''Cystoderma amianthinum'', commonly called the common powdercap, saffron parasol, the saffron powder-cap, or the earthy powder-cap, is a small orange-ochre, or yellowish-brown, gilled

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

. It grows in damp mossy grassland, in

coniferous forest Conifers () are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All e ...

clearings, or on wooded

heaths A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

. It is probably the most common of the small genus ''

Cystoderma ''Cystoderma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae or Cystodermataceae. Its family position is in doubt and the family "Cystodermataceae" and tribe "Cystodermateae" have been proposed to include this group following recent molecular w ...

''. It is not recommended for consumption due to its resemblance to

poisonous A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

species.

Taxonomy

''Cystoderma amianthinum'' was first noted by the Italian-Austrian naturalist

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Johannes Antonius Scopolius) (3 June 1723 – 8 May 1788) was an Italians, Italian physician and natural history, naturalist. His biographer Otto Guglia named him the "first ...

, who called it ''Agaricus amianthinus'' in 1772. The present generic name ''Cystoderma'' was erected by Swiss mycologist

Victor Fayod Victor Fayod (23 November 1860 – 28 April 1900) was a Swiss mycology, mycologist who created an influential novel classification of the agaric Fungus, fungi and described a number of new genera and species. Biographical overview Fayod was b ...

in 1889, and is roughly translated as 'blistered skin', and is probably a reference to the appearance of the pellicle (cap skin).

Description

The

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. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

is between in diameter, convex to bell-shaped, and later flat with a slight depression around a low umbo (central boss). It is dry and powdery, often with a shaggy or fringed margin (appendiculate), and is saffron-yellow or orange-ochre. The

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

is cylindrical, and has a flaky-granular sheath beneath a fleeting, powdery

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

. The

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 white initially, and become creamy later. They are adnexed (narrowly attached to the stem), and initially quite crowded. The

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 warm orange ("tussock") color spore print. ...

is white. 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 muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, ...

is thin and yellowish, with an odor that is unpleasant or resembles husked corn. A very similar form with a markedly radially wrinkled cap, has been separated by some authors, and given the binomial ''Cystoderma rugoso-reticulatum''. Some forms have a whitish yellow cap. '' Cystodermella granulosa'' and '' Cystodermella cinnabarina'' are both redder as a rule, and have adnate gills (broadly attached to the stem).

Distribution and habitat

''Cystoderma amianthinum'' is widespread in Europe and North America, and common in northern

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

zones. It occurs in mossy woodland, on heaths, amongst grass or bracken, and sometimes with willow. It is often found on acidic soils.

Edibility

Eating is not advised as the deadly toxic '' Lepiota castanea'' is a lookalike.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q470766 Agaricaceae Fungi described in 1772 Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Fungus species