Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes (Mushroom-forming Fungi)

Agaricomycetes is a class of fungi containing about 16,000 described species that are distributed across virtually all terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Agaricomycetes produce mushrooms, the visible form of fungi that we are all familiar with. The diversity of forms within the class is vast. Agaricomycetes function as decayers, pathogens, parasites, and mutualistic symbionts (two different species that both benefit from their interaction) of both plants and animals. The majority of edible mushrooms are Agaricomycetes and whilst some species have been successfully cultivated, most wild-collected edible species are difficult or impossible to cultivate. Mushroom hunters should also be aware that some species are toxic and it can be difficult for the untrained eye to tell them apart from edible species.