Mycena
Encyclopedia
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of small saprotrophic mushroom
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...
s that are rarely more than a few centimeters in width. They are characterized by a white 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...
, a small conical or bell-shaped cap
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...
, and a thin fragile stem
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...
. Most are gray or brown, but a few species have brighter colors. Most have a translucent and striate cap, which rarely has an incurved margin. The gills are attached and usually have cystidia. Some species, like Mycena haematopus
Mycena haematopus
Mycena haematopus, commonly known as the bleeding fairy helmet, the burgundydrop bonnet, or the bleeding Mycena, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family, of the order Agaricales. It is widespread and common in Europe and North America, and has also been collected in Japan and Venezuela...
, exude a latex
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
when the stem is broken, and many have the odor of bleach
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
.
Mycenas are hard to identify to species and some are distinguishable only by microscopic features such as the shape of the cystidia. Some species are edible
Edible 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...
, while others contain toxins, but the edibility of most is not known, as they are too small to be useful in cooking. Mycena cyanorrhiza
Mycena cyanorrhiza
Mycena cyanorrhiza is a small white psychotropic mushroom which has a blue base. It grows in forests on wood and has a white spore print....
stains blue and contains the hallucinogen psilocybin
Psilocybin
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug, with mind-altering effects similar to those of LSD and mescaline, after it is converted to psilocin. The effects can include altered thinking processes, perceptual distortions, an altered sense of time, and spiritual experiences, as well as...
and Mycena pura
Mycena pura
Mycena pura, commonly known as the lilac bonnet, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First called Agaricus prunus in 1794 by Christian Hendrik Persoon, it was assigned its current name in 1871 by German Paul Kummer...
contains the mycotoxin
Mycotoxin
A mycotoxin is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by organisms of the fungus kingdom, commonly known as molds. The term ‘mycotoxin’ is usually reserved for the toxic chemical products produced by fungi that readily colonize crops...
muscarine
Muscarine
Muscarine, L--muscarine, or muscarin is a natural product found in certain mushrooms, particularly in Inocybe and Clitocybe species, such as the deadly C. dealbata. Mushrooms in the genera Entoloma and Mycena have also been found to contain levels of muscarine which can be dangerous if ingested...
.
Over 30 species are known to be bioluminescent
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in...
, creating a glow known as foxfire
Foxfire (bioluminescence)
Foxfire, also sometimes referred to as "fairy fire", is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish green glow is attributed to luciferase, an oxidizing agent, which emits light as it reacts with luciferin...
. These species are divided among 16 lineages, leading to evolutionary uncertainty in whether the luminescence developed once and was lost among many species, or evolved in parallel by several species. The evolutionary purpose of the glowing is uncertain.
Alexander Smith's
Alexander H. Smith
Alexander Hanchett Smith was an American mycologist known for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi, especially the agarics.-Early life:...
1947 Mycena monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
identified 232 species; the genus is now known to include about 500 species worldwide. Maas Geesteranus
Rudolph Arnold Maas Geesteranus
Rudolph Arnold Maas Geesteranus, born 20 January 1911 in The Hague, died May 18 2003 in Oegstgeest, was a Dutch mycologist.-References:...
divided the genus into 38 sections in 1992, providing keys to each for all the species of the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
. Many new species have been discovered since then, and four new sections have been proposed. Taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
is complex, as most sections are not truly homogeneous, and the keys fail for some species, especially those that satisfy some criteria for only part of their life cycle
Biological life cycle
A life cycle is a period involving all different generations of a species succeeding each other through means of reproduction, whether through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction...
. Some sections contain only one species.
The name Mycena comes from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
μύκης, meaning mushroom. Species in the genus Mycena (and in Hemimycena
Hemimycena
Hemimycena is a genus of fungi in the family Mycenaceae. The genus has a widespread distribution, and contains about 50 species.-Species:*H. angustispora*H. candida*H. cephalotricha*H. conidiogena*H. crispata*H. cucullata...
) are commonly known
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
as Bonnets.
Selected species
- M. aciculaMycena aciculaMycena acicula, commonly known as the orange bonnet, or the coral spring Mycena, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. It is found in Asia, the Caribbean, North America and Europe. The fruit bodies, or mushrooms, of the fungus grow on dead twigs and other woody debris of forest floors,...
