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Mycology Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Mycology Quizzes, Trivia

Mycology Trivia

Mycology Trivia Quizzes

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Mushrooms, toadstools and other fungi are covered in quizzes here. Find out what you know about these 'fun guys'.
8 Mycology quizzes and 80 Mycology trivia questions.
1.
  Putting the "Fun" in Fungus   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Test your knowledge of fungi, and have a little fun in the bargain. Go on, take the quiz. Somewhere, a mushroom will smile.
Easier, 10 Qns, Ilovemydog, Sep 19 16
Easier
Ilovemydog
5639 plays
2.
  General Fungi Quiz   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Hello, fellow fungi fiends. This quiz is about fungi in general -all fungi, not just mushrooms! Have fun!
Average, 10 Qns, LeCapitaine, Oct 06 21
Average
LeCapitaine
Oct 06 21
2094 plays
3.
  Fabulous Fungi    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
There's some pretty amazing fungi on our little planet and not all are the putrid, festering white blobs that most of us imagine when the word 'fungus' is mentioned. Get ready to stretch your mind around these fungi facts!
Average, 10 Qns, Eozarth, Jun 08 22
Average
Eozarth
Jun 08 22
1949 plays
4.
  Fungus Among Us    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz will test your knowledge on Fungi of all kind. It will educate you on structure, function, and give examples you may see everyday!
Average, 10 Qns, ep9284, Jun 23 14
Average
ep9284
367 plays
5.
  Fun Gus: the Fungi   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Fun Gus is a Fun Guy and wants you to know that the study of mushrooms is full of suprises. So pull up a chair, or a toadstool, sit back, and enjoy!
Average, 10 Qns, kitabi, Sep 01 22
Average
kitabi
Sep 01 22
521 plays
6.
  Fungi Anatomy Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Hello again, fellow fungal fiends! This quiz is a fungal vocabulary/anatomy test. Have fun!
Average, 10 Qns, LeCapitaine, Jun 09 09
Average
LeCapitaine
656 plays
7.
  North American Mushrooms    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here is my final North American wildlife quiz. This time it's on mushrooms.
Average, 10 Qns, Morrigan716, Aug 03 23
Average
Morrigan716 gold member
Aug 03 23
759 plays
8.
  Mushrooms of the United States    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A tough quiz on wild mushrooms of the United States.
Very Difficult, 10 Qns, crisw, Jun 14 23
Very Difficult
crisw gold member
Jun 14 23
1469 plays
trivia question Quick Question
Most people are familiar with the "mushroom" structure you see on the surface of the ground. What part of the fungus does this represent?

From Quiz "Fungus Among Us"





Mycology Trivia Questions
1. What is the name for scientists who study fungi?

From Quiz Fungus Among Us

Answer: Mycologists

Mycologists are botanists that specialize in the field of mycology, the study of fungi and their effects. Zoologists study living animals. Fungologists is a field of study I made up. Oncologists study and treat cancer.

2. The stipe is what part of the mushroom?

From Quiz Fungi Anatomy Quiz

Answer: The stalk

Stipe is the term used by mycologists to describe the stalk of the mushroom. They can come in many shapes and sizes and may have various structures on them which assists with identification. The patterns on the stipe are also useful in identification.

3. What is usually the role of fungi in an ecosystem?

From Quiz General Fungi Quiz

Answer: Decomposers

The role of a fungus in an ecosystem is usually decomposing: breaking down the dead matter of other organisms. Fungi may also be symbionts and have relationships with other organisms e.g. lichen.

4. Which mushrooms ooze a milklike liquid when cut or broken?

From Quiz North American Mushrooms

Answer: Lactarii

Named for the Latin 'lactare' meaning 'to secrete milk'.

5. Most people are familiar with the "mushroom" structure you see on the surface of the ground. What part of the fungus does this represent?

From Quiz Fungus Among Us

Answer: The fruiting body

The fruiting body is most often the part we see above ground and contains the spores for reproduction. Mushrooms are not photosynthetic and their "roots" are underground like most other vegetation. It is most certainly not the whole thing, as most of it is underground.

6. The study of mushrooms is called:

From Quiz Fun Gus: the Fungi

Answer: Mycology

Xylology is the study of wood and wood products. Gelotology is the study of laughter and humor on humans. Acarology is the study of ticks and mites.

7. The cortina is the what?

From Quiz Fungi Anatomy Quiz

Answer: Thin veil covering the gills

The cortina is one of the features of the aptly named genus, 'Cortinarius', but can also be found in other genera such as Gymnopilus. A veil can be either partial such as in these genera or universal such as in Amanita muscaria.

8. Mushrooms of this genus typically have stems that snap like a piece of chalk when bent.

From Quiz Mushrooms of the United States

Answer: Russula

Some are edible. Many have a very hot, peppery taste.

9. What are the three main parts of the cultivated mushroom, normally called a 'button mushroom'?

From Quiz Fungus Among Us

Answer: Cap, Stipe, Gills

The gills hold the spores of the fungus and are located underneath the cap. The stipe is the structure that holds the cap and gills off the ground.

10. Which type of mushroom would NOT be a welcome addition to your breakfast soufflé?

From Quiz Fun Gus: the Fungi

Answer: Jack-O'-Lantern (Omphalotus olearius)

The Jack-O'-Lantern mushroom is a bright orange mushroom sometimes confused with Chanterelles, which are not life-threatening if eaten, but cause moderate to severe stomach upset. At night, they sometimes give off a faint green glow.

11. What is the pileus?

From Quiz Fungi Anatomy Quiz

Answer: The cap

The pileus of a mushroom can be many different shapes, and all are described in many different ways for example 'umbonate' means the cap is pointed in the middle, and 'depressed' means the cap is sunken in in the middle.

