Magical Kingdom

A quick guide to the fungus among us.


The fungi kingdom is vast and varied, encompassing everything from single-celled baking yeast to what might be the world’s largest organism —a 2,200-acre mycelium in Oregon. Fungi are everywhere, from the roots of most plants to the stomach of nearly every animal. Mycologists estimate that there are more than 1.5 million species of fungi, but fewer than 7 percent have been identified. Of those, about 20 percent are mushrooms. Below, an abridged family tree.

Magical Kingdom

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do things differently in the aftermath of a political crisis: Watergate. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after, and go deep on, stories others don’t. And we’re a nonprofit newsroom because we knew corporations and billionaires would never fund the journalism we do. Our reporting makes a difference in policies and people’s lives changed.

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