''Tricholoma caligatum'' is a

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

of the

agaric 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 "mushroo ...

genus ''

Tricholoma ''Tricholoma'' is a genus of fungus that contains many fairly fleshy white-spored gilled mushrooms which are found worldwide generally growing in woodlands. These are ectomycorrhizal fungi, existing in a symbiotic relationship with various spe ...

''. It is a large species with a distinct sheathing ring on the stem, found in mycorrhizal association with various trees throughout the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

. It is sometimes referred to as the European Matsutake, though it is certainly gastronomically inferior to the true

Matsutake , ''Tricholoma matsutake'', is a species of choice edible mycorrhizal mushroom that grows in East Asia, Europe, and North America. It is prized in Japanese cuisine for its distinct spicy-aromatic odor. Etymology The common name and specifi ...

('' Tricholoma matsutake''), a related species highly prized in Japan.

Taxonomy and name

''Tricholoma caligatum'' was originally described in 1834 as "''Agaricus caligatus''" and was transferred to genus ''

'' in 1914. Considerable controversy exists regarding the application of this name to Central European and North American collections, which likely represent different species. The name ''caligatum'' (

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 ...

: 'boot') refers to the appearance of the mushroom, which looks like it is wearing a boot due to the presence of dark fibrils on the lower portion of the stem.

Description

The cap ( pileus) is hemispherical at first, soon becoming convex to flat, reaching 12–15 cm in diameter, and it is covered in large, chestnut to dark-brown fibrous scales or patches. The inrolled cap edge tends to host cottony bits of

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 basidiomycete fungi, typically agarics. Its role is to isol ...

. The gills (

lamella Lamella (plural lamellae) means a small plate or flake in Latin, and in English may refer to: Biology * Lamella (mycology), a papery rib beneath a mushroom cap * Lamella (botany) * Lamella (surface anatomy), a plate-like structure in an animal * ...

e) are adnate to sinuate, crowded, whitish to cream (and reddish-brown-spotted in age). The stem ( stipe) is 4–12 cm long, tapering and somewhat rooting at the base, and has a well-developed cottony

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 ...

covering the gills when young. Below the ring the stem is covered in dark bands of scales, which are the same colour as the cap. The flesh is thick and fibrous, and has a distinct, spicy, penetrating smell resembling nutmeg or allspice. 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 white.

Ecology and distribution

''Tricholoma caligatum'' is a strictly Southern species, locally common in

woods. It is associated with several

conifer Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ex ...

s, such as '' Pinus pinea'', ''

Pinus halepensis ''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. Description ''Pinus halepensis'' is a small to medium-sized tree, tall, with a trunk diameter up to , excep ...

'', ''

Pinus nigra ''Pinus nigra'', the Austrian pine or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to the eastern Mediterranean, on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica and Cyprus, as wel ...

'', ''

Pinus brutia ''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey. Turkish pine is also known by several other common names: Calabrian pine (from a naturalis ...

'', and ''

Pinus pinaster ''Pinus pinaster'', the maritime pine or cluster pine, is a pine native to the south Atlantic Europe region and parts of the western Mediterranean. It is a hard, fast growing pine bearing small seeds with large wings. Description ''Pinus pinas ...

'', but also with evergreen

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s, strawberry trees and

terebinth ''Pistacia terebinthus'' also called the terebinth and the turpentine tree, is a deciduous tree species of the genus '' Pistacia'', native to the Mediterranean region from the western regions of Morocco and Portugal to Greece and western and ...

bushes. It appears in coastal and high altitude woods in autumn and winter. According to Christensen & Heilmann-Clausen, North American reports of this fungus likely represent a different species.

Edibility

''Tricholoma caligatum'' is considered edible, although fruitbodies are often bitter, particularly when found under hardwoods. The bitterness seems to vary from one collection to another and is removed by parboiling. It is regularly consumed along the

coast, and is highly valued in the island of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

, where is considered a delicacy pickled and preserved in brine or vinegar.Loizides, M. (2008). A secret world: The fungi of Cyprus. Field Mycology 9 (3): 107-109. . Conflicting reports regarding the species' edibility may be due to the poor taste and odor of some specimens, or confusion with other species.

Similar species

Tricholoma magnivelare ''Tricholoma magnivelare'' is a gilled mushroom found East of the Rocky Mountains in North America growing in coniferous woodland. These ectomycorrhizal fungi are typically edible species that exist in a symbiotic relationship with various sp ...

'' is similar, and is more populous than ''T. caligatum'' in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

; it also appears elsewhere in North America, Europe, and Asia.

References