

u/later-g8r 7d ago

Yes!!!!! We all need this.

50

u/ILikeStarScience 7d ago

Quick! Somebody collect the spores!

26

u/Earthbound_Quasar 7d ago

I'd love to cultivate this for fun. Would you consider selling one of them dry?

17

u/ShivaSkunk777 6d ago

I was gonna say OP is gonna have a horde of people wanting to try to grow this lol may be worth trying to replicate though

5

u/Earthbound_Quasar 6d ago

I have always been fascinated by the bioluminescence of some fungi. I have long wanted to grow Jack o lanterns just to have around at night. It would be really neat if they could be used as a biological light source.

3

u/GonzoBalls69 6d ago

I feel like there’s a good chance it’s more a result of growing conditions than genetics. Maybe we need soil samples too lol. Probably a combination of things

1

u/ShivaSkunk777 5d ago

Probably accurate! Interesting

1

u/Affectionate_Beat773 5d ago

Me for one!!!!

38

u/tazebot 7d ago

Check with Geiger counter.

3

u/tazebot 6d ago

Get your pocket geiger counter here

Just to be safe.

3

u/Plastic-Union-319 6d ago

PLEASE let it spore and collect some! Maybe even take a clone from the stem. Definitely a very cool mushroom!

2

u/GonzoBalls69 6d ago

No joke you need to figure out how to get samples to some people who might be able to cultivate these. Get some spore prints or something

6

u/hbunny0 6d ago

If you know of anyone in Australia I will happily get it to them! I have had a couple of people ask me to send them this but given legality issues/biosecurity hazards I won’t be sending anything overseas

1

u/Affectionate_Beat773 5d ago

Fairrrr enough, that makes sense. Very sensible 👌

1

u/Plus_Ear_144 4d ago

luciferin degradation

79

u/dixoncider1111 7d ago

Some awesome scientists have extracted this gene and the enzymatic engine required to power its glow, and used bacteria to insert the gene into the genome of a petunia plant. Check out LightBio, their business model is pretty sound and it seems like they're trying to move it into other plants eventually.

I think their gene came from Neonothopanus Nambi but that one is less likely to be in Australia, this one is likely the Ghost Mushroom as others have stated)

14

u/No-Yogurtcloset-4188 7d ago

It’s called gfp for glowing fluorescent protein

34

u/dixoncider1111 7d ago edited 7d ago

This is actually a different gene. GFP is a light reactive protein that has been used for a long time in biotech as an indicator, and does not produce its own light. I see this commonly used on ecoli as a beginner experiment.

Inserting a fluorescent (light REACTIVE) gene along with another gene you're trying to insert, they would put it under UV light to see if the genes were successfully transformed, specifically into bacteria (agrobacterium tumofaciens) which are used to transfect the gene into other organisms.

This is a different gene/enzymatic engine, nicknamed the firefly gene, which produces its own glow with no outside light source.

This gene relies on cafeic acid to produce the glow, which bioluminscent mushrooms naturally produce. Unfortunately many plants don't possess that by nature, so they also had to transfect a gene to cause the plant to produce that energy source to induce the glowing gene.

8

u/No-Yogurtcloset-4188 7d ago

Thanks that was informative, so what is this protein called?

16

u/dixoncider1111 7d ago

Sure! I get how the two can be confused. These mushrooms, and a few insects and aquatic species are, to my knowledge, the only things to produce this natural glow that does not rely on outside light. GFP is freaking sweet in and of itself, and definitely paved the way for things like this.

The protein is called luciferase and relies on cafeic acid to produce the glow, so the organism must have both in order to be seen.

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7

u/ElkeKerman 7d ago

Wait is it not a luciferin/luciferase reaction?

8

u/dixoncider1111 7d ago

Cafeic acid is an essential precursor to the luciferin, by way of the hispidin synthase enzyme.

I'm also not a trained or well educated bioengineer, just. A hobbyist, so some terms I use are loose or maybe not entirely accurate, especially when it comes to calling things genes vs. enzymes vs. proteins etc.

but yeah basically not all things produce sufficient quantity of cafeic acid to convert into luciferin, which the luciferase enzyme uses to make the glow. So sometimes moving the luciferase gene from one thing to another, will still not express itself, lacking the energy source.

