Stropharia_ambigua

<i>Stropharia ambigua</i>

Stropharia ambigua

Species of fungus

Stropharia ambigua, sometimes known as the questionable Stropharia, is a saprotrophic agaric mushroom, commonly fruiting in leaf litter and wood chips in the Pacific Northwest.[1]

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Description

The cap is 3 to 15 cm (1+1⁄8 to 5+7⁄8 in) broad, obtuse to convex, becoming flat or uplifted in age; it has a smooth surface, is slimy when moist, and yellowish.[2] The edge may have bits of white veil hanging from it.[1] The flesh is white, thick, and soft. The gills are pale gray and gradually darkens to purplish-gray or purplish-black.[2] The gills occasionally pull away from the stipe with age.[3] The stipe is 6 to 18 cm (2+3⁄8 to 7+1⁄8 in) long, 1–2 cm wide[4] and is stuffed or hollow. It may have bits of white veil hanging from it and, less commonly, a brittle ring.[1] The veil is soft and white. The spore print is dark purplish to nearly black. The species fruits in the spring and fall.[2] It does not have a volva.[3] The species has been said to taste like old leaves.[5]

Edibility

Alexander Hanchett Smith and Nancy S. Weber state that the species is not poisonous.[2] Contrarily, one source regards it as possibly poisonous.[6] Because of conflicting reports on its edibility, the authors David Arora, Orson K. Miller, Jr. and Hope Miller do not recommend eating the species.[3][7]

Distribution and habitat

Stropharia ambigua appears in late fall as a solitary to scattered mushroom or in groups on rich humus, usually under conifers. It can also be found with alder and other hardwoods in the Pacific Coast.[5] It has frequently been found in disturbed areas, such as where wood was handled.[2] The species will colonize outdoor mushroom beds after wood chips have been decomposed by a primary saprotroph.[8] It favors a cold and damp environment.[3]

Similar species

Similar species include Stropharia aeruginosa, S. coronilla,[4] S. riparia,[1] and S. semiglobata.[4]

References

  1. [1]
    Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. pp. 210–211. ISBN 978-0-88192-935-5.
  2. [2]
    Smith, Alexander Hanchett; Weber, Nancy S. (1980). The Mushroom Hunter's Field Guide. University of Michigan Press. pp. 225–226. ISBN 978-0-472-85610-7.
  3. [3]
    Arora, David (1991). All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms. Ten Speed Press. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-89815-388-0.
  4. [4]
    Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 216–217. ISBN 978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC 797915861.
  5. [5]
    Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi. Ten Speed Press. p. 378. ISBN 978-0-89815-169-5.
  6. [6]
    Multiple authors, Fuller Thomas C.; McClintock, Elizabeth May (1986). Poisonous Plants of California. University of California Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-520-05569-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. [7]
    K. Miller, Orson; Miller, Hope (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Globe Pequot. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-7627-3109-1.
  8. [8]
    Stamets, Paul (2000). Growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Ten Speed Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-58008-175-7.
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