Mushrooms surprisingly sprouted from a forgotten apple in eastern China.

The bizarre video was filmed in Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province on July 2.

According to the owner, she had placed the apple in the basket and unintentionally left it there for an extended period without consuming it.

On the morning of June 30, just before leaving for work, she noticed the apple's surface had turned slightly white. Initially mistaking it for mould, she was pressed for time and did not address it immediately. However, over the following days, mushrooms began to sprout from the apple, a phenomenon that left her thoroughly amazed.

Upon examination by experts including Dr. Pu Jinbao, Director of the Medicinal Resources Research Centre at Zhejiang Provincial Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Dr. Xu Rongju from the Biodiversity Laboratory of Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, it was confirmed that the mushrooms growing on the apple were splitgill mushrooms — a type of edible fungus.

Experts analysed that the reason this apple sprouted mushrooms was likely due to spores of the fungus inadvertently landing on its surface during natural exposure or storage. With a wound on the apple, the spores of the splitgill mushroom initially infected the stem and then spread downward to the core. The conducive conditions of high humidity and temperature following the end of the rainy season facilitated the growth of the fruiting bodies from the top of the apple.

This unusual occurrence not only sparked discussions among netizens but also piqued the interest of researchers. On the evening of July 6th, specialists from the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, reached out to the woman, expressing a desire to acquire the mushroom-sprouting apple for further study. Generously, she donated the apple to the researchers.

Currently, the apple-bearing mushrooms have arrived at the Biodiversity Laboratory of the Kunming Institute of Botany, where scientists plan to conduct DNA identification and cultivation experiments.

近日，浙江湖州德清，女子发现了一件奇特的事情，家里一颗忘记吃的苹果竟然发霉长出了蘑菇。
据女子介绍，她将这颗苹果放在客厅的篮子里，因为忘记食用而长时间存放。6月30日早上，她上班前突然发现苹果表面有点发白，当时误以为苹果长毛了，但由于时间紧迫未及时处理。然而，随后的几天里，苹果上竟然长出了蘑菇，这一现象让她感到十分惊奇。

经过大型真菌专家、浙江省中医药研究院药用资源研究中心主任浦锦宝及中国科学院昆明植物研究所生物多样性实验室的许容聚博士的鉴定，确认这颗苹果上长出的蘑菇是裂褶菌，也被称为白参菌，是一种可食用的食用菌。这种蘑菇不仅质地柔软细嫩，食味鲜美，且含有特殊香味，营养价值高，含有丰富的氨基酸和人体必需的微量元素，是一种蛋白质含量和质量俱佳的蛋白源。

专家们分析，这颗苹果之所以会长出裂褶菌，可能是因为在自然环境或储存过程中，有白参的孢子落在上面。由于苹果有伤口，裂褶菌孢子首先侵染苹果的果柄，随后向下逐渐扩散到果核。当温度湿度都适合裂褶菌生长时，子实体便从苹果顶部长出来。而这段时间正好是梅雨季节刚结束，空气湿度大、温度高，为裂褶菌的生长提供了有利条件。

这一奇特现象不仅引起了网友们的热议，也引起了科研人员的浓厚兴趣。7月6日晚上，中国科学院昆明植物研究所的专业人员联系了女子，希望购买这只长蘑菇的苹果用于研究，女子则慷慨地将苹果捐赠给了科研人员。

目前，这颗长蘑菇的苹果已经到达中国科学院昆明植物研究所生物多样性实验室。科研人员计划对其进行DNA鉴定和栽培实验，以进一步探索其科研价值和应用潜力。他们表示，裂褶菌通常生长在腐烂的木头等物体上，而生长在新鲜水果上的情况较为罕见。因此，这颗长出蘑菇的苹果具有一定的科研价值，可以用于研究裂褶菌的生长条件、侵染机制等。