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What Is Omphalotus Illudens? 10 Facts You Will Not Find Anywhere On The Internet
About Omphalotus Illudens
The mushroom illudens or jack o’lantern is orange, large, and usually grows on rotting logs, hardwood bases, and roots buried under the ground.
This mushroom belongs to the east coast of North America and is abundant.
Quick info: This yellow jack o’lantern mushroom is not an edible mushroom like the blue oyster, but rather poisonous like its sibling, the yellow Leucocoprinus birnbaumii.
Still, this mushroom is grown and collected at greater levels all over the world due to its rare irradiation quality in the dark, but is it a myth or a reality?
Read this and 10 facts you never knew about jack o lantern mushrooms:
10 Omphalotus Illudens Facts You Never Knew Before:
1. Omphalotus illudens or jack o-lantern glows at night in green or blue colors.
The true color of illudens is orange but exhibits a blue-green bioluminescence.
It is not easy to observe and you will need to sit in the dark for a while to experience the glow in this dark mushroom so your eyes will adapt to the darkness.
This fungus shines to attract insects for the spread of its spores.
2. Omphalotus illudens can Bioluminescence can stay for as long as 40 to 50 hours.
Not all Omphalotus mushrooms glow, only their gills glow in the dark. (Click to learn the parts of the mushroom.)
Bioluminescence is only observed in fresh specimens, and Omphalotus illudens can remain fresh for 40 to 50 hours after collection.
This means that you can bring the celebration home, put them in the dark room and observe the glowing mushrooms.
3. Omphalotus illudens is maybe a spirit mushroom who visits earth on Halloween.
Omphalotus illudens is called the jack o’lantern mushroom, not only because it glows in the dark, but also because it sprouts only when the Halloween season arrives.
This is a common autumn mushroom and you can see it sprouting on dead tree stumps and branches.
4. Omphalotus illudens have an extremely sweet smell that attracts insects.
Along with the light, the smell of the Omphalotus mushroom is very sweet and fresh.
This scent attracts not only humans but also insects.
When insects visit the jack o’lantern fungus, it attaches its spores to the insect’s feet, legs or trunk.
By doing this, it spreads its growth to the entire environment.
This is how the jack o’lantern mushroom increases its growth.
5. Omphalotus illudens Is a poisonous mushroom.
Omphalotus illudens is not an edible mushroom.
It is toxic and can cause serious medical emergencies when consumed.
It is not recommended for people to eat it raw, cook it or fry it.
These mushrooms are not edible and cause muscle cramps, diarrhea or vomiting in humans.
6. Omphalotus illudens looks quite similar to chanterelles.
When it comes to comparing the jack o’lantern mushroom with the chanterelle mushroom, we find:
Chanterelles are edible like chestnut mushrooms and come in orange, yellow or white colors similar to Omphalotus illudens.
However, the two differ where chanterelle is edible; Eating can be avoided to prevent problems such as jack o’lantern fungus, diarrhea and vomiting.
7. Omphalotus illudens has antibacterial properties and used in medicines to treat cancer.
Omphalotus illudens is enriched with antifungal and antibacterial enzymes.
These enzymes can only be extracted by experts and then used to make medicine.
Therefore, despite having such properties, eating this mushroom raw or cooked is not recommended as it can cause serious stomach and body ailments.
8. Omphalotus illudens can have different color or appearance geographically.
Omphalotus illudens is an eastern North American mushroom.
It does not grow on the west coast of America. Omphalotus olivascens is a western American type of jack o’lantern mushroom, but has a light olive color mixed with orange.
In Europe, Omphalotus olearius is found, which has a slightly darker cap.
9. Omphalotus illudens was first named as Clitocybe illudens.
Botanist-mycologist Lewis David von Schweinitz introduced the jack o’lantern mushroom and named it Clitocybe illudens.
10. Eating Omphalotus illudens will not kill you.
In case of misunderstanding, Omphalotus illudens will not kill you if accidentally consumed.
However, some stomach ailments and muscle cramps such as pain in certain parts of the body can occur.
Vomiting may occur if someone accidentally eats or consumes Omphalotus illudens. In this case, it is recommended to consult a doctor immediately.
However, if you have curious children in your home and there are jack o’lantern mushrooms growing nearby, you should get rid of them.
Because the immune system of children who accidentally consume this mushroom is not strong enough to withstand the side effects. But if you need glowing mushrooms, bring glowing mushrooms from Molooco.
How To Get Rid of Omphalotus Illudens?
Mushrooms are a type of weed. There are several ways to get rid of weed, fungus or fungus in your garden.
- You will have to dig in deep on the ground
- Bring out the whole mushroom including the roots
- Spray the dug hole with anti-fungus liquid
Check out our complete guide on how to make a home weed killer for more information.
Once you get rid of Omphalotus illudens, be sure to prevent it from coming back. For this, follow the three steps below:
- Do not let the decaying leaves or stumps stay on the ground
- Do not let cats and dogs, poo around the tree roots.
- Do not throw away peels of eaten plants or vegetables in your garden
Bottom Line:
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