''Pluteus phaeocyanopus'' is an
agaric
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 ...
fungus in the family
Pluteaceae
The Pluteaceae are a family of small to medium-sized mushrooms which have free gill attachment and pink spores. Members of Pluteaceae can be mistaken for members of Entolomataceae, but can be distinguished by the angled spores and attached gills ...
. Described as a new species in 2010, it has only been collected from
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, where it grows singularly or in groups on the decaying wood of
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
. The
fruit body
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the Ovary (plants), ovary after flowering plant, flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their ...
has a smooth brown
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 ...
measuring in diameter. The
stipe is long by thick, and roughly equal in width throughout. It is whitish but becomes grayish-green near the base. The thin and fragile
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 free from attachment to the stipe, close to somewhat distantly placed, and interspersed with several tiers of lamellulae (short gills). The
flesh
Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscle
Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as mu ...
has no distinctive taste or odor. The spores are spherical or nearly so and measure 6.2–8.4 by 5.7–7.9
μm
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...
.
The species was originally collected from
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
(California) in 1966 by American mycologist
Harry D. Thiers
Harry Delbert Thiers (January 22, 1919 in Fort McKavett, Texas – August 8, 2000 in Ohio) was an American mycologist who studied and named many fungi native to North America, particularly California. Thiers taught mycology at San Francisco St ...
and assigned to ''
Pluteus cyanopus
''Pluteus cyanopus'' is a species of agaric fungus in the family Pluteaceae. Found in Africa, Europe, and North America, its fruit bodies contain the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and psilocin. The species was first described scientificall ...
''. However, a reexamination of the type material revealed that it has microscopic characters distinct from that species, which prompted authors Andrew Minnis and Walter Sundberg to describe the California collection as a new species.
See also
*
List of ''Pluteus'' species
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7205665
phaeocyanopus
Fungi described in 2010
Fungi of North America