12. Fungi reproduce by releasing:

From Quiz General Fungi Quiz

Answer: spores

Fungi may produce spores sexually or asexually.

13. Ergot (a type of fungus which grows on wet rye) causes which serious illness?

From Quiz Putting the "Fun" in Fungus

Answer: St. Anthony's fire

Yikes! Don't worry. All rye is now treated with antifungals to kill off the awful, lurking ergot.

14. Many, but not all, of the hallucinogenic mushrooms belong to this colorful family?

From Quiz North American Mushrooms

Answer: Strophariaceae

Possession of the Cuban psilocybe, which grows in Florida and along the Gulf Coast, is illegal in most states.

15. What phylum of fungus is normally associated with having a mushroom or puffball structure?

From Quiz Fungus Among Us

Answer: Basidiomycota

All of these are phyla of Fungi. Ascomycota and basidiomycota make up the two largest groups of fungi. Basidiomycota includes puffballs, mushrooms jelly fungi, and many more!

16. The mushrooms that we see above ground are merely the fruit of the organism that proliferates beneath ground. What is this underground network called?

From Quiz Fun Gus: the Fungi

Answer: Mycelium

The chitin is the hard substance which cover mushroom cell walls and is what composes the exoskeletons of lobsters, crabs, and shrimps. The Gills are the platelike structures found on the underside of the mushroom cap to hold spores. Spores are the microscopic seeds found on the underside of mushroom caps that are released to produce more mushroom mycelium.

17. What is the annulus?

From Quiz Fungi Anatomy Quiz

Answer: The ring on the stipe, remnant of the partial veil

When the mature gills break the partial veil, often they leave an 'annulus' on the stipe, which can be very obvious or only seen as a thin line of tissue, and is sometimes not seen at all.

18. One of the reasons fungi are not considered plants is:

From Quiz General Fungi Quiz

Answer: They do not have chlorophyll

One of the many characteristics distinguishing fungi from plants is they do not have chlorophyll. Their cell walls are also made of chitin rather than cellulose and they are not usually green. Fungi do have scientific names e.g. Psilocybe cubensis ;)

19. Which fungus is considered so delicious that it can cost hundreds of dollars?

From Quiz Putting the "Fun" in Fungus

Answer: Truffles

Pigs are used to dig for truffles. They can sniff them out. Given the sort of things which usually please a pig's palate - I think I'll pass on trying truffles! Let's hope the hard working pigs get at least one truffle of their own for their trouble.

20. The soft gills of the mushrooms in this family separate cleanly from the underside of the cap when you press on them with a finger?

From Quiz North American Mushrooms

Answer: Paxilli

Found under conifers or in mixed woods.

21. What type of disease, largely affecting trees in the genus Malus, is caused by a fungus in the Ascomycota phylum?

From Quiz Fungus Among Us

Answer: Apple Scab

All of these are fungal diseases that affect trees. Apple scab produces black spots on the fruit, leaves, and other structures of the tree that can appear to look like scabs. It doesn't kill the host, but does ruin the fruit and can leave the trees susceptible to other infections.

22. A fungus in a mutualistic relationship with an alga or cyanobacteria (or both) is called what?

From Quiz General Fungi Quiz

Answer: Lichen

Haustoria are special hyphae of parasitic fungi. Karyogamy is nuclear fusion. I put the 'vampire' answer in there because at my local library, the librarian thought a lichen was a vampire. I laughed for quite some time.

23. What do you call a scientist who studies fungi?

From Quiz Putting the "Fun" in Fungus

Answer: Mycologist

Penicillin was discovered when a scientist found that it had grown on a plate of bacteria he'd kept around...and killed the bacteria!

24. This common inhabitant of lawns is so fragile that it often lasts less than a day?

From Quiz North American Mushrooms

Answer: Brownie cap

Usually found in grassy areas, but sometimes in open woods.

25. One interesting edible mushroom in this genus is named for its blue color.

From Quiz Mushrooms of the United States

Answer: Clitocybe

That mushroom is the blewit, Clitocybe nuda. It's a tasty edible. Most Clitocybes are not edible.

26. What is the name for a common fungal disease affecting humans, which leaves an ovoid marking on the skin?

From Quiz Fungus Among Us

Answer: Ringworm

Ringworm forms a dark colored ring on the skin of humans and can be quite itchy and bothersome. It can be treated by topical anti-fungal medications quite easily. Roundworms are a type of parasite, not a fungal infection. The most common type is Ascariasis, which can be obtained from contaminated soil (and therefore the vegetables growing in them). Always wash your fruits and veggies! Fungal Ring is a disease I made up. Bullseye ring is not an infection, but a common symptom that shows up when you are bitten by a tick. It may be an indicator that it carried Lyme disease.

27. According to the National Research Center of Mushroom (NRCM) Report 2007, which country consumes the most farmed mushrooms?

From Quiz Fun Gus: the Fungi

Answer: United States

United States consumes 30% of world commercial mushroom production; Germany is second at 17%; United Kingdom and France both tie for third at 11%.

28. Where can you find the spores on a mushroom?

From Quiz Fungi Anatomy Quiz

Answer: Gills

The spores of a mushroom are extremely useful in identification. They can be collected by taking a small piece of the gill and examined under a microscope. Often a spore print is also done to check the spore colour, which is usually the starting point for identification.

29. When stepped on, they explode with a pop, then squirt out the powdery spore 'dust'?

From Quiz North American Mushrooms

Answer: Puffballs

Some puffballs are choice eating, but there are poisonous look-alikes.

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Last Updated Oct 18 2025 5:47 AM
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