- M. adonisMycena adonisMycena adonis, commonly known as the scarlet bonnet, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. Found in Asia, Europe, and North America, it produces small orangish to reddish inedible mushrooms with caps up to in diameter, held by thin pinkish-white stems reaching long...
- M. adscendensMycena adscendensMycena adscendens, commonly known as the frosty bonnet, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. The fungus produces small fruit bodies with caps up to in diameter, supported by thin stems up to long. It is distributed in the United States, where it has been found from Washington to...
- M. aetitesMycena aetitesMycena aetites, commonly known as the drab bonnet, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First described as Agaricus aetites by Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries in 1838, it was assigned its current name in 1872 by Lucien Quélet. This rare mushroom is found in...
- M. alphitophora
- M. aurantiomarginataMycena aurantiomarginataMycena aurantiomarginata, commonly known as the golden-edge bonnet, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. It has a widespread distribution, common in Europe, and North America, and also having been collected in North Africa, Asia, and Central America. The fungus is saprobic, and produces...
- M. austrofilopesMycena austrofilopesMycena austrofilopes is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. It has been found growing in leaf litter under Eucalyptus trees in Victoria, Australia....
- M. austrororidaMycena austrororidaMycena austrororida, also commonly known as the Austro Dripping Bonnet is a fungal species in the genus Mycena. From the locations that it has been described, it is said that this species may have links to the ancient continent, Gondwana...
- M. arcangelianaMycena arcangelianaMycena arcangeliana is a species of Mycenaceae fungus. It has been known by a number of scientific names, and its taxonomy is still somewhat disputed. It produces small mushrooms with caps varying in colour from whitish to a darker grey-brown, and stems of an olive-greyish that fades with age...
- M. asterina (Bioluminescent)
- M. brunneospinosa
- M. californiensisMycena californiensisMycena californiensis is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. It is a common and abundant species in the coastal oak woodlands of California, where it grows saprobically, feeding on the fallen leaves and acorns of various oak species. First described in 1860 by Berkeley and Curtis, the...
- M. capillaripes
- M. chlorophos
- M. cinerellaMycena cinerellaMycena cinerella, commonly known as the mealy bonnet, is an inedible species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. It is found in Europe and the United States, where it grows in groups on fallen leaves and needles under pine and Douglas fir. The small grayish mushrooms have caps that are up to ...
- M. citricolorMycena citricolorMycena citricolor is a plant pathogen....
- M. citrinomarginata
- M. clariviolaceaMycena clariviolaceaMycena clariviolacea is a mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First reported as a new species in 2007, it is known only from Kanagawa, Japan, where it fruits on dead fallen twigs in forests dominated by oak and chinquapin trees...
- M. crocataMycena crocataMycena crocata is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. The common name Saffrondrop Bonnet refers to the red or orange latex that it exudes if the stipe is broken. Its habitat is woody debris and leaf litter in deciduous woodland, especially Beech....
- M. cyanorrhizaMycena cyanorrhizaMycena cyanorrhiza is a small white psychotropic mushroom which has a blue base. It grows in forests on wood and has a white spore print....
- M. cystidiosaMycena cystidiosaMycena cystidiosa is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. Described as new to science in 1964, it is known only from New Zealand and Australia. The fruit bodies have a broadly conical small white cap up to wide, with distantly spaced cream-coloured gills on the underside. The stem is...
- M. discobasis (Bioluminescent)
- M. epipterygia
- M. erubescens
- M. fera (Bioluminescent)
- M. flavescensMycena flavescensMycena flavescens is a species of Mycenaceae fungus. It was first described scientifically by the Czech mycologist Josef Velenovský in 1920, based on specimens collected in Mnichovice in 1915. The mushroom is edible....
- M. flavoalbaMycena flavoalbaMycena flavoalba, commonly known as the ivory bonnet, is a species of inedible mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. The cap is initially conical in shape, before becoming convex and then flattening out; it may reach dimensions of up to across. The cap color is ivory-white to yellowish white,...
- M. fonticolaMycena fonticolaMycena fonticola is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. First reported in 2007, it is known only from central Honshu, in Japan, where it grows on dead leaves and twigs in low-elevation forests dominated by oak trees. The fruit body of the fungus has a smooth, violet-brown cap up to in...
