''Leucocoprinus ianthinus'' is a species 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 ...

producing

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from t ...

in the family

Agaricaceae The Agaricaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi and include the genus ''Agaricus'', as well as basidiomycetes previously classified in the families Tulostomataceae, Lepiotaceae, and Lycoperdaceae. Taxonomy The family Agaricaceae was publishe ...

. Like other ''

Leucocoprinus ''Leucocoprinus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae. Its best-known member is the distinctive yellow mushroom '' Leucocoprinus birnbaumii'', which is found in plant pots and greenhouses worldwide. The type species is '' Leucocoprinus ...

'' species it may have originated in a tropical climate but now finds a home in plant pots, greenhouses and compost piles in many countries. Despite a widespread distribution it is seldom recorded and appears to be rarer than other ''Leucocoprinus'' species. It is not seen in plant pots with the same kind of regularity as the well known ''

Leucocoprinus birnbaumii ''Leucocoprinus birnbaumii'' is a species of gilled mushroom in the family Agaricaceae. It is common in the tropics and subtropics. However, in temperate regions, it frequently occurs in greenhouses and flowerpots, hence its common names of flowe ...

.''

Taxonomy

It was first described in 1888 by the English botanist and mycologist

Mordecai Cubitt Cooke Mordecai Cubitt Cooke (12 July 1825, in Horning, Norfolk – 12 November 1914, in Southsea, Hampshire) was an English botanist and mycologist who was, at various points, a London schoolteacher, a Kew mycologist, curator at the India Museum, jour ...

who classified it as ''Leucocoprinus ianthinus'' based on specimens collected in the hothouses of

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its living collections include some of the ...

(London, England) in 1888. In 1891 the Italian mycologist

Pier Andrea Saccardo Pier Andrea Saccardo (23 April 1845 in Treviso, Treviso – 12 February 1920 in Padua) was an Italian botanist and mycologist. Life Saccardo studied at the Lyceum in Venice, and then at the Technical Institute of the University of Padua wher ...

reclassified this as ''Lepiota ianthinus'' or ''Lepiota janthina'' in the original text. It was reclassified as ''Leucocoprinus ianthinus'' in 1945 by Marcel Locquin. An additional basionym was classified as ''Lepiota lilacinogranulosa'' or ''Lepiota lilacino-granulosa'' by the German mycologist Paul Christoph Hennings in 1898. In 1934 the French botanists and mycologists

Roger Heim Roger Heim (February 12, 1900 – September 17, 1979) was a French botanist specialising in mycology and tropical phytopathology. He was known for his studies describing the anatomy of the mushroom hymenium, the systematics and phylogeny of highe ...

and

Henri Romagnesi Henri Charles Louis Romagnesi (7 February 1912 – 18 January 1999) was a French mycologist who was notable for a thorough review and monograph of the agaric genus '' Entoloma'' (or ''Rhodophyllus'' as it was known in the early 20th century), as ...

reclassified it as a variant of ''Hiatula cepaestipes'' (now known as '' Leucocoprinus cepistipes''). The species was reclassified as ''Leucocoprinus lilacinogranulosa'' by Locquin in 1943 however this is now also recognised as a synonym of ''Leucocoprinus ianthinus.''

Description

''Leucocoprinus ianthinus'' is a small dapperling mushroom with thin white flesh. Cap: 1.5-7cm. Starts ovate/hemispherical before becoming campanulate (bell shaped) with a distinct umbo that displays brown or slightly lilac scales/down against the white cap. Pronounced grooves run to the edge of the cap, which is usually curled upwards. The curling of the edges may become especially noticeable as the mushrooms dry out. Stem: 3.5-7cm. Tapers upwards from a slightly swollen base as seen in other ''

'' species. Presents with an annulus but may quickly disappear as the mushroom grows. Lilac fibres may be present at base. Gills: White, discolouring to slightly lilac. Spacing varies from distant to crowded, attachment to the stipe is free. Spore print: White-pale lilac. Spores: Ellipsoid to almond shaped, smooth with a narrow germ pore. Dextrinoid. 9.5-10.5 x 6.5-7 μm. Taste: astringent and strong. Smell: Mushroomy.

Similar species

* '' Leucocoprinus brebissonii'' also occurs in plant pots and can appear quite similar. The cap scales may appear slightly more purple brown on ''L. ianthinus''. * '' Leucocoprinus heinemannii'' and some related, possibly yet unclassified, species appear similar but may have darker almost black scales. * ''Leucocoprinus lilacinogranulosus'' is considered a synonym for ''L. ianthinus'' however some sources suggest they may be separate species and discuss the presence of it in plant pots in Poland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10561626 Agaricaceae Leucocoprinus