''Gomphidius roseus'', commonly known as the rosy spike-cap or pink gomphidius, is a

gilled mushroom 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 "mushrooms ...

found in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

. Although it has

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

, it is a member of the order

Boletales The Boletales are an order of Agaricomycetes containing over 1300 species with a diverse array of fruiting body types. The boletes are the best known members of this group, and until recently, the Boletales were thought to only contain boletes ...

, along with the boletes. It is a coral pink-capped mushroom which appears in pine forests in autumn, always near the related mushroom '' Suillus bovinus'', on which it appears to be

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

Taxonomy

''Gomphidius roseus'' was initially described by

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used b ...

mycologist Elias Magnus Fries as ''Agaricus glutinosus β roseus'' in 1821, before he elevated it to species status and gave its current genus and binomial name in 1838. The genus name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

'γομφος' ''gomphos'' meaning "plug" or "large wedge-shaped nail". The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''roseus'' is the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

adjective "pink".

Description

The mushroom has a coral-pink

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. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

up to in diameter, though sometimes larger, which is initially convex and later flattens and becomes a more brick-like colour with maturity. Often slimy or sticky as with other members of the genus, its cap lacks the blackish markings of the related '' G. glutinosus''. The stipe is high and 0.4–1 cm wide and bears an indistinct

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

. It is white with a pinkish or wine-coloured tint and often flushed yellow at the base. The whitish flesh may also be tinged pink and has little taste or smell. The decurrent

are grey, and 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 pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5-centimeter ...

is brownish-black.

Distribution and habitat

An uncommon fungus, ''Gomphidius roseus'' is found in Europe, but not in North America. A similar pinkish species, '' G. subroseus'' occurs in North America. ''G. roseus'' is found in Ukraine. It is found in pine woods, particularly ''

Pinus sylvestris ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and oran ...

'', associated with '' Suillus bovinus'', and is often hidden in undergrowth. Fruiting bodies sprout in the autumn.

Ecology

Like other members of the family Gomphidiaceae, ''Gomphidius roseus'' has been thought to be

ectomycorrhizal An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or mycob ...

, forming symbiotic relationship with their host trees. However, it is found exclusively with the related Jersey cow mushroom ('' Suillus bovinus''), and is now thought to be

upon its

mycelium Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrates. A typical single spore germinates in ...

. This is evidenced by microscopic examination, which shows that ''G. roseus'' inserts

haustoria In botany and mycology, a haustorium (plural haustoria) is a rootlike structure that grows into or around another structure to absorb water or nutrients. For example, in mistletoe or members of the broomrape family, the structure penetrates th ...

in plant root cells and does not produce significant mycelium itself. Furthermore, ''G. roseus'' is never found growing in isolation, only with ''S. bovinus'' though the latter species is found without the former.

Edibility

''Gomphidius roseus'' is not known to be

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...

but is reported to be of poor quality and hence not recommended for picking.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1931554 Boletales Fungi of Europe