fairy ring
Sign in to saveAlso known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring, pixie ring, fairy rings
natural trace of the circular growth front of mushroom mycelium
Wikidata facts
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- has cause
- mushroom
- Commons category
- Fairy rings
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
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via Wikidata · CC0
~29 min read
Encyclopedic overview
A fairy ring (possibly Chlorophyllum molybdites) on a suburban lawn in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Fairy ring in a courtyard (Trinity Great Court).
A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. Fairy rings are detectable by sporocarps (fungal spore pods) in rings or arcs, as well as by a necrotic zone (dead grass), or a ring of dark green grass. Fungus mycelium is present in the ring or arc underneath. The rings may grow to over 10 metres (33 ft) in diameter, and they become stable over time as the fungus grows and seeks food underground.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “fairy ring” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.