Plants that start with M

Plants that start with M

The most well-known plants and fungi, listed by their common names.

Mis forMould

Moulds, also spelt mold, are a kind of very tiny fungus that grow into filaments, or strands. Mould is usually thought of as something that grows on food when it goes off and starts to rot. The picture is of some mouldy cheese.

Mis forMushroom

Mushrooms are a type of fungus, and are not a plant. They come in a variety of sizes and colours. Some mushrooms are edible, but others are poisonous - poisonous mushrooms are often called toadstools. The top part of a mushroom is called the cap and the stem at the bottom is called the stalk. Mushrooms reproduce in a similar way to ferns. They grow spores in gills under the cap, which gradually opens from a ball to a disc as the mushroom matures. Some mushrooms release their spores in an explosive puff. Spores look like fine black dust.

Mis forMustard

Scientific name: sinapis hirta and brassica juncea
There are several different kinds of mustard plant. They are in the same family as canola, turnips and cabbages. A field of mustard flowering looks very much like a field of canola flowering. Mustard is grown mainly for its seeds, although the leaves can be eaten too. Mustard seeds are ground up and mixed with vinegar and sometimes other spices to make the mustard you can buy in shops. Depending on the type of mustard used, mustard paste can be very sharp or very mild. Sometimes mustard, called wholegrain mustard, is made from the whole seeds of the mustard plant and a little oil instead of crushing the seeds to a paste.