Leucoagaricus leucothites

Leucoagaricus leucothites
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Agaricaceae
Genus: Leucoagaricus
Species:
L. leucothites
Binomial name
Leucoagaricus leucothites
(Vittad.) Wasser (1977)
Synonyms
  • Agaricus leucothites Vittad. (1835)
  • Lepiota holosericea (J. J. Planer) Gillet (1874)
  • Leucoagaricus naucinus[1] Singer
  • Leucocoprinus holosericeus (J. J. Planer) Locq. (1943)
Leucoagaricus leucothites
Gills on hymenium
Cap is convex or flat
Hymenium is free
Stipe has a ring
Spore print is white
Ecology is saprotrophic
Edibility is unknown

Leucoagaricus leucothites, commonly known as the smooth parasol, woman on motorcycle,[2] ma'am on motorcycle,[3] white dapperling, or white agaricus mushroom, is a species of agaric fungus found in disturbed areas in North America.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described as Agaricus leucothites by Carlo Vittadini in 1835, and bears similarity to species of that genus.[4] Solomon Wasser transferred it to Leucoagaricus in 1977.[5]

Description

The mushroom's cap is 4 to 15 centimetres (1+12 to 6 in) wide,[6] is granular, white or gray-brown in color then sometimes grayish or pinkish.[4] The flesh may bruise yellowish and the gills reddish.[4] The stipe is 5 to 12 cm long, commonly with a wide base, and bruising yellow or brown.[6] A ring is usually present.[4] The spores are white, smooth, and elliptical.[6] They produce a white spore print.[7]

It could be confused for Agaricus species as well as the deadly Amanita ocreata.[2][6]

Distribution and habitat

It can be found in North America,[7] generally in disturbed, grassy areas such as gardens and parks, and sometimes in forests.[4]

Edibility

While sometimes regarded as edible,[6] the species is suspected of being poisonous due to gastric-upset-causing toxins.[8] It could also be confused with a deadly Amanita.[2][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Wood, Michael; Stevens, Fred. "California Fungi: Leucoagaricus leucothites". MykoWeb. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  2. ^ a b c Arora, David (1986) [1979]. Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. pp. 299–300. ISBN 978-0-89815-170-1.
  3. ^ Arora, David (February 1, 1991). All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms. ISBN 9780898153880.
  4. ^ a b c d e Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-88192-935-5.
  5. ^ Wasser SP. (1977). "New and rare species of Agaricaceae Cohn. family (in Russian)". Ukrainskiy Botanichnyi Zhurnal (in Russian). 34 (3): 305–8.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC 797915861.
  7. ^ a b Audubon (2023). Mushrooms of North America. Knopf. p. 568. ISBN 978-0-593-31998-7.
  8. ^ Miller Jr., Orson K.; Miller, Hope H. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, CN: FalconGuide. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7627-3109-1.