Taxonomical History of Korean Mushrooms

The term of Mushrooms means to spread like the April showers. After 18th century, the mycelium and spores of mushrooms were observed by microscope and then was denominated as fungi. About one hundred thousand species of mushrooms in appearance were worldly reported, and in Korea about four thousand species of mushrooms are estimated. In Korea, total of one thousand nine hundred one species of mushrooms have been recorded. Mushrooms belonging to the group of organisms called fungi, which must obtain their food from living plants or animals or from their remains after death. A large number of mushrooms grow in association with the roots of trees and other woody plants, called mycorrhizal fungi, both mushrooms and plants require this relationship for growth and development. And also many Mushrooms are saprobic, living on decayed various fallen leaves, twigs, trees and vegetable remains and etc. some of these million of spores settles on the proper habitat, these spores germinates and grows into a mass of threads, then a mycelium. This is the vegetable part of the mushrooms, what we call mushrooms are the carpophores, all the characteristics of the morphological features are appropriately used to identify species of mushrooms. Recently, identification and classification of mushrooms are newly confirmed by molecular analysis. In 2013, One thousand nine hundred one species of mushrooms in "List of Mushrooms in Korea" which published by the Korean Society of Mycology were recorded. Total of 238species, 107genera, 40families, 13orders, 6Classes belong to phylum Ascomycota. Total of 1,663species, 403genera 81families, 18orders, 7classes belong to phylum Basidiomycota.