Macrolepiota excoriata
Encyclopedia
Macrolepiota excoriata is a mushroom
in the family Lepiotaceae.
, has a brownish center, and has ochre
yellow to pale brown scales. The gills are white to cream. The stipe
is smooth, cylindrical, has a bulbous base, and has a ring. The spore
s are smooth, hyaline
, and ellipsoid. The spore color is white, cream, or yellowish. The ring is whitish to white. The flesh is white, fibrous, and does not change color. The mushroom is saprophytic. It is listed as a vulnerable species
. The threat to this species is over-growing of ungrazed and unmowed meadows. The species is similar to Macrolepiota procera, the difference being that the latter is bigger.
. The odor of the species is weak. The mushroom is similar to numerous toxic species so harvesting them is problematic. It has been advised by the website Memento des champignons (Memento of Fungus) to not collect specimens by roadsides. The collection period for the mushroom is from mid-summer to late autumn.
and Europe
and can be found on the ground, in fields, in lawns, or on roadsides. The species is common in Guernsey
, even though most books say that it is rare in Guernsey.
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...
in the family Lepiotaceae.
Description
The height is 5 to 15 centimeters. The color of the mushroom is white to cream. The cap is convex to shield shaped, is arched over with a raised center, 6 to 10 centimeters in diameterDiameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
, has a brownish center, and has ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
yellow to pale brown scales. The gills are white to cream. 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 smooth, cylindrical, has a bulbous base, and has a ring. The spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s are smooth, hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
, and ellipsoid. The spore color is white, cream, or yellowish. The ring is whitish to white. The flesh is white, fibrous, and does not change color. The mushroom is saprophytic. It is listed as a vulnerable species
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
. The threat to this species is over-growing of ungrazed and unmowed meadows. The species is similar to Macrolepiota procera, the difference being that the latter is bigger.
Edibility
The flesh is white, tender, and has a pleasant taste, best when it is consumed while it is young. It has been said that the flesh tastes like hazelnutHazelnut
A hazelnut is the nut of the hazel and is also known as a cob nut or filbert nut according to species. A cob is roughly spherical to oval, about 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm in diameter, with an outer fibrous husk surrounding a smooth shell. A filbert is more elongated, being about twice...
. The odor of the species is weak. The mushroom is similar to numerous toxic species so harvesting them is problematic. It has been advised by the website Memento des champignons (Memento of Fungus) to not collect specimens by roadsides. The collection period for the mushroom is from mid-summer to late autumn.
Habitat
The mushroom can be found in North AmericaNorth 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...
and 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...
and can be found on the ground, in fields, in lawns, or on roadsides. The species is common in Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, even though most books say that it is rare in Guernsey.