''Candolleomyces candolleanus'' (formerly known as ''Psathyrella candolleana'') is a species of fungus in the family

Psathyrellaceae The Psathyrellaceae are a family of dark-spored agarics that generally have rather soft, fragile fruiting bodies, and are characterized by black, dark brown, rarely reddish, or even pastel-colored spore prints. About 50% of species produce frui ...

. The color is tannish when young, fading to white. It is found in lawns in North America.

Description

The

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

is tan when young, fading to whitish, and growing to in diameter; they are initially conical, later becoming rounded and finally with upturned margins in maturity. The cap margin is irregular and radially asymmetrical—a defining characteristic of this species. It can retain

veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the human head, head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has be ...

fragments on the edge and center. The white stalk is tall and 3–7 mm wide. The

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 warm orange ("tussock") color spore print. ...

is purple-brown, while

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

s are smooth and elliptical, measuring 6.5–8 by 4–5

μm The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...

Similar species

One similar species is ''

Psathyrella gracilis ''Psathyrella corrugis'', is the type species of the basidiomycete fungus genus ''Psathyrella'' and family Psathyrellaceae. It is common in North America and is regarded as inedible. Taxonomy It was originally described from Europe as ''Agaricus ...

''. Some species may have darker caps when young, drying to match that of ''C. candolleanus''. Also similar are '' C. tuberculatus'', '' Britzelmayria multipedata'', and members of ''

Coprinopsis ''Coprinopsis'' is a genus of mushrooms in the family (biology), family Psathyrellaceae.' ''Coprinopsis'' was split out of the genus ''Coprinus'' based on molecular phylogenetics, molecular data. The species ''Coprinopsis cinerea'' is a model org ...

'' and ''

Psathyrella ''Psathyrella'' is a large genus of about 400 species, and is similar to the genera ''Coprinellus'', ''Coprinopsis'', ''Coprinus'' and ''Panaeolus'', usually with a thin pileus (mycology), cap and white or yellowish white hollow stipe (mycology), ...

''.

Etymology

The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''candolleanus'' honors Swiss botanist

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss people, Swiss botany, botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple ...

Distribution

It is commonly found growing in small groups around stumps and tree roots on

lawn A lawn () is an area of soil-covered land planted with Poaceae, grasses and other durable plants such as clover lawn, clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawn mower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic an ...

s and

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

s in North America and Europe. In 2014, it was reported from

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Edibility

While it is edible and may have a good flavor, it is not recommended due to its thin flesh, alleged poor culinary value and consistency, as well as difficulty in identification.

References

External links

* Psathyrellaceae Edible fungi Fungi described in 1818 Fungi of Asia Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries Fungus species {{Psathyrellaceae-stub