Stropharia aeruginosa

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Stropharia aeruginosa
Stropharia.aeruginosa.-.lindsey.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Strophariaceae
Genus: Stropharia
Species:
S. aeruginosa
Binomial name
Stropharia aeruginosa
Stropharia aeruginosa
Information icon.svg
Gills icon.png Gills on hymenium
Convex cap icon.svgConical cap icon.svg Cap is convex or conical
Adnate gills icon2.svg Hymenium is adnate
Bare stipe icon.svg Stipe is bare
Transparent spore print icon.svg
Spore print is purple-brown
Mycomorphbox Question.pngEdibility is unknown

Stropharia aeruginosa, commonly known as the blue-green stropharia, [1] or verdigris agaric, is a medium-sized green, slimy woodland mushroom, found on lawns, mulch and woodland from spring to autumn. The edibility of this mushroom is controversial - some sources claim that it is edible, while others claim it to be poisonous, although effects are little known and its toxic constituents undescribed.

Contents

Taxonomy

The French mycologist Lucien Quélet gave it its current binomial name in 1872, after it was initially described as Agaricus aeruginosus by William Curtis in 1784. The Dutch mycologist Machiel Noordeloos placed it in the genus Psilocybe in 1995. The specific epithet aerūgǐnōsa is Latin for "covered in verdigris (copper-rust)". [2]

Description

The cap is convex, broadening, and becoming umbonate with age. It is from 2–8 cm in diameter. At first it is a vivid blue/green, and very glutinous (slimy), with a sprinkling of white veil remnants [3] around the edge. The colour in the gluten fades, or is washed off as it matures, and it becomes yellow ocher, [3] sometimes in patches, but mostly at the centre. Finally, it will lose the blue-green coloration completely. The white stem [3] is quite long and of uniform thickness. It has a fragile brown/black ring, and below this the stem is covered in fine white scales, or flakes. The gills are initially white, then clay-brown, and sometimes have a white edge. The spore print is brownish-purple, and the oval spores 7–10 x 5  μm. [4]

Similar species

Distribution and habitat

Stropharia aeruginosa in nature park Jesenicko, Czech Republic Stropharia aeruginosa in nature park Jesenicko in 2014.JPG
Stropharia aeruginosa in nature park Jesenicko, Czech Republic

This mushroom is common in grassy woods, and on roadside verges in Britain, Europe, Asia (Iran) [5] and parts of North America, growing on rotting wood. It particularly favours wood-chip mulches in gardens, and parks.

Edibility and toxicity

The verdigris agaric is reported as poisonous in many guidebooks printed in the Western Hemisphere, [6] [7] yet the effect of poisoning is little known and toxic constituents unknown. [8]

According to some European guidebooks the verdigris agaric is edible, but undesirable to some due to a mildly spicy taste. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Partial veil</span> Mushroom anatomy

In mycology, a partial veil is a temporary structure of tissue found on the fruiting bodies of some basidiomycete fungi, typically agarics. Its role is to isolate and protect the developing spore-producing surface, represented by gills or tubes, found on the lower surface of the cap. A partial veil, in contrast to a universal veil, extends from the stem surface to the cap edge. The partial veil later disintegrates, once the fruiting body has matured and the spores are ready for dispersal. It might then give rise to a stem ring, or fragments attached to the stem or cap edge. In some mushrooms, both a partial veil and a universal veil may be present.

<i>Clitocybe odora</i> Species of fungus

Clitocybe odora, commonly known as the blue green anise mushroom, or aniseed toadstool, is a blue-green mushroom that grows near deciduous and coniferous trees. They can be found growing in small groups along the side of tree roots. This mushroom is edible, but a few expert mushroom hunters insist that young specimens should be avoided as they can be confused with Stropharia aeruginosa. The anise odor is due to the presence of p-anisaldehyde and a small amount of benzaldehyde. This odor can give away the mushroom's presence before it is observed by eye.

