Fruiting Body Collection

Fly agaric mushrooms (Amanita muscaria), artwork. This mushroom is powerfully hallucinogenic, containing the drugs ibotenic acid and muscimol

Mushroom gills, SEM
Mushroom gills. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the gills of an unidentified gilled mushroom. The mushroom is the fruiting body of a fungus

Fruiting bodies of Rhizopus oligosporus
Rhizopus oligosporus fungus. Coloured scanning electron micrograph of fruiting bodies and spores of the fungus Rhizopus oligosporus

Cup lichen (Cladonia floerkeana)
Lichen fruiting bodies (red). This lichen species is Cladonia floerkeana, found on heaths and moorlands. Lichens are formed from a symbiotic association between a fungus and an alga

Pilobolus fungus
Fungus sporangiophores. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of sporangiophores of a Pilobolus sp. fungus, growing on dung

Slime mould (Lamproderma scintillans) super close up of 1mm tall sporangia, Buckinghamshire, England, UK, March Focus Stacked

Slime mould (Physarum album), dew droplets on two sporangia, close-up. Hertfordshire, England, UK. November. Focus stacked image

RF - Maidens veil / Bridal veil fungus (Phallus indusiatus) with indusium fully formed, on rainforest floor. Heath River, Tambopata / Bahuaja-Sonene Reserves, Amazonia, Peru / Bolivia border

Slime mould (Cribraria rufa) line of three immature sporangia on rotting log, showing the net beginning to form around what will become the spore mass, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. October

Tiny backlit fungi growing on a tree trunk - DuPont State Recreational Forest - Cedar Mountain, near Brevard, North Carolina, USA

Crown-tipped Coral Fungus or Crown Coral Fungus (Artomyces pyxidatus) - DuPont State Recreational Forest - Cedar Mountain, near Brevard

Slime mould (Craterium minutum) tiny sporangia in various stages of development on tiny twig, Buckinghamshire, England, UK, March Focus Stacked

Slime mould (Lamproderma scintillans) close up of sporangia growing on a Holly leaf, Buckinghamshire, England, UK, December - Focus stacked

Slime mould (Physarum sp), dew droplets on sporangium, close-up. Hertfordshire, England, UK. November. Focus stacked image

Slime mould (Cribraria argillacea), mature sporangia with cages that contain the spores. Buckinghamshire, England, UK. September. Focus stacked image

Slime mould (Comatricha nigra) sporangia with a range of colours, at different stages of development. Buckinghamshire, England, UK. November. Focus stacked image

Slime mould (Physarum psittacinum), in mature reproductive phase. Close-up of erupting fruiting bodies (sporangia), bearing thousands of spores. Buckinghamshire, UK

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria), fruiting body emerging amongst fallen birch leaves, New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England, UK

Slime mould (Metatrichia floriformis) sporangia, New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England, UK

Slime mould (Stemonitopsis typhina) sporangia growing on edge of bark, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. November. Focus stacked

Slime mould (Metatrichia floriformis) line of sporangia split open and releasing spores, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. January. Focus stacked

Large group of Slime mould (Stemonitis flavogenita) sporangia changing to orange, beginning to mature on Oak (Quercus sp) log. Hertfordshire, England, UK. September. Focus Stacked

Three immature Slime mould (Lamproderma arcyrionema) sporangia, around one millimeter tall, beginning to mature. Buckinghamshire, England, UK. August. Focus Stacked

Two Slime mould (Lamproderma scintillans) sporangia, around one millimeter tall, forming on decaying leaf, with peridium split open. Buckinghamshire, England, UK. February. Focus Stacked

Three Slime mould (Didymium squamulosum) sporangia growing along spike of Holly (Ilex sp) leaf. Buckinghamshire, England, UK. January. Focus Stacked

Slime mould (Lamproderma scintillans) sporangia growing along edge of decaying leaf. Buckinghamshire, England, UK, January. Focus Stacked image

Slime mould (Comatricha lurida) 2mm tall sporangia growing along the edge of a rotting beech leaf, Buckinghamshire, England, UK, March - Focus stacked

