Marcescence - Blog Posts

Funguary Day 24: Purple pinwheel

Pinwheel mushrooms are often overlooked not because of their size but because of their tendency to completely shrivel up and dry out in dry conditions, blending into the leaf litter. They can fully dry out over the course of the day, appearing dead, and restore completely to their original state just a few minutes after being submerged in water. 

The image below left was taken of a pinwheel mushroom (though not a purple pinwheel) just after a rain and the image below right was taken around noon the following day

This property was named “marcescence” by Elias Magnus Fries. The purpose has not been fully explained but it is possible that it is to maximize spore release when conditions are more favorable.

See the rest of my posts for funguary here!