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PROFILES OF FUNGI: LEPIOTA species Fruitbodies of Lepiota species are frequently seen in woods and pastures, sometimes growing in deep shade beneath coniferous trees. The fruitbodies of the species illustrated (Lepiota rhacoides - the Shaggy Parasol) are unmistakable because they are large, have a conspicuously bulbous base and the cap is covered with scales. There is usually a prominent ring just below the cap. Several species of Lepiota are edible, but they may cause gastric upsets in some people, and some of the smaller species are poisonous. Despite their frequent presence beneath trees, there seems to be no evidence that the Lepiota spp. form mycorrhizal associations. Instead, most or all of these species seem to be saprotrophs that produce extensive networks of white mycelia in the humus-rich litter layers of woodlands.
Fruitbodies of Lepiota (Lepiota rhacoides, the 'Shaggy Parasol'), photographed in late July; John Muir Country Park, East Lothian, Scotland. The images show the same fruitbody from the top and underside. Cap about 12 cm diameter. [© Jim Deacon] |