- M. fuscoaurantiacaMycena fuscoaurantiacaMycena fuscoaurantiaca is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First reported as a new species in 2007, the diminutive mushroom is only found in Kanagawa, Japan, where it grows on dead fallen twigs in lowland forests dominated by hornbeam carpinus and Chinese evergreen oak trees...
- M. galericulataMycena galericulataMycena galericulata is a mushroom species commonly known as the common bonnet, the toque mycena, or the rosy-gill fairy helmet. The type species of the genus Mycena was first described scientifically in 1772, but was not considered a Mycena until 1821...
- M. galopusMycena galopusMycena galopus, commonly known as the milking bonnet or the milk-drop Mycena, is an inedible species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family of the Agaricales order. It produces small mushrooms that have grayish-brown, bell-shaped, radially-grooved caps up to wide. The gills are whitish to gray, widely...
- M. griseoviridis
- M. haematopusMycena haematopusMycena haematopus, commonly known as the bleeding fairy helmet, the burgundydrop bonnet, or the bleeding Mycena, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family, of the order Agaricales. It is widespread and common in Europe and North America, and has also been collected in Japan and Venezuela...
- M. inclinataMycena inclinataMycena inclinata, commonly known as the clustered bonnet, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. The doubtfully edible mushroom has a reddish-brown bell-shaped cap up to in diameter...
- M. interruptaMycena interruptaMycena interrupta, commonly known as the Pixies' Parasol, is a species of mushroom. It has a Gondwanan distribution pattern, being found in Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Chile...
- M. intersectaMycena intersectaMycena intersecta is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First reported as a new species in 2007, it is known only from central Honshu, in Japan, where it is found growing solitarily or scattered, on dead leaves in lowland forests dominated by oak. The mushrooms have olive-brown caps up...
- M. kuurkaceaMycena kuurkaceaMycena kuurkacea is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. It was first described in 2003 by Australian mycologist Cheryl A. Grgurinovic based on specimens found in New South Wales, Australia. Fruit bodies were found growing on leaf litter under Eucalyptus or on logs of Eucalyptus or...
- M. leaiana
- M. lacrimans (Bioluminescent)
- M. lanuginosaMycena lanuginosaMycena lanuginosa is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First collected in 2000 and reported as a new species in 2007, it is known only from lowland oak-dominated forests in central Honshu in Japan...
- M. leptocephalaMycena leptocephalaMycena leptocephala, commonly known as the nitrous bonnet, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. The mushrooms have conical grayish caps that reach up to in diameter, and thin fragile stems up to long. The gills are gray and distantly spaced. The spores are elliptical, typically...
- M. lucentipes (Bioluminescent)
- M. luteopallens
- M. luxaeternaMycena luxaeternaMycena luxaeterna, common name eternal light mushroom, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. The mushrooms have parachute-shaped caps which start off darkly grayish-brown, changing to grayish-yellow or pale grayish-brown with a pale white ring at the edge when mature, and reach up to in...
(Bioluminescent) - M. luxarboricola (Bioluminescent)
- M. maculataMycena maculataMycena maculata, commonly known as the reddish-spotted Mycena, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. The fruit bodies, or mushrooms, have conic to bell-shaped to convex caps that are initially dark brown but fade to brownish-gray when young, reaching diameters of up to...
- M. metataMycena metataMycena metata is a species of Mycenaceae fungus found in Europe. It is inedible....
- M. minirubraMycena minirubraMycena minirubra is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. Found only in New Zealand, the fungus produces tiny crimson fruit bodies with caps up to in diameter, atop that stems that arise from a basal disk of mycelium.-Taxonomy:...
- M. multiplicataMycena multiplicataMycena multiplicata is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First described as a new species in 2007, the mushroom is known only from Kanagawa, Japan, where it grows on dead fallen twigs in lowland forests dominated by oak. The mushroom has a whitish cap that reaches up to in diameter...
- M. musteaMycena musteaMycena mustea is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First described as a new species in 2007, the fungus is known only from Kanagawa, Japan, where it grows on dead fallen twigs in lowland forests. The mushroom's dull violet to grayish-violet cap, initially covered with a fine whitish...
- M. narganMycena narganMycena nargan, commonly known as the Nargan's bonnet, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family, and the sole member of the section Nargan in the genus Mycena. Reported as a new species in 1995, it is known predominantly from Southern Australia...