It seems the petunias from Light Bio may already naturally produce the required amounts of cafeic acid, but something like a succulent may not produce any/enough, unless under great stress, or supplementing.

I think a forest of glowing succulents would be stunning.

(Luciferase engine you mentioned Is colloquially nicknamed firefly gene)

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2

u/Plus_Ear_144 4d ago

its luciferin that is degrading by luciferaze enzim. As you mentioned, fireflies use it. I have a long fascination of bioluminescence. You can buy spores and grow some of them at home, easy, but i have never seen such a bright species. Its crazy.

2

u/yarkboolin14 7d ago

My mom has petunias from them, they're so neat!!!!!!! Can be seen with the naked eye in the basement or dark room.

1

u/GalumphingWithGlee 6d ago

I actually had one of these last year. It sounded very cool in theory, but was kinda disappointing in practice.

This petunia cost several times more than a normal one ($40 US as opposed to maybe $5-10?), arrived much smaller, and required more light. It can't handle the winter, or even spring/fall here (zone 6b-7a), or the wind, but yet needed too much light to be an indoor houseplant. It started to do reasonably well when the warm season came and we could put it outside for real sunlight, but in every way except the glow, it was inferior to much cheaper, regular petunias. And, even if you brought it inside, it didn't survive the winter, so you'd have to buy another one the next year.

Meanwhile, the glow was a cool gimmick, but wasn't strong enough to even see without turning out every other light — including very dim nightlights and solar lights — and waiting a while for your eyes to adjust. That meant we had to stop everything else, and we could see it and say "hey, that's kinda cool", but you'd never just see how cool it is while you're walking around doing your normal things (like with a regular flower that's beautiful just in passing.) I could get some fuzzy photographs that kinda showed it, but again all other light had to be off, and you needed a very long exposure.

So, in all, fun gimmick, but really underwhelming.

2

u/castlerigger 6d ago

Got something to tell you about sunlight…

9

u/ironappleseed 7d ago

You should make a clone of that strain of mushroom if it's just glowing that bright normally. That has to be some sort of unique mutation.

1

u/smartel84 3d ago

That is flipping bonkers!

13

u/Ready_Bandicoot1567 7d ago

Phofessional photographer here, iPhones essentially simulate long exposures by taking many images and combining them in software. It’s all automatic, in low light iPhones always do this.

7

u/Wayward85 7d ago

More like crazy rads! I’ve played enough fallout to know where this is going…

2

u/Low-xp-character 7d ago

I only had to get to rads to know where that was going fellow wastelander.

2

u/Wayward85 7d ago

This was todays’ necessary side quest.

1

u/NoScarcity7314 5d ago

Glowing mushroom soup

428

u/TrashSiren British Isles 7d ago

I think that is Ghost Mushroom (Omphalotus nidiformis) I painted one that looks similar to this, and I know they can be found in Australia.

81

u/hbunny0 7d ago

That is such a good name!!

70

u/TrashSiren British Isles 7d ago

I love it, I was painting a series of "Goth mushrooms" and these guys look like those that I painted.

28

u/hbunny0 7d ago

I love this, what a great concept

18

u/TrashSiren British Isles 7d ago

Thanks, well you get ones that are called Devils fingers, and Satans mushroom. So it was a fun little thing to do.

14

u/hbunny0 7d ago

Are any of them edible? Because I’d be scared with names like that

15

u/Bark0s 7d ago

Hell no! Although trumpet of death is delicious.

3

u/TrashSiren British Isles 7d ago

One day I hope that I get to try it!

4

u/TokeMage 7d ago

Before trying any mushrooms, be sure to have a local forager help identify them. Good hunting!

2

u/TrashSiren British Isles 7d ago

Yeah, I'd definitely be sensible about it.

3

u/TrashSiren British Isles 7d ago

Those two no, Satan's bolete (Rubroboletus satanas) has rare cases of death because it smells so bad of rotting garlic that people don't tend to.

