What do mushrooms use to reproduce?

Fungi, of course, don’t utilize seeds to reproduce. They are non-vascular and reproduce via spores. But the above-ground portion that we think of as a mushroom is actually the equivalent of a fruiting structure, which are produced from underground strands called mycelium.

Spores are most often dispersed from slits or tubes underneath the cap. One of the methods utilized in mushroom identification is to make a “spoor print” by breaking off the cap and leaving it overnight (flat side down) on a white piece of paper. These prints can be quite beautiful in regard to color and conformation. And they are often diagnostic, allowing accurate identification down to species level.