The Strophariaceae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately fr ...

in the order

Agaricales The fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms (for their distinctive gills) or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 extant families, 413 genera, and over 13,000 described species, alo ...

. Under an older classification, the family covered 18

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

and 1316

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

. The species of Strophariaceae have red-brown to dark brown

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5-centimeter ...

s, while the

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...

themselves are smooth and have an apical germ pore. These

agarics An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushroom ...

are also characterized by having a cutis-type

pileipellis The pileipellis is the uppermost layer of hyphae A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively call ...

. Ecologically, all species in this group are saprotrophs, growing on various kinds of decaying organic matter. The family was circumscribed in 1946 by mycologists

Rolf Singer Rolf Singer (June 23, 1906 – January 18, 1994) was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms ( agarics) in the 20th century. After receiving his Ph.D. at the University of Vienna in 1931 he worked ...

and Alexander H. Smith.

Genera

* The genus '' Stropharia'' mainly consists of medium to large agarics with a distinct membranous annulus. Spore-print color is generally medium to dark purple-brown, except for a few species with rusty-brown spores. There is a great deal of variation, however, since this group, as presently delimited, is

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...

. Members of the core clade of ''Stropharia'' are characterized by crystalline

acanthocytes Acanthocyte (from the Greek word ἄκανθα ''acantha'', meaning 'thorn'), in biology and medicine, refers to an abnormal form of red blood cell that has a spiked cell membrane, due to thorny projections. A similar term is spur cells. Often ...

among the hyphae that make up the rhizoids at the base of the mushroom. *The genus '' Hypholoma'' (formerly ''Naematoloma'') is mainly a saprobe on wood and often grows in caespitose clusters. Spore print varies from medium brown to purple brown. These species all share a subcutaneous layer of inflated cells. *The genus '' Pholiota'' is characterized by a dull brown to cinnamon brown spore print. A well-known edible species is the Japanese

nameko ''Pholiota microspora'', commonly known as ''Pholiota nameko'' or simply , is a small, amber-brown mushroom with a slightly gelatinous coating that is used as an ingredient in miso soup and nabemono ''Nabemono'' (鍋物, なべ物, ''nabe' ...

mushroom (''Pholiota nameko''). A secotioid form of '' Pholiota'' was previously recognized as a distinct genus, '' Nivatogastrium''. *The genus ''

Psilocybe ''Psilocybe'' ( ) is a genus of gilled mushrooms, growing worldwide, in the family Hymenogastraceae. Most or nearly all species contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Taxonomy Taxonomic history A 2002 study of the m ...

'' is well known for its psychedelic mushrooms and used to be classified in the Strophariaceae, but is now separated from the nonhallucinogenic species that remain in the family under the name '' Deconica''. ''

'' is now phylogenetically classified in the

Hymenogastraceae The Hymenogastraceae is a family of fungi in the order Agaricales with both agaric and false-truffle shaped fruitbodies. Formerly, prior to molecular analyses, the family was restricted to the false-truffle genera. The mushroom genus ''Psilocybe ...

. *The genus '' Deconica'' largely consists of species of agarics previously classified as nonhallucinogenic ''

'' and also of species formerly called '' Melanotus''.

References

External links

MushroomExpert.com - Taxonomy in Transition: The Strophariaceae

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1362608 Strophariaceae Taxa named by Alexander H. Smith Taxa named by Rolf Singer

Genera

See also

References

External links