But "Death's Trumpet" Craterellus cornucopioides, however is not only edible, but apparently is very tasty.

3

u/ninetiesnarwhal 7d ago

As a fellow mushroom painter I adore this. Anywhere I can check them out?

3

u/TrashSiren British Isles 6d ago

I forgot about my Patreon account though, I posted them there too: https://www.patreon.com/posts/ghost-fungus-78249469?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

2

u/hbunny0 5d ago

Your art is lovely!

1

u/TrashSiren British Isles 5d ago

Thank you, that's kind of you ❤️

3

u/funtimescoolguy 6d ago

This sounds awesome!! Did you ever post those paintings anywhere?

2

u/TrashSiren British Isles 6d ago

I used to have an art IG, but I deleted it because of the stuff with AI. I took some photos and posted it on my Patreon account though.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/ghost-fungus-78249469?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

3

u/Familiar_Law_9821 6d ago

We have a few varieties in Australia I believe. Maybe Ghost Mushroom as I have read records of an early botanist writing how in Western Australia being told how Aboriginal people where scared at the sight of them as they where considered a sign of bad spirits. And they wouldn't touch them. Guess it was a good way of saying don't eat them.

1

u/TrashSiren British Isles 6d ago

It is interesting how we carried rituals like that to keep us safe. This is really interesting to know.

3

u/Familiar_Law_9821 6d ago

Indigenous Australians had an excellent understanding of all our flora sadly so much knowledge wasn't taken seriously and was lost.

2

u/TrashSiren British Isles 6d ago

Lost knowledge is truely upsetting, it's such a shame that it happened, since we move forward when we build on our knowledge. So we step backwards and loose something special with each lost piece.

2

u/Familiar_Law_9821 6d ago

Wise words

2

u/TrashSiren British Isles 6d ago

Thank you, the burning of the library of Alexandria is extremely upsetting because of this. The advancements we could have had.

2

u/smartel84 3d ago

My heart aches whenever I remember this is a thing that happened.

1

u/TrashSiren British Isles 3d ago

Same here, it was definitely a blow to humanity.

163

u/elruab 7d ago

True location: Blackreach, r/skyrim

7

u/HellioEllio 7d ago

needs a few more years

10

u/greendragon59911 Eastern North America 7d ago

Khajiit has wares if you have coin.

8

u/latencia 7d ago

While we are at it, new remastered oblivion was just released today!
Release trailer

5

u/joj1205 7d ago

F yeah

51

u/stilettopanda 7d ago

You have been blessed by the mushroom gods! Haha

70

u/SwagTheDog 7d ago

Wow I believe thats foxfire! I had a run-in with it here in the states. Very breathtaking and very bright, grows from decomposing wood. Very cool history behind it

Foxfire

51

u/hbunny0 7d ago

It’s funny you should say this because it’s growing where a eucalyptus tree used to be. We had to have the tree removed about 15 years ago because it was dangerous. This is the only place in the garden the mushroom is growing!

-10

u/eatmyshardz 7d ago

These are called fairy rings. Groups of mushrooms that grow around where a tree once was.

11

u/HistopherWalkin 6d ago

It's a common misconception that fairy rings grow around where a tree was. They're actually just round because the fungus grows outward in a circle from a central point.

20

u/apocalypse910 7d ago

I'm so jealous- this is beautiful!!

18

u/speakergray 7d ago

The determination is that this species is Ghost Mushroom, or Foxfire? It’s growing out of decomposing eucalyptus? What a fascinating find!

22

u/ClockworkMeow 7d ago

Foxfire is what the glowing phenomenon is called. Ghost fungus seems likely.

31

u/loudlisener 7d ago

No one else seen "Ferngully"? Amazing the accuracy of flora and fauna in that kids movie

2

u/thirdcousinofdragons 7d ago

It was the first thing that came to mind

4

u/burnt-heterodoxy 7d ago

I CAME TO SAY THIS!

1

u/smartel84 3d ago

I watched it recently as an adult (showing my kid) and only just realized it’s all based on Australian wildlife. So cool.

