''Lepiota castanea'', commonly known as the chestnut dapperling or petite parasol,
is a deadly poisonous,
uncommon, 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 ...
of the genus ''
Lepiota
''Lepiota'' is a genus of gilled mushrooms in the family Agaricaceae. All ''Lepiota'' species are ground-dwelling saprotrophs with a preference for rich, calcareous soils. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are agaricoid with whitish spores, typically ...
'' in the order
Agaricales
The fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms (for their distinctive gills) or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 extant families, 413 genera, and over 13,000 described species, alo ...
. It is known to contain
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 ...
s and consuming this fungus can be a potentially lethal proposition. It was described by French mycologist
Lucien Quélet
Lucien Quélet in 1869
Lucien Quélet (14 July 1832 – 25 August 1899) was a French naturalist and mycologist. Quélet discovered several species of fungi and was the founder of the Société mycologique de France, a society devoted to mycolo ...
in 1881.
It has white gills and spores. They typically have rings on the stems, which in larger fungi are detachable and glide up and down the stem.
It can be found in coniferous and deciduous woodlands, mostly singly or in small groups.
Description
The cap is broadly bell shaped to flat, dark red-brown; soon splitting and scaly, up to 3 cm in diameter.
The spores and flesh are white, with a mild taste. The stem is typically chestnut brown.
Toxicity
Like several other species of the genus ''Lepiota'', it contains
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 ...
s which can result in severe liver toxicity.
See also
*
List of deadly fungi
Although many people have a fear of mushroom poisoning by "toadstool
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 denote ...
*
List of ''Lepiota'' species
References
*E. Garnweidner. ''Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe''. Collins. 1994.
castanea
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The name also refers to the edible nut (fruit), nuts they produce.
Th ...
Deadly fungi
Poisonous fungi
Fungi of Europe
Fungi described in 1881
Taxa named by Lucien Quélet
Fungus species
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