The Strophariaceae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 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 ...

. Under an older classification, the family covered 18

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

and 1316

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 ...

. The species of Strophariaceae have red-brown to dark brown

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5-centimeter ...

s, while the

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

themselves are smooth and have an apical

germ pore A germ pore is a small pore in the outer wall of a fungal spore through which the germ tube exits upon germination. It can be apical or eccentric in its location, and, on light microscopy, may be visualized as a lighter coloured area on the cell ...

. These

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 ...

are also characterized by having a cutis-type

pileipellis The pileipellis is the uppermost layer of hyphae in the pileus of a fungal fruit body In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowe ...

. Ecologically, all species in this group are saprotrophs, growing on various kinds of decaying organic matter. The family was

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every polyg ...

in 1946 by mycologists Rolf Singer and

Alexander H. Smith Alexander Hanchett Smith (December 12, 1904 – December 12, 1986) was an American mycologist known for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi, especially the agarics. Early life Smith, born in Crandon, Wi ...

Genera

* The genus '' Stropharia'' mainly consists of medium to large agarics with a distinct membranous annulus. Spore-print color is generally medium to dark purple-brown, except for a few species with rusty-brown spores. There is a great deal of variation, however, since this group, as presently delimited, is

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

. Members of the core clade of ''Stropharia'' are characterized by crystalline

acanthocytes Acanthocyte (from the Greek word ἄκανθα ''acantha'', meaning 'thorn'), in biology and medicine, refers to an abnormal form of red blood cell that has a spiked cell membrane, due to thorny projections. A similar term is spur cells. Often ...

among the hyphae that make up the

rhizoids Rhizoids are protuberances that extend from the lower epidermal cells of bryophytes and algae. They are similar in structure and function to the root hairs of vascular land plants. Similar structures are formed by some fungi. Rhizoids may be uni ...

at the base of the mushroom. *The genus ''

Hypholoma ''Hypholoma'' is a genus of fungi which are quite well known due to the commonness of sulphur tuft (''Hypholoma fasciculare'') on stumps in temperate woodlands. Species in this genus are easily recognizable because the dark spores create a dis ...

'' (formerly ''Naematoloma'') is mainly a

saprobe Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ( ...

on wood and often grows in caespitose clusters. Spore print varies from medium brown to purple brown. These species all share a subcutaneous layer of inflated cells. *The genus ''

Pholiota ''Pholiota'' is a genus of small to medium-sized, fleshy mushrooms in the family Strophariaceae. They are saprobes that typically live on wood. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in temperate regions, and contains about 150 spe ...

'' is characterized by a dull brown to cinnamon brown spore print. A well-known edible species is the Japanese nameko mushroom (''Pholiota nameko''). A

secotioid Secotioid fungi are an intermediate growth form between mushroom-like hymenomycetes and closed bag-shaped gasteromycetes, where an evolutionary process of gasteromycetation has started but not run to completion. Secotioid fungi may or may not ...

form of ''

'' was previously recognized as a distinct genus, '' Nivatogastrium''. *The genus ''

Psilocybe ''Psilocybe'' ( ) is a genus of gilled mushrooms, growing worldwide, in the family Hymenogastraceae. Most or nearly all species contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Taxonomy Taxonomic history A 2002 study of the mol ...

'' is well known for its

psychedelic mushroom Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, are a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain psilocybin which turns into psilocin upon ingestion. Biological genera containing psilocybin mushrooms include ''Psilocybe'', ''Pan ...

s and used to be classified in the Strophariaceae, but is now separated from the nonhallucinogenic species that remain in the family under the name ''

Deconica ''Deconica'' is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Strophariaceae. It was formerly considered synonymous with ''Psilocybe'' until molecular studies showed that genus to be polyphyletic, made of two major clades: one containing bluing ...

''. ''

'' is now phylogenetically classified in the

Hymenogastraceae The Hymenogastraceae is a family of fungi in the order Agaricales with both agaric and false-truffle shaped fruitbodies. Formerly, prior to molecular analyses, the family was restricted to the false-truffle genera. The mushroom genus ''Psilocybe ...

. *The genus ''

'' largely consists of species of agarics previously classified as nonhallucinogenic ''

'' and also of species formerly called ''

Melanotus ''Melanotus'' is a genus of click beetles in the family Elateridae Elateridae or click beetles (or "typical click beetles" to distinguish them from the related families Cerophytidae and Eucnemidae, which are also capable of clicking) are ...

''.

References

External links

MushroomExpert.com - Taxonomy in Transition: The Strophariaceae

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1362608

Strophariaceae The Strophariaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. Under an older classification, the family covered 18 genera and 1316 species. The species of Strophariaceae have red-brown to dark brown spore prints, while the spores themselves a ...

Taxa named by Alexander H. Smith Taxa named by Rolf Singer

Genera

See also

References

External links