Slime mould (Trichia botrytis) sporangia starting to split to release spores, on underside of rotting Oak (Quercus sp) log. Hertfordshire, England, UK. December. Focus stacked image

Fungal fruiting bodies, illustration

Rozsika Rothschild (1870-1940)
Hungarian baroness, champion tennis player and wife of Charles Rothschild, she resided in Tring Park where the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum was founded

Glistenin Ink-cap or Mica Cap -Coprinellus micaceus-, Emsland, Lower Saxony, Germany

BAL03920011
Abies koreana cones

CJO12818055
A troop of Common Bonnet Mycena galericulata mushrooms on a log in woodland at Goblin Combe

CJO12818049
Deer Shield Pluteus cervinus mushroom growing on a rotting tree stump sourrounded by Wood Sorrel and moss in a coniferous forest

CJO12818044
A cluster of Sulphur Tuft Hypholoma fasciculare mushrooms at Stockhill Wood in the Mendip Hills

CJO12818039
Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria mushroom growing in grass in Stockhill Wood in the Mendip Hills

CJO12818024
Hypholoma fasciculare mushrooms in a wood

CJO12818030
An immature Blusher Amanita rubescens mushroom in the leaf litter and moss of Beacon Hill Wood in the Mendip Hills

CJO12818023
A cluster of Sulphur Tuft Hypholoma fasciculare mushrooms at Beacon Hill Wood in the Mendip Hills

CJO11520013
The Deceiver mushroom on a woodland floor in the Mendip Hills

CJO11520014
The Deceiver mushroom on a woodland floor in the Mendip Hills

CJO08121005
Yellow Stagshorn growing through moss on decaying wood in a coniferous woodland in the Mendip Hills

CJO08121004
Conifer Tuft mushrooms growing on an old rotting log in a coniferous forest in the Mendip Hills

Slime mould (Comatricha nigra) sporangia with water droplets on a rotting log, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. November. Focus stacked

group of Sulphur Polypore (Laetiporus sulphureus) growing on the stem of a Willow (Salix), Millingerwaard, gelderland, the Netherlands

Red-capped scaber stalk -Leccinum aurantiacum, Leccinum rufum-, edible mushrooms

Oyster mushroom -Pleurotus ostreatus-, growing on a tree trunk, Wipperfuerth, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

Pleurotus ostreatus, oyster mushroom
Shown here is the fan-shaped oyster mushroom fungus. This specimen originates from the Natural History Museum, London

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Fruiting Body: A Fascinating World of Mushroom and Slime Moulds" Nature's artistic creations never cease to amaze us, especially when it comes to the diverse forms and structures found in fruiting bodies. From the iconic Fly agaric mushrooms with their vibrant red caps speckled with white dots, to the intricate patterns of mushroom gills observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM), these organisms captivate our imagination. But it doesn't stop there. The world of fruiting bodies extends beyond mushrooms alone. Take, for instance, the fruiting bodies of Rhizopus oligosporus, a type of mold used in food fermentation processes like tempeh production. These tiny structures play a crucial role in transforming ingredients into delicious culinary delights. Moving on from molds to lichens, we encounter the enchanting Cup lichen (Cladonia floerkeana). Its cup-shaped fruiting body adds an ethereal touch to forest floors or rocky landscapes where it thrives. And then there are slime moulds – peculiar organisms that blur the line between fungi and protists. In Buckinghamshire, England's woodlands during November, Stemonitopsis typhina sporangia can be spotted growing on bark edges. These slimy masses release spores as they mature—a mesmerizing sight captured through focus stacking photography techniques. Another slime mould species found in Buckinghamshire is Metatrichia floriformis. Its line of split-open sporangia reveals delicate spore-filled interiors against a backdrop of winter scenery—nature's own miniature explosions frozen in time. Zooming even closer into this microscopic world brings us Lamproderma scintillans—a slime mould boasting 1mm tall sporangia that shimmer like stars under magnification—an awe-inspiring spectacle hidden within nature's nooks and crannies.