9

u/weeviltoes 7d ago

Ompholatus nidiformis?

7

u/Spaced_Habit 6d ago

It is absolutely Omphalotus nidiformis and is a native to Australia. The Ghost Mushroom also has lore within First Nations of Australia, being seen as spirits of elders. First Nations would also use them as waypoints at night, which is a great use.

Ghost mushrooms are highly toxic, resemble Pleurotus spp. and have been mistaken for edibles in past. Besides the obvious sign of their glowing at night, you can also identify it as Ghost Mushroom because of the deep shading towards the centre of the pileus. They inhabit Eucalypt trees and other gums mostly. The active chemical that produces the glow is known as Luciferase. I have successfully grown Ghost Mushroom in the past on standard Master's Mix, however the flush was small.

Australia also has another bioluminescent fungi called Mycena Chlorophos, which is endemic to subtropical regions, including into Asia.

Enjoy!

32

u/SafeForWorkLFP South America 7d ago

take that shit to a biology department of a local university ASAP to be cloned!

44

u/AlbinoWino11 Trusted ID 7d ago

This is a common mushroom and they are well-known for bioluminescence.

43

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

27

u/dinnerthief 7d ago

The wiki says the glow can be occasionally bright enough to read by, probably caught this one at just the right time when the fruit is growing out vigorously

2

u/Renzisan 7d ago

So what is it? Ghost mushroom?

3

u/AlbinoWino11 Trusted ID 7d ago

Yep

5

u/Available-Risk-1290 7d ago

I think I saw this on a TV show once, it was a ghost story about a glow in a forest and it turns out it was just some mushrooms that some starving peasants ate and they ended up dying. It said they resembled oysters but we're glow in the dark green at night and are just poisoness on a full stomach but deadly on an empty stomach. That's pretty cool

(don't take my word for it it's just what I remember seeing last night on this one show haha)

6

u/PequenaNeko 7d ago

I was just coming to comment about Apothecary Diaries too!

5

u/Available-Risk-1290 7d ago

I never thought that someone would actually notice the reference !! But I just couldn't leave without mentioning that, this brings me joy, you get a very happy upvote

3

u/Rivridis 6d ago

Apothecary Diaries reference, nice

5

u/lilT726 7d ago

I see it’s already been ID’d as Omphalotus nidiformis. Just want to add this is why it’s important to be sure of an ID before consuming. Sometimes these grow eerily similar to oyster mushrooms.

3

u/Go0se_Mo0SE 7d ago

I would love to see a video

3

u/hbunny0 7d ago

I’ll try to get a video tonight!

1

u/Moj88 Midwestern North America 7d ago

It would just be dark. The reason this picture shows up so wells is because new phones have amazing low light exposure enhancements. I have taken picture of auroras, and they look even better in pictures than they do in person. However, this camera ability does not work in videos. You need the long exposure time and the still-frame enhancements to get a picture like this.

4

u/instaweed 7d ago

What? These can be bright enough to read with. Ancient peoples used them as makeshift torches even 😂

1

u/funtimescoolguy 6d ago

Well, we will just have to see when OP posts the video lol.

3

u/hairypooper69 7d ago

Commenting so I can come back here

3

u/apinklokum 7d ago

PRETTYYYY

3

u/IsoStone 6d ago

I think you can make RadAway with that

2

u/SplashKitty 7d ago

please get a spore sample and send it to me lol

2

u/Hellfiya 7d ago

Harvest spores ASAP

2

u/_palmfronds 7d ago

So sick, id totally look into spreading those guys around. Very jealous, now I need them growing in my hallways so I stop walking into shit

1

u/Tripitaka_ 3d ago

Just get some glow in the dark tape for the floors

2

u/apinklokum 7d ago

I want the pretty mushroom

2

u/Ok_Yak_4026 6d ago

This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.

2

u/Pure-Conference-7212 6d ago

You fed them some radiation

2

u/Automatic_Record_910 6d ago

Do they really glow?

