''Pholiotina rugosa'' is a common mushroom which is widely distributed and especially common in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

. It grows in woodchips, flowerbeds and compost. It has been 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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and North America. It contains the same

mycotoxin A mycotoxin (from the Greek μύκης , "fungus" and τοξίνη , "toxin") is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by organisms of kingdom Fungi and is capable of causing disease and death in both humans and other animals. The term 'mycotoxin' ...

s as the death cap. It is more commonly known as ''Conocybe filaris'' as this is the name it is likely to appear under in field guides. However, ''Conocybe filaris'' is a junior synonym of ''Pholiotina rugosa''. ''Pholiotina rugosa'' has also been placed in the genus ''

Conocybe ''Conocybe'' is a genus of mushrooms with ''Conocybe tenera'' as the type species and at least 243 other species. There are at least 50 different species in North America. Most have a long, thin fragile stipe and are delicate, growing in grassl ...

'', but its morphology and a 2013

molecular phylogenetics Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study place it in the genus ''

Pholiotina ''Pholiotina'' is a genus of small agaric fungi. It was circumscribed by Swiss mycologist Victor Fayod in 1889 for '' Conocybe''-like species with partial veils. The genus has since been expanded to include species lacking partial veils. Taxonom ...

''. '' Pholiotina fimicola'', which grows on dung and rich soil in North America, is a possible synonym. '' Pholiotina arrhenii'' has also been considered a possible synonym, but a

study found it to be a distinct species. Description Canocybe filaris has a

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 ...

which is conical, expanding to flat, usually with an umbo. It is less than 3 cm across, has a smooth brown top, and the margin is often striate. The gills are rusty brown, close, and adnexed. The stalk is 2 mm thick and 1 to 6 cm long, smooth, and brown, with a prominent and movable ring. 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, ...

are rusty brown, and it may be difficult to identify the species without a microscope.

Toxicity

This species is deadly poisonous. They produce alpha-amanitin, a cyclic peptide that is highly toxic to the liver and is responsible for many deaths by poisoning from mushrooms in the genera ''

Amanita The genus ''Amanita'' contains about 600 species of agarics, including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide, as well as some well-regarded edible species. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resul ...

'' and ''

Lepiota ''Lepiota'' is a genus of gilled mushrooms in the family Agaricaceae. All ''Lepiota'' species are ground-dwelling saprotrophs with a preference for rich, calcareous soils. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are agaricoid with whitish spores, typically ...

''. They are sometimes mistaken for ''

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 ...

'' due to their similar looking cap.

References

External links

Mykoweb - Conocybe filaris

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20061218135141/http://home.att.net/~a.kuznik/Conocybe_filaris.htm Conocybe filaris photo
Mushroom Observer - Conocybe filaris
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q5162123, from2=Q10458525 Bolbitiaceae Deadly fungi Fungi described in 1884 Fungi of North America Fungi of Europe Fungi of Asia Taxa named by Charles Horton Peck

Toxicity

See also

References

External links