Question

How many organisms in the list given below are edible fungi;
Truffles, Agaricus, Amanita, Morchella, Mucor, Clavatia
A. Two
B. Three
C. Four
D. Five

Answer 1

Hint: Edible mushrooms are mainly considered as edible fungi and, in the list, there are many edible mushrooms given. A fruiting body of fungus is also given.

Complete answer:
There are six organisms given in the list and edible fungi mainly includes all the edible mushrooms, let’s start with the first one:
First one is Truffles, it is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus which is also one of the many species of the genus Tuber and truffles are ectomycorrhizal fungi and therefore they are found usually in close association with true roots. It is an edible fungus and therefore we can count it as edible fungi.
Second one is Agaricus which is a genus of mushroom both edible and poisonous species and these are characterized by having a fleshy cap. This genus includes common mushroom, the field mushroom and the dominant cultivated mushrooms of the west and there are almost over 300 members worldwide. Since it is an edible mushroom, we can consider it as edible fungi.
Third one is Amanita which contains about 600 species of agarics and it is also commonly known as the fly agaric. It includes few most toxic known mushrooms but there are some well-regarded edible species. Since it contains an edible species too, we can consider it as edible fungi.
Fourth one is Morchella, it is also known as true models which is a genus of edible sac fungi and it closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. They have honeycomb appearance due to a network of ridges with pits composing the caps and these are prized by gourmet cooks. Since it is a genus of edible sac fungi, therefore we can consider it as edible fungi.
Fifth one is Mucor. Mucor is a microbial genus and there are around 40 species of mould which are commonly found in soil, digestive systems, plant surfaces, etc and this fungal genus are typically white to beige or grey and fast-growing genus which on culture medium may grow to several centimetres. Since it is not the genus of edible fungi, therefore we can not consider this as edible fungi.
Sixth one is Clavatia, it is a genus of puffball mushrooms which is commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous forests usually in late summer and autumn. It includes the spectacular giant puffball C gigantea. Since it is an edible mushroom, therefore we can consider this as edible fungi.
From the explanation, it is clear that there are five edible fungi from the list given in the question.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: From the list given in the question, there are five edible fungi are given i.e., Truffles, Agaricus, Amanita, Morchella, Clavatia. Out of the six options in the list given, Mucor is not the edible fungi. Due to this, option D i.e., Five is the correct option.