Cloud Parasol Mushroom

A healthy paired cloud parasol mushroom, in vitro. Growing medium: Vermiculite, sawdust, polyambritide hydrogel. These are mature specimens, producing fine threads of cloud silk across their surfaces.

This hardy fungus is found on all continents of Adin, more prevalently in the warmer and damper climates near the equator. It thrives on the abundant biological material found on the floors of jungles or thick forest, usually appearing in groups as rings or clusters.

Uses

Cloud parasol mushrooms have two distinct purposes that make them desirable, as a popular food as well as the wispy cloud silk that forms between adjacent caps. This material is used to create silk clothing, rope, or decor, and is very sturdy. As a food, it can be found in the recipes in every species of the world with the exception of the Nommo.

Cultivation

As cloud silk has risen in popularity, much work has been done to bring the versatile cloud parasols indoors and grow them in a more controlled environment for higher yields. While there other mushrooms prized for their food value, the double utility of the cloud parasol has made it a favorite of mycologists, tailors, and chefs worldwide. While harvesting of cloud silk in the wild is dependent on many factors and the quality varies wildly, cultivation of cloud parasols has allowed for much larger and healthier mushrooms that produce up to ten times more usable silk.
Cloud parasols are farmed under precise, climate-controlled conditions, usually tended by shapers who influence both structure and mycelium growth throughout the life cycle of the mushroom. Specially engineered substrate encourages growth of viable cloud silk within the substrate, where wild cloud parasols are typically only harvested for the silk on their caps.

Precautions

These mushrooms are the cause of a minor skin irritation known as pale ache. Skin contact with the caps or spores causes a grey patch of itchy skin, easily treated by the kursu or even by simple ointments made with common herbs. While only a slight nuisance to most people of Adin, the Nommo are particularly susceptible to this condition and must be treated as soon as infection is known. If a Nommo dies while afflicted with pale ache, the fungus quickly overtakes their body, preventing their soul from being maintained by the kursu and creating several dangerous mycocephs as well. Because of this, Nommo are very careful when handling their dead, treat the otherwise minor pale ache with aggressive treatments, and do their best to remove naturally occurring cloud parasols from the areas in which they live.
Ingestion of raw cloud parasols is mostly safe, apart from the risk of developing pale ache on the lips. Inhalation of the spores is an irritant but will not cause any specific disease internally. Cooking the mushrooms renders the enzymes that cause pale ache inert, and they may be safely handled. Physical contact with uncooked mushrooms should be done delicately and with gloves, to prevent contact or releasing spores into the air.