How to Identify Fungus That Grows on Horse Manure

There are three pivotal ways of identifying a specific type of fungus: Consider where it grows, the time of year it grows, and its physical appearance. The types that grow on horse manure range from beautiful and delicate to large and unsightly, and each possesses unique qualities and functions. Fungi feeds on matter, usually decaying matter, thus breaking it down and returning it to the soil. Without fungi, we would certainly be in a world of poo.

Things You'll Need

  • Guide to fungi
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Instructions

    • 1

      Examine the fungi for identifying marks. Height, shape and color are the most noticeable. Go a step further and if it has a conical or flat cap, flip it over and examine the gills, the reproductive organ of a mushroom. There is one type, the Dung-Trauschling, that is known by its purplish-brown gills.

    • 2

      Look at the cap. Caps come in a few varieties; conical, flat, convex and sometimes just a small bead at the top of the stem. To the untrained eye, the European-growing Nail Fungus can appear to have no cap at all, just a flaring of the stem. It is actually a small, convex cap.

    • 3

      Study the stalk, or stem. A stalk can be as fine as a hair, or thick and up to 6 inches in height. Some are solid in appearance, while others are like transparent tubes, as in the Pilobolus. This is an amazing little fungi that grows equipped to fire its spores into the air to scatter where a horse grazing nearby will ingest them and continue its life cycle.

    • 4

      Identify the color and markings. Fungi can be white, brown, gray, black, yellow or beige, among other colors. Some are all a single color, and still others have markings, such as spots. The Bell-Shaped Mottlegill is diminutive in stature but colored spectacularly, with beige around the edges and deep maroon in the center.

    • 5

      Determine the season. This narrows down your search, as some varieties grow in spring and fall, and others throughout the summer. There are even some hardy, cold-weather types you might find growing in a sheltered spot in the dead of winter.