With reference to “Gucchi” sometimes mentioned in the news, consider the following statements: 1) It is a fungus. 2) It grows in some Himalayan Forest areas. [2022]

With reference to “Gucchi” sometimes mentioned in the news, consider the following statements:

It is a fungus.
It grows in some Himalayan Forest areas.
It is commercially cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of north-eastern India.

Morel mushrooms, commonly known as Gucchi in India, belong to the Morchella family that grows in a diverse range of habitats such as coniferous forests, deciduous forests, alpine and subalpine pastures. These macrofungal species are found in the foothills of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir. Morel mushrooms are rich in iron, carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, vitamins B and D, and have antitumor, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Gucchi mushrooms are one of the costliest among fungi in the world. They are highly valuable, with prices ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 per kilogram.

Mushrooms are types of fungi, not plants.
Mushrooms are heterotrophs. This means they rely on food sources in their surroundings for nutrients, such as animal waste, plant matter, and organic carbon.
They can be grouped into edible and non-edible types.
Edible mushrooms include common varieties like button, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms.
Non-edible mushrooms may be poisonous or have other harmful effects.

Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that include moulds, yeasts, and mushrooms within the kingdom of Fungi.
They come in both unicellular and multicellular forms.
Yeasts represent the simplest unicellular type, while moulds like Rhizopus, Mucor, and Penicillium are examples of multicellular fungi.

While Gucchi mushrooms grow in the wild in the Himalayan foothills, they are not commercially cultivated. The collection of these mushrooms is done from wild habitats, and they are not farmed.