30 October 2023
If you’ve only seen Jack O’Lantern mushrooms (Omphalotus olearius) during the day you may have thought they were named for their orange pumpkin-like color.
Instead they are aptly named because they glow green in the dark, as shown in the top photo.
Perhaps, like Armillaria mushrooms, Omphalotus olearius is bioluminescent because of the chemical reaction they use to consume decaying wood. Armillaria‘s chemical reaction glow is described in this vintage article on foxfire.
Jack O’Lantern is one of only about 112 species of fungi that are bioluminescent. Find out more at 10 Bioluminescent Mushrooms That Glow in the Dark.
p.s. Never eat Jack O’Lantern (Omphalotus olearius). It is poisonous!
(photos from Wikimedia Commons & Kate St. John; click on the Wiki caption to see the original)