| Major Groups > Gilled Mushrooms > Pale-Spored > Lepiota & Satellite Genera > Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus |
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Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus [ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Agaricaceae > Leucoagaricus . . . ]
by Michael Kuo In the Lepiota family, this is one of the more distinctive species. When young it is almost entirely coral pink or orangish brown, and has an egg-shaped to conical cap. As it matures, however, the cap color begins to break up, resulting in the familiar Lepiota family fibers and scales over a pale background. The center of the cap, however, remains evenly colored and dark, although the scaly fibers elsewhere may fade to orangish or coral pink. The distinctive cap, together with the absence of any staining in the flesh, make Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus easy to recognize. Lepiota rubrotincta is a synonym, and is the name found in most field guides; see the comments below for the gory details. Description: Ecology: Saprobic; growing alone or scattered in woods (primarily in hardwood forests, at least in the east); sometimes in compost piles; summer and fall; widely distributed in North America. Cap: 3-8 cm; at first egg-shaped and uniformly pinkish or orangish brown; becoming conical and eventually convex or nearly flat, with scattered pinkish to orangish brown fibers over a white background; the center remaining distinctively darker; the margin not lined, but often splitting in age. See the comments below regarding color variability. Gills: Free from the stem; close; white; not bruising or staining. Stem: 4-16 cm long; .5-1 cm thick; more or less equal, but sometimes swollen at the base; the base often inserted fairly deeply in the ground; dry; smooth or with tiny fibers; sometimes bruising or discoloring pale yellowish brown (but not dramatically, and not reddish), especially in age; with a white ring on the upper stem that is fairly persistent but may fall away. Flesh: White; not changing on exposure to air. Odor and Taste: Not distinctive. Spore Print: White. Microscopic Features: Spores 6-10 x 4-6 µ; smooth; oval to elliptical; dextrinoid; with a small pore. Cheilocystidia variously shaped, 30-37 x 11-16 µ. REFERENCES: (Peck, 1892) Singer, 1948. (Kauffman, 1918; H. V. Smith, 1954; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Horn, Kay & Abel, 1993; Halling, 1997; Barron, 1999; McNeil, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 08290205, 07220306. Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus demonstrates considerable variability in cap color in the Pacific Northwest, according to Smith (1979). Arora (1986) describes a browner mushroom, and Wood & Stevens (2002) illustrate and describe a smaller, browner mushroom in California. According to Halling (1997), "there are several American collections that show differences in size of spores, size and shape of cheilocystidia, among other features. These entities may deserve recognition at varietal rank." Lepiota rubrotincta is a synonym. I have used the newer name out of deference to the authorities--but I should add that the authorities seem less sure of the use of the genus name Leucoagaricus, in this case, than they do with Leucoagaricus naucinus, another former Lepiota. DNA studies by Johnson & Vilgalys (1998) and Johnson (1999) resulted in phylograms that split Leucoagaricus all over the place (see Lepiotoid Clade for further information), and the disposition of Leucoagaricus is still far from certain. Further Online Information: Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus at MykoWeb |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2003, October). Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/leucoagaricus_rubrotinctus.html |