''Limacella illinita'', or overflowing slimy stem, is a mushroom in the genus ''

Limacella ''Limacella'' is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Amanitaceae in order Agaricales. Some of the species have been classified as members of genus ''Lepiota''. ''Limacella'' was described by mycologist Franklin Sumner Earle in 1909. ...

'', in the family ''

Amanitaceae The Amanitaceae is a family of mushroom-forming fungi. ''Amanita'' Pers. is one of the most specious and best-known fungal genera. The family, also commonly called the amanita family, is in order Agaricales, the gilled mushrooms. The family co ...

''.

Description

* Cap : It has approximately 2–7 cm long

radius In classical geometry, a radius ( : radii) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the latin ''radius'', meaning ray but also the ...

. It is round becoming convex then wide or with a broad umbo, the margin hanging with slimy veil remnants. It is white or cream in color. It feels smooth and sticky or slimy. * Gills : They are free, non-waxy, close, broad and white in color. * Stem / Stipe : The 5–10 cm long stem tapers a bit towards the top. It is fleshy, soft and has a ring. White in color, it is also sticky and slimy. * Spores : Spores are globose to broadly ellipsoid and smooth. * Microscopic features : The spores measure 4.5–6.5 x 4–6 µm. * Flesh : Flesh is slimy and sticky. * Fruiting : These mushrooms flower in between August or July and October or November.

Distribution and habitat

''L. illinita'' is widely distributed in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and often found in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. These can habitat singly, scattered, or in groups in

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

s, lawns,

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

sides and

sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

Bioactive compounds

A study in 2007 discovered four new bioactive compounds from

basidiomycetes Basidiomycota () is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya (often referred to as the "higher fungi") within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. More specifically, Basi ...

, isolated from fermentations of ''L. illinita'': Illinitone A that exhibited weak phytotoxic and moderate nematicidal activities against ''Caenorhabditis elegans'', Illinitone B that was moderately

cytotoxic Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are an immune cell or some types of venom, e.g. from the puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') or brown recluse spider (''Loxosceles reclusa''). Cell physiology Treating cells ...

, Limacellone that exhibited weak

and phytotoxic activities and muurolane sesquiterpene 4a that was found to be inactive in the assays performed there.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3915457 Fungi of North America Amanitaceae Fungi of Europe Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries