''Hypholoma fasciculare'', commonly known as the sulphur tuft or clustered woodlover, is a common woodland

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 ...

, often in evidence when hardly any other mushrooms are to be found. This

saprotrophic 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 ( ...

small

gill 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 ...

fungus grows prolifically in large clumps on stumps, dead roots or rotting trunks of broadleaved trees. The "sulphur tuft" is bitter and

poisonous Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. 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 figuratively, with a broa ...

; consuming it can cause

vomiting Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the Human nose, nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like Food-poisoning, foo ...

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

and

convulsions A convulsion is a medical condition where the body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in uncontrolled shaking. Because epileptic seizures typically include convulsions, the term ''convulsion'' is sometimes used as a s ...

. The principal toxin is a

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...

known as ''fasciculol E''.

Taxonomy and naming

The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

is derived from the

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 of the ...

''fascicularis'' 'in bundles' or 'clustered', referring to its habit of growing in clumps. Its name in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

is Nigakuritake (苦栗茸, means "Bitter kuritake").

Description

The hemispherical

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. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

ranges from in diameter. It is smooth and sulphur yellow with an orange-brown centre and whitish margin. The crowded

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 ...

are initially yellow but darken to a distinctive green colour as the blackish

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual 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 plants, algae, f ...

develop on the yellow flesh. It has a purple-brown

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 ...

. The stipe is tall and 4–10 mm wide, light yellow, orange-brown below, often with an indistinct ring zone coloured dark by the spores. The taste is very bitter, though not bitter when cooked, but still poisonous.

Similar species

The edible ''

Hypholoma capnoides ''Hypholoma capnoides'' is an edible mushroom in the family Strophariaceae. Like its poisonous or suspect relatives '' H. fasciculare'' ("sulphur tuft") and '' H. lateritium'' ("brick caps"), ''H. capnoides'' grows in clusters on deca ...

'' is similar, but lacks the greenish-yellow gills and bitter taste. '' H. sublateritium'' is similar as well, with a reddish cap.

Distribution and habitat

''Hypholoma fasciculare'' grows prolifically on the dead wood of both deciduous and coniferous trees. It is more commonly found on decaying deciduous wood due to the lower

lignin Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity ...

content of this wood relative to coniferous wood. ''Hypholoma fasciculare'' is widespread and abundant in northern Europe and North America. It has been recorded from Iran, and also eastern

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

in Turkey. It can appear anytime from spring to autumn.

Use in forestry

Hypholoma fasciculare has been used successfully as an experimental treatment to competitively displace a common fungal disease of conifers, ''

Armillaria solidipes ''Armillaria ostoyae'' (synonym ''Armillaria solidipes'') is a species of fungus (mushroom), pathogenic to trees, in the family Physalacriaceae. In the western United States, it is the most common variant of the group of species under the na ...

'', from managed coniferous forests.

Chemistry and toxicity

The toxicity of sulfur tuft mushrooms has been attributed, at least partially, to

depsipeptides fasciculol E and fasciculol F (in mice, with LD₅₀(i.p.) values of 50 mg/kg and 168 mg/kg, respectively). In humans, symptoms may be delayed for 5–10 hours after consumption, after which time there may be diarrhea, nausea, vomiting,

proteinuria Proteinuria is the presence of excess proteins in the urine. In healthy persons, urine contains very little protein; an excess is suggestive of illness. Excess protein in the urine often causes the urine to become foamy (although this symptom ma ...

and collapse. Paralysis and impaired vision have been recorded. Symptoms generally resolve over a few days. The autopsy of one fatality revealed fulminant

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...

reminiscent of

amatoxin Amatoxin is the collective name of a subgroup of at least nine related toxic compounds found in three genera of poisonous mushrooms (''Amanita'', ''Galerina'' and ''Lepiota'') and one species (Conocybe filaris) of the genus ''Conocybe''. Amatoxins a ...

poisoning, along with involvement of kidneys and myocardium. The mushroom was consumed in a dish with other species so the death cannot be attributed to sulfur tuft with certainty. Extracts of the mushroom show anticoagulant effects.

Gallery

Image:Hypholoma fasciculare JPG1.jpg, ''Hypholoma fasciculare.'' Image:2014 Hypholoma fasciculare.jpg, ''Hypholoma fasciculare.'' in Germany

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q752507 fasciculare Poisonous fungi Fungi described in 1778 Fungi of North America Fungi of Europe