<i>Stropharia rugosoannulata</i> Species of fungus

Stropharia rugosoannulata, commonly known as the wine cap stropharia, "garden giant", burgundy mushroom, king stropharia, or wine-red stropharia, is an agaric of the family Strophariaceae native to Europe and North America. Unlike many other members of the genus Stropharia, it is regarded as a choice edible and is commercially cultivated.

<i>Stropharia</i> Genus of fungi

The genus Stropharia is a group of medium to large agarics with a distinct membranous ring on the stipe. Well-known members of this genus include the edible Stropharia rugosoannulata and the blue-green verdigris agarics. Stropharia are not generally regarded as good to eat and there are doubts over the edibility of several species. However the species Stropharia rugosoannulata is regarded as prized and delicious when young, and is now the premier mushroom for outdoor bed culture by mycophiles in temperate climates.

<i>Chlorophyllum molybdites</i> Species of fungus

Chlorophyllum molybdites, commonly known as the green-spored parasol, false parasol, green-spored lepiota and vomiter, is a widespread mushroom. Poisonous and producing severe gastrointestinal symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, it is commonly confused with the shaggy parasol or shaggy mane, and is the most commonly misidentified poisonous mushroom in North America. Its large size and similarity to the edible parasol mushroom, as well as its habit of growing in areas near human habitation, are reasons cited for this. The nature of the poisoning is predominantly gastrointestinal.

<i>Agaricus bitorquis</i> Species of fungus

Agaricus bitorquis, commonly known as torq, banded agaric, spring agaric, banded agaricus, urban agaricus, or pavement mushroom, is an edible white mushroom of the genus Agaricus, similar to the common button mushroom that is sold commercially. The name supersedes Agaricus rodmani.

<i>Clitocybe nebularis</i> Species of fungus

Clitocybe nebularis or Lepista nebularis, commonly known as the clouded agaric, cloudy clitocybe, or cloud funnel, is an abundant gilled fungus which appears both in conifer-dominated forests and broad-leaved woodland in Europe and North America. Appearing in Britain from mid to late autumn, it is edible, but may cause gastrointestinal issues.

<i>Hygrocybe coccinea</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe coccinea, sometimes called the scarlet hood, scarlet waxcap or righteous red waxy cap, is a colourful member of the mushroom genusHygrocybe. These waxcaps are found across the Northern Hemisphere from China and Japan to Europe and North America. The small bright red mushroom is a familiar sight in unimproved grasslands in Europe in late summer and autumn, and woodlands in North America in winter.

<i>Russula aeruginea</i> Species of fungus

Russula aeruginea, also known as the grass-green russula, the tacky green russula, or the green russula, is an edible Russula mushroom. Widely distributed in northern temperate regions, it is usually found under birch, mostly in pine forests. The very poisonous death cap can have a similar appearance, especially from above.

<i>Leucoagaricus leucothites</i> Species of fungus

Leucoagaricus leucothites, commonly known as the smooth parasol, woman on motorcycle, ma'am on motorcycle, white dapperling, or white agaricus mushroom, is a species of agaric fungus. The species was originally described as Agaricus leucothites by Carlo Vittadini in 1835, and bears similarity to species of that genus. Solomon Wasser transferred it to Leucoagaricus in 1977. While sometimes regarded as edible, the species is suspected of being poisonous due to gastric-upset-causing toxins. It could also be confused with the deadly Amanita ocreata.

<i>Stropharia ambigua</i> Species of fungus

Stropharia ambigua, sometimes known as the questionable Stropharia, is a saprotrophic agaric mushroom, commonly fruiting in leaf litter and wood chips in the Pacific Northwest.

<i>Cortinarius mucosus</i> Species of mushroom

Cortinarius mucosus, commonly known as the orange webcap or the slimy cortinarius, is a species of mushroom in the family Cortinariaceae. In North America, the species is more commonly associated with northern coniferous forests. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word mucosus, meaning mucus.

<i>Lepiota castanea</i> Species of fungus

Lepiota castanea, commonly known as the chestnut dapperling or petite parasol, is a deadly poisonous, uncommon, gilled mushroom of the genus Lepiota in the order Agaricales. It is known to contain amatoxins and consuming this fungus can be a potentially lethal proposition. It was described by French mycologist Lucien Quélet in 1881.

