Case Details
Mycorrhiza?
Submitted by Unknown on 5/26/2011
Client dropped of a bag of rooty material and is wondering what it is. He finds masses of it in his flower / vegetable beds - starting about 2" deep. Material returns to bed after the bed has been cleaned out.
Reply by Brian D. Hudelson on 5/26/2011
This definitely looks like roots to me, although I can't tell of what. I primarily wanted to comment on the "Mycorrhiza?" tag on this sample. Mycorrhizae are a group of several different fungi that live symbiotically with plants. These fungi are for the most part microscopic and colonize plant roots. They use plant sugars as a food source and in return help plants more efficiently take up certain nutrients (phosphorus is probably the most commonly mentioned nutrient). One would not be able to typically see mycorrhizal fungi with the naked eye, although some of these organisms can form large fruiting structures (e.g., some form mushrooms) that you could see without a microscope or hand lens. Brian (:))
