''Marasmius'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 ...

-forming

fungi 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 ...

in the family

Marasmiaceae The Marasmiaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi which have white spores. They mostly have tough stems and the capability of shrivelling up during a dry period and later recovering. The widely consumed edible fungus ''Lentinula edodes'', the ...

. It contains about 500

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

agarics An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushrooms ...

, of which a few, such as ''

Marasmius oreades ''Marasmius oreades'', also known as the fairy ring mushroom or fairy ring champignon, is a mushroom native to North America and Europe. Its common names can cause some confusion, as many other mushrooms grow in fairy rings, such as the edible ' ...

'', are

edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from "eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...

. However, most members of this genus are small, unimpressive brown mushrooms. Their humble appearance contributes to their not being readily distinguishable to non-specialists, and they are therefore seldom collected by

mushroom hunters Mushroom hunting, mushrooming, mushroom picking, mushroom foraging, and similar terms describe the activity of gathering mushrooms in the wild, typically for culinary use. This practice is popular throughout most of Europe, Australia, Japan, ...

. Several of the species are known to grow in the characteristic

fairy ring A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. Fairy rings are detectable by ...

pattern.

The author of the genus was

Elias Magnus Fries Elias Magnus Fries (15 August 1794 – 8 February 1878) was a Swedish mycologist and botanist. Career Fries was born at Femsjö (Hylte Municipality), Småland, the son of the pastor there. He attended school in Växjö. He acquired ...

, who in 1838 classified white-spored agarics having a tough central stipe in this taxon if they were

marcescent Marcescence is the withering and persistence of plant organs that normally are shed, and is a term most commonly applied to plant leaves. The underlying physiological mechanism is that trees transfer water and sap from the roots to the leaves t ...

, i.e. they could dry out but later revive when moistened. For Fries, marcescence — by contrast with the " putrescent" (decomposing) nature of most mushrooms — was an important character for

classification Classification is a process related to categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated and understood. Classification is the grouping of related facts into classes. It may also refer to: Business, organizat ...

, which he used to separate this group from genus ''

Collybia ''Collybia'' (in the strict sense) is a genus of mushrooms in the family Tricholomataceae. The genus has a widespread but rare distribution in northern temperate areas, and contains three species that grow on the decomposing remains of other mus ...

'' (which has now been split into many newer genera). The name ''Marasmius'' itself comes from the Greek word ''marasmos'', meaning "drying out". Modern

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

s no longer consider the marcescence/putrescence distinction a reliable criterion for

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

, but Fries's definition of the genus is still roughly applicable.

Species

Below is a list of more prominent species (for a complete list see List of ''Marasmius'' species). Note that some well-known former members of ''Marasmius,'' such as '' M. alliaceus'', have been moved into the new genus ''

Mycetinis ''Mycetinis'' is a genus of fungus in the Omphalotaceae family, containing about eight species formerly classified in ''Marasmius''. General This group of mushrooms was long known as a section (''Alliacei'') within the more familiar genus ''Maras ...

''; a few others have been reclassified as ''

Rhizomarasmius ''Rhizomarasmius'' is a genus of fungi in the family Physalacriaceae, containing about five species. General The genus was created in 2000 by R. H. Petersen to accommodate two species then classified in Marasmius (''M. pyrrhocephalus'' and ''M. ...

'' or ''

Gloiocephala ''Gloiocephala'' is a genus of fungi in the family Physalacriaceae. The genus is widespread, though mainly known from tropical and sub-tropical areas, and contains about 30 species. The mushrooms of this group are very small and grow on stems an ...

''. Former ''M. androsaceus'' is now considered to belong to genus ''

Gymnopus ''Gymnopus'' is a genus of fungus in the family Omphalotaceae. The genus has a widespread, cosmopolitan distribution and contains about 300 species. History and classification The type species for the Gymnopus, ''Gymnopus fusipes,'' dates bac ...

''. *'' M. amazonicus'' *'' M. anomalus'' *'' M. atrocastaneus'' *'' M. auklandicus'' *'' M. aurantiobasalis'' *'' M. bambusinus'' *'' M. bellus'' *'' M. bulliardii'' *'' M. buxi'' - box parachute *'' M. caperatus'' *'' M. capillaris'' *'' M. caricis'' *'' M. chordalis'' *'' M. cladophyllus'' *'' M. cohaerens'' *'' M. collinus'' *'' M. corbariensis'' *'' M. crinis-equi'' *'' M. croceus'' *'' M. curranii'' *'' M. curreyi'' *'' M. cylindraceocampanulatus'' *'' M. delicatus'' *'' M. delectans'' *'' M. elegans'' - velvet parachute *'' M. epiphylloides'' *'' M. epiphyllus'' - leaf parachute *'' M. exocarpi'' *'' M. exustoides'' *'' M. favrei'' *'' M. fishii'' *'' M. fulvoferrugineus'' *'' M. funalis'' *'' M. galbinus'' *'' M. gelatinosipes'' *'' M. graminum'' *'' M. haematocephalus'' *'' M. hudsonii'' - holly parachute *'' M. indopurpureostriatus'' *'' M. insititius'' *'' M. kanukaneus'' *'' M. koae'' *'' M. kroumirensis'' *'' M. limosus'' *'' M. masonii'' *''

M. meridionalis ''Mammuthus meridionalis'', or the southern mammoth, is an extinct species of mammoth native to Europe and Central Asia from the Gelasian stage of the Early Pleistocene, living from 2.5–0.8 mya. Taxonomy The taxonomy of extinct elephant ...

'' *'' M. micraster'' *'' M. midnapurensis'' *'' M. minutus'' *'' M. nigripes'' *'' M. oreades'' - fairy ring mushroom *'' M. otagensis'' *'' M. pallenticeps'' *'' M. palmivorus'' *'' M. perforans'' *'' M. perpusillus'' *'' M. phalaricola'' *'' M. podocarpicola'' *'' M. prasiosmus'' *'' M. pulcherripes'' *'' M. pyrrhocephalus'' *'' M. pusillissimus'' *'' M. pusio'' *'' M. quercophilus'' *'' M. resinosus'' *'' M. rhombisporus'' *'' M. rhopalostylidis'' *'' M. rimuphilus'' *'' M. rosulatus'' *'' M. rotula'' - collared parachute or pinwheel mushroom *'' M. sacchari'' *'' M. saccharinus'' *'' M. sasicola'' *'' M. semiustus'' *'' M. setosus'' *'' M. siccus'' *'' M. spaniophyllus'' *'' M. splachnoides'' *'' M. subsupinus'' *'' M. stenophyllus'' *'' M. strictipes'' (edible) *'' M. sullivantii'' *'' M. tageticolor'' *'' M. tenuiparietalis'' *'' M. tenuissimus'' *'' M. tinctorius'' *'' M. torquescens'' *'' M. unilamellatus'' *'' M. wettsteinii'' *'' M. wynneae'' - pearly parachute

References

External links

*
Genus ''Marasmius''
at Mushroom Expert.com {{Taxonbar, from=Q1520016 Agaricales genera Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries Bioluminescent fungi

Species

See also

References

External links