<i>Russula albidula</i> Species of fungus

Russula albidula is a species of mushroom in the genus Russula. The species, known in the vernacular as the boring white russula or the whitish brittlegill, is nondescript, with a small or medium dirty white fruit body, and a highly acrid taste. It is found in eastern North America.

<i>Hypomyces chrysospermus</i> Fungal parasite of bolete mushrooms

Hypomyces chrysospermus, the bolete eater, is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that grows on bolete mushrooms, turning the afflicted host a whitish, golden yellow, or tan color. It is found in Eurasia and North America, as well as southwest Western Australia.

<i>Tricholoma saponaceum</i> Species of fungus

Tricholoma saponaceum, also known as the soap-scented toadstool, soapy tricholoma, soapy knight or soap tricholoma is an inedible mushroom found in woodlands in Europe and North America.

<i>All That the Rain Promises and More...</i>

All That the Rain Promises, and More... is a wild mushroom identification and field guide by American mycologist David Arora and published in 1991 by Ten Speed Press in Berkeley, California. The book includes detailed descriptions of more than 200 edible and poisonous mushroom species, as well as recipes, stories, and information on uses of various species such as for dying hair and clothing or playing games. In the preface, Arora writes, "In leafing through these pages, you may wonder what all the 'fanciful,' 'foolish,' or (shudder) 'extraneous' material is doing in a factual guide. After all, it is the practical, hands-on, how-to-identify information that makes this book useful and gives it substance. But I ask: is it any stranger or less desirable to sprinkle the facts with flakes of fancy than it is to liven up solemn, substantial fare like potatoes with something fancier and more flavorful, like wild mushrooms?"

<i>Amanita magniverrucata</i> Species of fungus

Amanita magniverrucata, commonly known as the pine cone amanita, or great pine jewel, is a species of agaric mushroom in the family Amanitaceae. First described scientifically by American mycologists Harry Delbert Thiers and Joseph Ammirati in 1982, it is mycorrhizal and associates with the tree Pinus radiata.

<i>Stropharia caerulea</i> Species of fungus

Stropharia caerulea, commonly known as the blue roundhead, is a species of mushroom forming fungus in the family Strophariaceae. It is a somewhat common species found in Europe and North America, where it grows as a saprophyte in meadows, roadsides, hedgerows, gardens, and woodchip mulch. S. caerulea was officially described to science in 1979, although it was known to be a distinct species for about two centuries before that. The scientific name Stropharia cyanea, as defined by Tuomikoski in 1953, and used by several later authors, is a synonym of S. caerulea.

<i>Stropharia coronilla</i> Species of fungus

Stropharia coronilla, commonly known as the garland roundhead or garland stropharia, is a species of mushroom native to Europe and North America. It is considered poisonous, and is sometimes mistaken for species of Agaricus.

References

  1. Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi (Second ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN   978-0-89815-169-5.
  2. Haas, Hans (1969). The Young Specialist looks at Fungi. Burke. p. 215. ISBN   0-222-79409-7. L. aeruginosus 'covered in copper-rust'
  3. 1 2 3 4 Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. pp. 209–210. ISBN   978-0-88192-935-5.
  4. Roger Phillips (2006). Mushrooms. Pan MacMillan. p. 248. ISBN   0-330-44237-6.
  5. Asef Shayan, M.R. (2010). قارچهای سمی ایران (Qarch-ha-ye Sammi-ye Iran)[Poisonous mushrooms of Iran] (in Persian). Iran shenasi. p. 214. ISBN   978-964-2725-29-8.
  6. Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. p.  380. ISBN   0-89815-169-4.
  7. Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America . Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p.  228. ISBN   978-1-55407-651-2.
  8. North, Pamela (1967). Poisonous Plants and Fungi in colour. Blandford Press & Pharmacological Society of Great Britain. pp. 111–12.
  9. STROPHARIA AERUGINOSA, СТРОФАРИЯ СИНЕ-ЗЕЛЕНАЯ