What Causes Purple Mushrooms to Grow?

Location

• Purple mushrooms are found growing under trees. The site needs to be moist and have a rich humic layer of earth for the spores to germinate and fruit. The mushrooms are found in autumn and appear to grow mostly under oak trees.

Relationship

• Oak trees and mushrooms have a symbiotic association; they have a mycorrhizal connection. Mycorrhiza are fungal types whose mycelia colonize a plants roots and create a mutually beneficial association with the host. The mycelia are the growing underground structures of the mushroom. They improve the soil around the oak roots.

Benefits

• Purple mushroom mycelia resemble the roots of a plant and produce the fruit, which is the mushroom cap. The mycelia grow underground and receive carbon from the oak roots. They in turn help bring mineral nutrients to the tree roots.