The adjective hygrophanous refers to the color change of
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 ...
tissue (especially the
pileus surface) as it loses or absorbs water, which causes the
pileipellis to become more transparent when wet and opaque when dry.
When identifying hygrophanous species, one needs to be careful when matching colors to photographs or descriptions, as color can change dramatically soon after picking.
Genera that are characterized by hygrophanous species include ''
Agrocybe'', ''
Psathyrella'', ''
Psilocybe
''Psilocybe'' ( ) is a genus of gilled mushrooms, growing worldwide, in the family Hymenogastraceae. Most or nearly all species contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin.
Taxonomy
Taxonomic history
A 2002 study of the ...
'', ''
Panaeolus'', and ''
Galerina
''Galerina'' is a genus of small brown-spore saprobic fungi (colloquially often ''mushrooms''), with over 300 species found throughout the world from the far north to remote Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean. The genus is most noted for s ...
''.
External links
IMA Mycological Glossary: HygrophanousWisconsin Mycological Society: ''Psathyrella''Photographs of ''Psathyrella'', a mushroom with a strongly hygrophanous pileus.
Image:Hygro psaths.jpg, Grouping of '' Psathyrella gracilis'', some displaying hygrophanous pilei.
Image:Hygro foe 3.jpg, Photo of the hygrophanous pileus of '' Panaeolina foenisecii''
Fungal morphology and anatomy
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