''Termitomyces schimperi'' is a large

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...

associated with the termite species ''

Macrotermes michaelseni ''Macrotermes michaelseni'' is a species of termite in the family Termitidae, found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is associated with the fungus ''Termitomyces schimperi''. Distribution and habitat ''M. michaelseni'' is one of a number of ''Macroterm ...

''. It grows in the northern part of

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

, from northern

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

up to

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

(DRC), eastwards to

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, and westwards to

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

. In Namibia it is commonly referred to by its

Herero Herero may refer to: * Herero people, a people belonging to the Bantu group, with about 240,000 members alive today * Herero language, a language of the Bantu family (Niger-Congo group) * Herero and Namaqua Genocide * Herero chat, a species of b ...

name ''Ejova'' (singular)/ ''Omajowa'' (plural).

German Namibians German Namibians (german: Deutschnamibier) are a community of people descended from ethnic German colonists who settled in present-day Namibia. In 1883, the German trader Adolf Lüderitz bought what would become the southern coast of Namibia fro ...

refer to the mushroom as "Termitenpilz."

Characteristics

''Termitomyces schimperi '' can grow to the size of a "large frying pan". When they emerge, the fruitbody of the fungus are the "size of a man’s fist", before rapidly expanding to 15–28 cm and sometimes reaching 40 cm in diameter. The

tops Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) is a computer system for managing railway locomotives and rolling stock, known for many years of use in the United Kingdom. TOPS was originally developed between the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), S ...

are white. Yellowish to red-brown discolouration of the thick soft scales may occur by the mound soil. Below the top most layer, the scales are white. The pseudorhiza (a cord-like structure resembling a plant root) is narrower at its origin in the termite nest, and may be as long as 90 cm. Its consistency above ground is less dense. The sporocarps can be seen in groups of 5–10 around the lower parts of termite mound, and grow to around 50 cm above soil level. Up to 50 sporocarps have been reported around a single mound. The ''Termitomyces schimperi '' usually appear after soaking rains of 12 mm or more during spring, but the main crop develops during January to March which is the main rainy season. If the

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one or ...

e remain in the mound when harvested, they may grow on the same termite mound for many years. The termites consume the

partial veil In mycology, a partial veil (also called an inner veil, to differentiate it from the "outer", or universal veil) is a temporary structure of tissue found on the fruiting bodies of some basidiomycete fungi, typically agarics. Its role is to isolate ...

following maturation of the fungus.

Termite association

''Termitomyces schimperi'' do not appear on all termite mounds. They grow on tall termite mounds of central and northern parts of Namibia where a large rainfall occurs, and can often extend to 4-5 m in height. Their tops inclinetowards the north. The associated termite is the ''Termes bellicosus'' also known as ''Macrotermes michaelseni''. In Zambia the ''Termitomyces schimperi'' is found at the termite mounds of ''

Odontotermes patruus ''Odontotermes'', commonly known as the fungus-growing termites, is a termite genus belonging to family Termitidae, which is native to the Old World. They are most destructive in wooden homes, and are agricultural pests in the tropics and subtrop ...

''.

Cultural association

The mushroom is seen as a symbol of growth and prosperity by Namibians and is highly valued in

Namibian culture Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

. Their popularity in Africa is reflected in their appearance on postage stamps. It has high value as an edible source in the

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10693387 Lyophyllaceae Fungi described in 1891 Fungi of Africa Taxa named by Narcisse Théophile Patouillard