''Laccaria'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

around 75 species of

fungus A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

found in both

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 ...

and

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

regions of the world. They are

mycorrhizal A mycorrhiza (; , mycorrhiza, or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant's rhizosphere, the plant root system and its surroundings. Mycorrhizae play ...

. The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

is ''

Laccaria laccata ''Laccaria laccata'', commonly known as the deceiver, lackluster laccaria, or waxy laccaria, is a species of fungus. It is a small but highly variable mushroom (hence 'deceiver'), and can look quite washed out, colorless and drab, but when younge ...

'', commonly known as the deceiver. Other notable species include '' L. bicolor'', and the amethyst deceiver ('' L. amethystina''), sometimes incorrectly written as ''L. amethystea''. Because some ''Laccaria'' species have the ability to grow vegetatively and/or germinate from basidiospores in culture, they are often used as experimental systems for studies of

ectomycorrhizal An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or mycobion ...

basidiomycetes. They have a tetrapolar

mating system A mating system is a way in which a group is structured in relation to sexual behaviour. The precise meaning depends upon the context. With respect to animals, the term describes which males and females mating, mate under which circumstances. Reco ...

, meaning that there the

mating type Mating types are the microorganism equivalent to sexes in multicellular lifeforms and are thought to be the ancestor to distinct sexes. They also occur in multicellular organisms such as fungi. Definition Mating types are the microorganism equival ...

is controlled by 2 loci. Recently, the genome of ''L. bicolor'' has been sequenced.Martin F, Selosse MA. (2008). The ''Laccaria'' genome: a symbiont blueprint decoded. ''New Phytologist'' 180(2):296-310.

Description

''Laccaria'' typically have thick, widely spaced, purple to flesh-colored

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 ...

that are adnate to slightly

decurrent ''Decurrent'' (sometimes decurring) is a term used in botany and mycology to describe plant or fungal parts that extend downward. In botany, the term is most often applied to leaf blades that partly wrap or have wings around the stem or petio ...

in attachment. The

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

s are white and ornamented in most species.

Species

The following is an list of ''Laccaria'' species reported in the literature:

References

External links

* (Archived at: CYBERLIBER: an Electronic Library for Mycology.) * (Archived at:

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including websites, software applic ...

.) *

Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...

. Retrieved 2010-12-12. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2666545 Agaricales genera Taxa named by Christopher Edmund Broome Taxa named by Miles Joseph Berkeley