title: a wild edible mushroom Termitomyces albuminosus
organism: Macrolepiota albuminosa
description: Termite mushroom, Termitomyces albuminosus, is a member of Agaricales, Ttricholomaceae. There are twenty-six species of the genus Termitomyces distributed over the world, about fifteen are mainly distributed across Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces of China. T. albuminosus lives in a unique habitat and has an interesting symbiotic relationship with fungus-growing termite, Odontotermes formosanus, belonging to an evolutionarily related group of higher termite (Termitidae: Macrotermitinae). The symbiotic fungi grow on a special culture within the nest maintained by the termites and called the fungus comb or fungus garden. The fungus comb is made from partly digested plant litter which passes rapidly through the termite's gut. T. albuminosus is unique in nature, only growing from the termite nests and is commercially interesting due to their prized edibility.