''Chroogomphus rutilus'', commonly known as the brown slimecap or the copper spike, is a species of

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

in the

Gomphidiaceae The Gomphidiaceae are a family of mushroom-forming fungi in the order Boletales. Unlike other boletes, all members of Gomphidiaceae (except for ''Gomphogaster'') are agarics, having gills instead of pores. Member genera include ''Chroogomphus'', ...

family. First described scientifically as ''Agaricus rutilus'' by

Jacob Christian Schäffer Jacob Christian Schäffer, alternatively Jakob, (31 May 1718 – 5 January 1790) was a German dean, professor, botanist, mycologist, entomologist, ornithologist and inventor. Biography From 1736 to 1738 he studied Theology at the Universit ...

in 1774, it was transferred to the genus ''

Chroogomphus ''Chroogomphus'' is a genus of mushrooms commonly known as pine-spikes or spike-caps based on their shape and because they are often found growing in association with pine trees. The genus is distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere inclu ...

'' in 1964 by

Orson K. Miller, Jr. Orson Knapp Miller Jr. (December 19, 1930 – June 9, 2006) was an American mycologist. He published numerous papers in mycology and was responsible for the naming of many taxa, as well as being one of the authors erecting the genus '' Chroogo ...

The fungus lives ectomycorrhizally with ''

Pinus A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden a ...

'' species, and is found in Europe and North America. The

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life c ...

are

edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from "eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushro ...

but not highly regarded. ''Gomphidius viscidus'' is an old synonym of this mushroom.

References

Edible fungi Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Fungi described in 1774 {{Boletales-stub