Agaricus dulcidulus
Encyclopedia
Agaricus dulcidulus is a small sized mushroom
belonging to the Agaricales
order
, family Agaricaceae
, growing in deciduous woodlands of Europe
, but also recorded in North America
, North Africa
and Asia
. The English name is rosy wood mushroom. Despite the tendency of some sources to synonymize it with Agaricus semotus
, this is a distinct taxon.
2 to 7 cm, convex-rounded often with inflexed margins at first, then flattens when aging, covered in purple-brown to pinkish dense fibriles that fade in colours towards light grayish-pink from the centre towards margins.
The gills are free from attachment to the stipe, dense, starting pale gray-brownish when young, then turning dark purple-brown with age, with a lighter crenulated edge. The stipe
is cylindrical, 2–5 cm long and 0.4–0.8 cm broad, bulbous or clavated at the base, withish, slightly darkening toward the base in yellow-brownish tints. The ring
, remnant of the veil present in young fructifications, is whitish, descendent, thin and fragile. The odor and taste resembles almonds.
The spore print
is dark brownish. The spores are 4.5–6.0 x 3.5–4.0 µm on average, nonamyloid
, and elliptical. The flesh
turns slightly in yellow when cut or bruised, sometime with orange tints in stipe
.
Macrochemical reactions: flesh turns orange and pileus
turns yellow in contact with 10% KOH
.
, along with Agaricus comtulus, Agaricus xantholepis, Agaricus porphyrizon and Agaricus luteomaculatus.
l species in close relation with different oak
species. The fungus prefers humid soil with rich decomposed leaves as a substrate
. The basidiocarps appear, depending on microclimatic conditions, in late July to early October.
, the small size and usually the sporadic presence prevents it from being widely eaten.
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
belonging to the Agaricales
Agaricales
The fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms , or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 extant families, 413 genera, and over 13000 described species, along with five extinct genera known only from the fossil record...
order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
, family Agaricaceae
Agaricaceae
The Agaricaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi and includes the genus Agaricus, as well as basidiomycetes previously classified in the families Tulostomataceae, Lepiotaceae, and Lycoperdaceae. The genus contains 85 genera and 1340 species.-Genera:...
, growing in deciduous woodlands of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but also recorded in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. The English name is rosy wood mushroom. Despite the tendency of some sources to synonymize it with Agaricus semotus
Agaricus semotus
Agaricus semotus is a woodland mushroom of the Agaricales order of fungi. It, like many of its relatives, can be found spread throughout wooded, moist areas in the southern United States, and has been found in areas ranging from California to Florida; it is also indigenous to Great Britain and...
, this is a distinct taxon.
Description
CapPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
2 to 7 cm, convex-rounded often with inflexed margins at first, then flattens when aging, covered in purple-brown to pinkish dense fibriles that fade in colours towards light grayish-pink from the centre towards margins.
The gills are free from attachment to the stipe, dense, starting pale gray-brownish when young, then turning dark purple-brown with age, with a lighter crenulated edge. The stipe
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
is cylindrical, 2–5 cm long and 0.4–0.8 cm broad, bulbous or clavated at the base, withish, slightly darkening toward the base in yellow-brownish tints. The ring
Annulus (mycology)
An annulus is the ring like structure sometimes found on the stipe of some species of mushrooms. The annulus represents the remaining part of the partial veil, after it has ruptured to expose the gills or other spore-producing surface. An annulus may be thick and membranous, or it may be cobweb-like...
, remnant of the veil present in young fructifications, is whitish, descendent, thin and fragile. The odor and taste resembles almonds.
The spore print
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
is dark brownish. The spores are 4.5–6.0 x 3.5–4.0 µm on average, nonamyloid
Amyloid (mycology)
In mycology the term amyloid refers to a crude chemical test using iodine in either Melzer's reagent or Lugol's solution, to produce a black to blue-black positive reaction. It is called amyloid because starch gives a similar reaction, and that reaction for starch is also called an amyloid reaction...
, and elliptical. The flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
turns slightly in yellow when cut or bruised, sometime with orange tints in stipe
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
.
Macrochemical reactions: flesh turns orange and pileus
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
turns yellow in contact with 10% KOH
KOH test
The KOH Test for Candida albicans, also known as a potassium hydroxide preparation, is a quick, inexpensive fungal test to differentiate between dermatophytes and Candida albicans symptoms from other skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema....
.
Other taxonomic considerations
Several characteristics like flesh yellowing on contact or in air, orange reaction with KOH, overall size, puts this species within Minores section of the genus AgaricusAgaricus
Agaricus is a large and important genus of mushrooms containing both edible and poisonous species, with possibly over 300 members worldwide...
, along with Agaricus comtulus, Agaricus xantholepis, Agaricus porphyrizon and Agaricus luteomaculatus.
Habitat
Agaricus dulcidulus is a mycorrhizaMycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
l species in close relation with different oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
species. The fungus prefers humid soil with rich decomposed leaves as a substrate
Substrate (biology)
In biology a substrate is the surface a plant or animal lives upon and grows on. A substrate can include biotic or abiotic materials and animals. For example, encrusting algae that lives on a rock can be substrate for another animal that lives on top of the algae. See also substrate .-External...
. The basidiocarps appear, depending on microclimatic conditions, in late July to early October.
Edibility
Although considered to be edibleEdible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
, the small size and usually the sporadic presence prevents it from being widely eaten.