English: Brown spores:

Agaricus silvicola (woodmushroom) is a fungus that, according to the taxonomic classification, belongs to the division Basidiomycota, family Agaricaceae. This species forms a mushroom-like fruiting body, meaning it consists of a cap and a stalk. The cap is hemispherical, its surface light-cream in color and smooth while the hymenium consists of gills (thin lamellae) placed densely and in parallel. The gills are gray-pink in color in a fresh fruit body; later as the mushroom matures, they become dark-brown, as in the specimen in the video. The stem is thin, cylindrical and slightly thickened at the base (bulbous base); a fragile drooping ring is also present.

The structures of the hymenium will be observed in a microscopic preparation. First, a drop of reagent (5% KOH) is placed onto a microscopic slide. A minute piece of the lamellae is removed by tweezers, and caution should be taken not to destroy the lower edge of the lamellae. The small piece of the lamella is put into the reagent on the slide (since the preparation in the video is made of a dried specimen, the material should be allowed some time so as to absorb the liquid from the reagent). A cover glass is laid on top, and the air between the slide and the cover glass is extruded by gently pressing with absorbent paper. One should be aware in which part of the preparation the edge of the lamella is placed aimed at observation of the hymenium layer in this area where cystidia structures usually occur. The preparation is set on a microscope, first the hymenium layer is rendered with 400x magnification (40x objective lens): basidium with 4 attached spores is in the focus, then numerous brown, elliptical spores. Identical elements, basidia with attached spores and released spores, are displayed at a magnification of 1,000x (100x objective lens).

Planned and performed by Slavica Tofilovska and Katerina Rusevska, Department of Biology, FNSM, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Macedonia.