''Mycena luxaeterna'', commonly known as the eternal light mushroom, is a species of
fungus
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...
in the family
Mycenaceae
The Mycenaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. According to the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th edition, 2008), the family contains 10 genera and 705 species. This is one of several families that were separated from the Tricholom ...
. The mushrooms have parachute-shaped
caps which start off darkly grayish-brown, changing to grayish-yellow or pale grayish-brown with a pale white ring at the edge when mature, and reach up to in diameter. Their thin, cylindrical, hollow, fragile
stems up to in diameter are covered in a thick gel and emit a constant yellow-green
bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some b ...
(the caps do not glow). The
gills are attached. The mushroom has a slightly radish-like smell and similar slightly bitter taste.
Habitat
The mushroom was discovered in a very limited area of the Atlantic rain forest of
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, Brazil and is known to exist only at this location. It grows on decomposing twigs, rarely on dead leaves or undergrowth, in clusters of two-to-twenty individuals. Dennis Desjardin is credited with the discovery.
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Uses
The eternal light mushroom has no known nutritional value, contains no known hallucinogens
Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorized ...
, and is not reported as having any particular cultural significance. Its extreme rarity means that it has never been common in cooking.
See also
*List of bioluminescent fungi
]
Found largely in temperate and tropical climates, currently there are more than 112 known species of bioluminescent fungi, all of which are members of the order Agaricales (Basidiomycota) with one exceptional ascomycete belonging to the order Xy ...
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3278966
Bioluminescent fungi
luxaeterna
Fungi described in 2010
Fungi of Brazil