Fungi vs mushroom vs mycelium

Fungi vs mushroom vs mycelium - what's the difference?

Fungi is a collective term for a large kingdom of organisms that have chitin in their cell walls, differentiating them from plants and bacteria.

The above-ground structure of the fungus is known as the fruiting body. This is the traditional 'mushroom' that you will see in the supermarket, or out in nature. The role of the fruiting body is to contain the fungal spores which are used for reproduction.

Mycelium is a dense network of individual threads of hyphae, similar to the roots of a plant. Typically found underground, you may have seen these white threads when digging in your garden. Mycelia have interesting and unique properties that make them well suited to creating other material - like textiles!