Leucopaxillus
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''Leucopaxillus'' is a
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of fairly large white-spored
gilled mushrooms The Agaricales are an order of fungi in the division Basidiomycota. As originally conceived, the order contained all the agarics (gilled mushrooms), but subsequent research has shown that not all agarics are closely related and some belong in o ...
which are found worldwide growing on the ground in woodlands. These are
saprotroph Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ...
s, but may sometimes be
ectomycorrhizal An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or mycobion ...
. Less than ten species of ''Leucopaxillus'' are known to grow in North America. No species of ''Leucopaxillus'' are known to be poisonous, but they do not have an appealing taste or texture. The widespread genus contains about 15 species. Members of ''Leucopaxillus'' are medium-sized to large, have a dry convex to depressed
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 ...
, an inrolled margin when young, lack a
partial veil In mycology, a partial veil (also called an inner veil, to differentiate it from the "outer", or universal veil) is a temporary structure of tissue found on the fruiting bodies of some Basidiomycota, basidiomycete fungus, fungi, typically agarics. ...
and have tough
flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, ...
. They have white or yellowish
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 ...
which can come off in a layer, leaving the underside of the cap smooth. The
spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual (in fungi) 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 plant ...
are white,
amyloid Amyloids are aggregates of proteins characterised by a fibrillar morphology of typically 7–13 nm in diameter, a β-sheet secondary structure (known as cross-β) and ability to be stained by particular dyes, such as Congo red. In the human ...
and spiny. These mushrooms often smell bad and can be mistaken for ''
Tricholoma ''Tricholoma'' is a genus of fungus A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms ...
'' and ''
Clitocybe ''Clitocybe'' is a genus of mushrooms characterized by white, off-white, buff, cream, pink, or light-yellow spores, gills running down the stem, and pale white to brown or lilac coloration. They are primarily saprotrophic, decomposing forest grou ...
'', but mushrooms in those genera are more fragile and rot more quickly. Members of ''Leucopaxillus'' have
antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...
s which make the mushrooms persist much longer than most, making them appear to be more common than they actually are.


Species


See also

*
List of Tricholomataceae genera The Tricholomataceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. A 2008 estimate placed 78 genera and 1020 species in the family. Subsequent molecular research, based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences, has however found that this wide inter ...


References


External links


Mushroom Expert - The Genus ''Leucopaxillus'' - Includes Key


Further reading

*Singer R, Smith AH. (1943). A monograph on the genus ''Leucopaxillus'' Boursier. ''Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science'' 28: 85–132
online
at the
HathiTrust Digital Library HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digiti ...
*Singer R, Smith AH. (1947). Additional notes on the genus ''Leucopaxillus''. ''
Mycologia ''Mycologia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of W ...
'' 39: 725–736. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2258592 Tricholomataceae Agaricales genera