''Lepiota castanea'', commonly known as the chestnut dapperling or petite parasol,
is an uncommon, gilled
mushroom
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom.
The standard for the n ...
of the genus ''
Lepiota
''Lepiota'' is a genus of gilled mushrooms in the family Agaricaceae. All ''Lepiota'' species are ground-dwelling saprotrophs with a preference for rich, calcareous soils. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are agaricoid with whitish spores, typica ...
'' in the order
Agaricales
The Agaricales are an order (biology), order of fungi in the division (mycology), division Basidiomycota. As originally conceived, the order contained all the agarics (gilled mushrooms), but subsequent research has shown that not all agarics are ...
. It was described by French mycologist
Lucien Quélet
Lucien Quélet (; 14 July 1832 – 25 August 1899) was a French natural history, naturalist and mycologist. Quélet discovered several species of fungi and was the founder of the Société mycologique de France, a society devoted to mycological ...
in 1881.
It is known to contain
amatoxin
Amatoxins are a subgroup of at least nine related cyclic peptide toxins found in three genera of deadly poisonous mushrooms (''Amanita'', '' Galerina'' and '' Lepiota'') and one species of the genus '' Pholiotina''. Amatoxins are very potent, as li ...
s and is potentially deadly
poisonous
A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...
.
Description
The cap is broadly bell-shaped to flat, white with dark red-brown scales; it is up to 3 cm in diameter.
The gills are whitish and the stem is typically chestnut brown and up to 8 cm long, with an indistinct
ring
(The) Ring(s) 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
Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV
* ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...
.
The flesh is whitish,
with a mild taste. 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 white.
Habitat
It can be found in coniferous and deciduous woodlands, mostly singly or in small groups.
Toxicity
Like several other species of the genus ''Lepiota'', it contains potentially fatal
amatoxin
Amatoxins are a subgroup of at least nine related cyclic peptide toxins found in three genera of deadly poisonous mushrooms (''Amanita'', '' Galerina'' and '' Lepiota'') and one species of the genus '' Pholiotina''. Amatoxins are very potent, as li ...
s
which affect the liver.
See also
*
List of deadly fungi
Although many people have a fear of mushroom poisoning by "toadstool
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally ref ...
*
List of ''Lepiota'' species
References
*E. Garnweidner. ''Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe''. Collins. 1994.
castanea
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Description
C ...
Deadly fungi
Poisonous fungi
Fungi of Europe
Fungi described in 1881
Taxa named by Lucien Quélet
Fungus species
{{Agaricaceae-stub