''Cystoderma amianthinum'', commonly called the saffron parasol, the saffron powder-cap, or the earthy powder-cap, is a small orange-ochre, or yellowish-brown, gilled

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 t ...

. It grows in damp mossy grassland, in coniferous forest clearings, or on wooded

heaths A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

. It is probably the most common of the small genus ''

Cystoderma ''Cystoderma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae or Cystodermataceae. Its family position is in doubt and the family "Cystodermataceae" and tribe "Cystodermateae" have been proposed to include this group following recent molecular wo ...

''. It is not recommended for consumption due to its resemblance to poisonous species.

Taxonomy

''Cystoderma amianthinum'' was first noted by the Italian-Austrian naturalist

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Johannes Antonius Scopolius) (3 June 1723 – 8 May 1788) was an Italian physician and natural history, naturalist. His biographer Otto Guglia named him the "first anational ...

, who called it ''Agaricus amianthinus'' in 1772. The present generic name ''Cystoderma'' was erected by Swiss mycologist

Victor Fayod Victor Fayod (23 November 1860 – 28 April 1900) was a Swiss mycologist, who created an influential novel classification of the agaric fungi and who described a number of new genera and species. Biographical overview Fayod was born on 23 Nove ...

in 1889, and is roughly translated as 'blistered skin', and is probably a reference to the appearance of the pellicle (cap skin).

Description

The cap is usually between in diameter, convex to bell-shaped, and later flat with a slight depression around a low umbo (central boss). It is dry and powdery, often with a shaggy or fringed margin (appendiculate), and is saffron-yellow or orange-ochre. The

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

is cylindrical, and has a flaky-granular sheath beneath a fleeting, powdery

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 ...

. The gills are white initially, and become creamy later. They are adnexed (narrowly attached to the stem), and initially quite crowded. The spore print is white. The flesh is thin and yellowish, with an odor that is unpleasant or resembles husked corn. A very similar form with a markedly radially wrinkled cap, has been separated by some authors, and given the binomial ''Cystoderma rugoso-reticulatum''. Some forms have a whitish yellow cap. ''

Cystodermella granulosa ''Cystodermella'' is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae. The genus comprises about 12 species, noted for producing agaric fruit bodies, bearing a cap, white gills and stipe with a fine, ephemeral ring. The genus was devised by Harri Harm ...

'', and ''

Cystodermella cinnabarina ''Cystodermella cinnabarina'' is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus '' Cystodermella''. Its fruiting body is a small agaric bearing a distinctive reddish-coloured grainy cap. It occurs in coniferous and deciduous forests throughout the world. ...

'' are both redder as a rule, and have adnate gills (broadly attached to the stem).

Distribution and habitat

''Cystoderma amianthinum'' is widespread in Europe and North America, and common in northern

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

zones. It occurs in mossy woodland, on heaths, amongst grass or bracken, and sometimes with willow. It is often found on acidic soils.

Edibility

''Cystoderma amianthinum'' is nonpoisonous, but eating is not advised as the deadly toxic ''

Lepiota castanea ''Lepiota castanea'', commonly known as the chestnut dapperling or petite parasol, is a deadly poisonous, uncommon, gilled mushroom of the genus ''Lepiota'' in the order Agaricales. It is known to contain amatoxins and consuming this fungus can b ...

'' is a common lookalike. It is also similar to the inedible ''Cystoderma fallax''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q470766 Agaricaceae Fungi described in 1772 Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America