Lichenomphalia ericetorum

A few months ago, when I was exploring an open area with sandy soil and thin moss on the surface, I found a small mushroom that was quite unique. This mushroom looks simple, with a pale yellowish cap and a slender stalk that rises from the mossy ground. After I looked closely and looked for references, I was sure that this was Lichenomphalia ericetorum, a fungus associated with moss (lichenized fungus).

Lichenomphalia ericetorum is small, its cap diameter is only about 1–2 cm. The hood is convex to flat when mature, sometimes slightly wavy. The color of the hood appears slightly whitish to yellowish, depending on humidity. The surface of the hood is smooth, and the underside shows lamellae (gills) that are slightly far apart from each other.

What makes this mushroom interesting is that it is not just an ordinary mushroom. The fruit bodies I see are actually just small parts of the main organism, which lives hidden among layers of moss on the ground. This Lichenomphalia ericetorum forms a symbiotic relationship with algae, so that it can photosynthesize partly through its algal partner — a unique combination of the fungal and microscopic plant worlds.

NOTE: I first wrote the article above in Indonesian, which is my own language, then I translated it using English with the help of Goggle.

Latin Name	Observation date	Location
Lichenomphalia ericetorum	27 04 2024	North Acèh Regency, Acèh, Indonesia

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Camera used	Smartphone
Lens	Macro
F-stop	-
Iso speed	ISO
Focal length	MM
Photography	Lichenomphalia ericetorum
Location	Aceh Indonesia
Photographer	@bananaklatbarat

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Link to original	community
Link	https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/275510798
Latitude Longitude	Map
-	-
=5.1928888889	=96.9163833333	https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=5.1928888889&mlon=96.9163833333#map=12/5.1929/96.9164

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