''Tricholoma sulphureum'', also known as sulphur knight or gas agaric, is an inedible or mildly poisonous mushroom found in woodlands 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 ...
. It has a distinctive bright yellow colour and an unusual smell likened to coal gas. It occurs in deciduous woodlands in Europe from spring to autumn.
Taxonomy
''Tricholoma sulphureum'' was first
described in 1784 by the French botanist
Pierre Bulliard and given the name ''Agaricus sulphureus'', before being placed in the genus ''
Tricholoma
''Tricholoma'' is a genus of fungus that contains many fairly fleshy white-spored gilled mushrooms which are found worldwide generally growing in woodlands. These are ectomycorrhizal fungi, existing in a symbiotic relationship with various s ...
'' by German mycologist
Paul Kummer
Paul Kummer (22 August 1834 – 6 December 1912) was a minister, teacher, and scientist in Zerbst, Germany, known chiefly for his contribution to mycological nomenclature. Earlier classification of agarics by pioneering fungal taxonomist Elias Ma ...
in 1871. The specific epithet ''sulfǔrěus'' derived from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
'of or pertaining to
sulfur'. It belongs to a complex of similar foul-smelling species such as the very similar ''
Tricholoma inamoenum
''Tricholoma inamoenum'' is a mushroom of the agaric genus ''Tricholoma'' found through the Northern Hemisphere, particularly under conifers. It is poisonous
Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is u ...
''.
Another related species, ''T. bufonium'', may be an intraspecific variant.
Description
It has a convex
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 ...
with a vague
umbo up to across, sulphur yellow in colour. The thick, sinuate
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 ...
,
stipe and
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, but ...
are similarly bright yellow. The smell, caused by the chemical
skatole, is enough to distinguish it from other yellow fungi.
John Ramsbottom reports that it has a complex smell that has been likened variously to
Jasmine, ''
Narcissus'',
Hyacinth
Hyacinth or Hyacinthus may refer to:
Nature Plants
* Hyacinth (plant), genus ''Hyacinthus''
** '' Hyacinthus orientalis'', common hyacinth
* Grape hyacinth, '' Muscari'', a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia
* Hyacinth bean, ''L ...
, ''
Hemerocallis flava'',
Lilac, ''
Tagetes
''Tagetes'' () is a genusSoule, J. A. 1996. Infrageneric Systematics of Tagetes. Pgs. 435-443 in Compositae: Systematics, Proceedings of the International Compositae Conference, Kew 1994, Vol. I, Eds. D.J.N. Hind & H.J. Beentje. of annual or ...
'', decayed
hemp or
coal gas, as well as described as nauseating or foetid. The taste is bitter.
It could be confused with the darker ''
T. equestre'', though the latter has a sticky cap, white flesh, thin crowded gills, and a mealy smell.
[ However this latter species which was formerly considered a good edible mushroom, would have itself caused sporadic cases of poisoning.
]
Distribution and habitat
''Tricholoma sulphureum'' is found in deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
woods, particularly beech, and can occur anytime from spring until autumn.
Toxicity
The fungus is usually classified as inedible in guidebooks, although there have been reports of poisoning. Symptoms are predominantly gastrointestinal with some neurological.
See also
* List of North American ''Tricholoma''
* List of ''Tricholoma'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q583388
sulphureum
Poisonous fungi
Fungi of Asia
Fungi of Europe
Fungi of Western Asia
Fungi described in 1784