A mushroom is saprobic if it survives by decomposing dead organic matter. This separates it from parasitic fungi (who feed on living organic matter) and mycorrhizal fungi, which receive sugars from trees in exchange for certain nutrients.
Many urban mushrooms are saprobic. For example, the parasols above, which are decomposing the wood chips in my front yard. Bird’s nest fungi, such as the ones below, are also wood chip loving saprobes:
Mushrooms growing in grass are typically saprobes. It is rare for mushrooms to form mycorrhizal relationships with plants other than trees (but more on that in a future post!).
Saprobes can be further separated based on whether they grow “terrestrially” or on wood. This can help distinguish otherwise similar species such as the Common Puffball and Pear-shaped Puffball.
recycled paper clips 
One thought on “Mushroom Lingo #6: Saprobic”