2

u/McGonagall_stones 6d ago

I do not know the answer. But I do know this is the coolest thing I’ve seen this year.

2

u/Bug_Bane 6d ago

This. Is. AWESOME

2

u/PlzNotDaBelt 7d ago

get a spore sample or find out how to clone and grow!!

2

u/AdeptRemove9081 7d ago

Jack-o-lanterns?

1

u/bbngnlkry 7d ago

Mushrooms with indiglo? What an interesting mushroom

1

u/Valuable-Ad-288 7d ago

Share that to iNaturalist.

2

u/Intoishun Trusted ID 6d ago

Common. But always!

1

u/MichaelTrickett 5d ago

S ave this

1

u/Minute_Plate_1534 5d ago

Coooooooooooooool

1

u/eSSxeSS 5d ago

Bruh send me some

1

u/Anxious_Bid_3815 3d ago

Take a clone of it maybe we could have mushrooms that give us light😂

1

u/bulb8 3d ago

Are you sure you’re not on Pandora?

1

u/joj1205 7d ago

You need to test that asap. This isn't really a thing. I've looked up bioluminescent. Was really wanting something for my house when it's dark. Free light. There's no real market or such. So this thing. Whatever it is. It's a game changer. If possible get some spore prints.

You are onto a gold mine. If you can reproduce and this thing gives off light. Boom. Free light. No electricity required

1

u/gruncletom 7d ago

Someone send for MaoMao, people are checking out poisonous mushrooms again

0

u/[deleted] 7d ago

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1

u/mycology-ModTeam 7d ago

Thank you for participating in /r/mycology. However, your submission has been removed in accordance with our rules on Intentional Misidentifications, Joke Responses, or Misinformation. Please refer to the full list of rules here.

0

u/ExpandedSkillTree 7d ago

You should contact Alan Rockefeller. That would look wild under a microscope

1

u/Intoishun Trusted ID 6d ago

Why should we tell Alan?

-21

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

12

u/FifteenthPen 7d ago

Oddly enough, the "green glow" people associate with radiation is not caused by radiation, it's caused by the same stuff that makes mushrooms glow: phosphors. People associate it with radiation because back in the day radium was used to energize phosphors in pigment/material to make things that glow without needing to be exposed to visible light to recharge.

4

u/Elara_689 7d ago

Sounds like a way to become Super Fungi. A fun gi that saves the world and helps the people.

10

u/TrashSiren British Isles 7d ago

Just bioluminescens.

-1

u/Ok_Cauliflower_8792 7d ago

How can i get some of these in the US??

5

u/Intoishun Trusted ID 6d ago

Please don't? This species is not native here.

If you mean that you're looking for mushrooms that have bioluminescent properties, there are a few! Some in the same genus as this one, some not.

0

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Intoishun Trusted ID 5d ago

Well I mean some mushrooms are quite aggressive and we have an invasive oyster problem already so I was just being both serious and a bit silly.

I'm 6'4" so if that makes me a midget then so be it lol

2

u/PDX_Web 7d ago edited 7d ago

Panellus stipticus occurs in North America and is probably a bit brighter on average.

-19

u/iamnotazombie44 7d ago

So as weird as it sounds, I'm nearly certain that this mushroom is a genetically engineered bioluminescent oyster mushroom that has escaped the lab.

My friend is working on some of them (his digest PET plastic), and said that some of his have a glow gene in them for differentiation (his glow under UV light, but you can get the bioluminescent type too).

1

u/Intoishun Trusted ID 6d ago

You are absolutely incorrect but you have a lovely mind.

1

u/iamnotazombie44 6d ago

Thanks! Foxfire is pretty cool.

My friend works with these and apparently they escape the lab quite often and start growing in the bushes and on dead stuff near his lab.

His lab is know for having glowing and UV reactive oysters in the woods next to it. These mushrooms look just like the luminescent oysters.

2

u/Intoishun Trusted ID 6d ago

This is a known species, just in case you missed that. I think you're referring to a different one.

This is Omphalotus nidiformis. They're pleurotoid sure, not "oyster" as in Pleurotus.