- M. nidificataMycena nidificataMycena nidificata is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family of the Agaricales. First collected in 2000 and reported as a new species in 2007, it is known only from Kanagawa, Japan, where it grows on the floor of oak forests. The dark brown irregularly wrinkled cap measures up to in diameter...
- M. olidaMycena olidaMycena olida, commonly known as the rancid bonnet, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. It was first described in 1887 by Italian mycologist Giacomo Bresadola.-Description:...
- M. oregonensis
- M. overholtsiiMycena overholtsiiMycena overholtsii, commonly known as the snowbank fairy helmet or fuzzy foot, is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. The mushrooms produced by the fungus are relatively large for the genus Mycena, with convex grayish caps up to in diameter and stems up to long...
- M. pelianthina
- M. polygrammaMycena polygrammaMycena polygramma, commonly known as the grooved bonnet, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. The inedible fruit bodies are small, pale gray-brown mushrooms with broadly conical caps, pinkish gills. They are found in small troops on stumps and branches of deciduous and occasionally...
- M. puraMycena puraMycena pura, commonly known as the lilac bonnet, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First called Agaricus prunus in 1794 by Christian Hendrik Persoon, it was assigned its current name in 1871 by German Paul Kummer...
- M. pura complex
- M. purpureofusca
- M. renatiMycena renatiMycena renati, commonly known as the beautiful bonnet, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. It was described by French mycologist Lucien Quélet in 1886...
- M. roridaMycena roridaMycena rorida, commonly known as the dripping bonnet or the slippery mycena, is a species of mushroom. It is whitish or dirty yellow in color, with a broad convex cap 5-15mm in diameter. The stalk is covered with a thick, slippery slime layer...
- M. roseaMycena roseaMycena rosea, commonly known as the rosy bonnet, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First named Agaricus roseus in 1803 by Danish botanist Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher, it was given its present name in 1912 by Gramberg.-Description:The cap initially has a convex shape...
- M. rosellaMycena rosellaMycena rosella, commonly known as the pink bonnet, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First called Agaricus roseus by Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries in 1794, it was assigned its current name in 1871 by German scientist Paul Kummer.Microscopic characteristicsThe spores are...
- M. sanguinolentaMycena sanguinolentaMycena sanguinolenta, commonly known as the bleeding bonnet, the smaller bleeding Mycena, or the terrestrial bleeding Mycena, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. It is a common and widely distributed species, and has been found in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia...
- M. semivestipesMycena semivestipesMycena vestipes is a species of fungus in the Mycenaceae family. First described in 1895 as Omphalina semivestipes by Charles Horton Peck, it was transferred to Mycena in 1947 by Alexander H. Smith....
- M. singeri (Bioluminescent)
- M. spinosissima
- M. stipata
- M. stylobatesMycena stylobatesMycena stylobates, commonly known as the bulbous bonnet, is a species of inedible mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. Found in North America and Europe, it produces small whitish to gray fruit bodies with bell-shaped caps that are up to in diameter...
- M. subcaerulea
- M. tintinnabulum
- M. uraniaMycena uraniaMycena urania, commonly known as the violet bonnet, is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. First named Agaricua uranius in 1818 by Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries, it was assigned its current name in 1872 by the French naturalist Lucien Quélet.-Description:The cap is initially...
- M. vinaceaMycena vinaceaMycena vinacea is a species of mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. Found in Australia, it was first described scientifically by John Burton Cleland in 1931....
- M. viscosa
- M. vitilisMycena vitilisMycena vitilis, commonly known as the snapping bonnet, is a species of inedible mushroom in the Mycenaceae family. It is found in Europe and North America, where it grows on the ground among leaves in damp places, especially under alder. The small pale gray to whitish fruit bodies are usually...
- M. vulgaris
- M. zephirus
Further reading
- Smith, Alexander Hancett. North American Species of Mycena. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press, 1947.
External links
- Mushroom Expert - The Genus Mycena
- Key to the Mycenoid Species in the Pacific Northwest
- Fungi Bioluminescence Laboratory
- Online copy of Smith's 1947 Monograph, from the University of Michigan Herbarium
- National Geographic Photo in the News, featuring pictures of bioluminescent species
- Keys for Mycena species found in Norway, including a great deal of information on many species