- Strobilomyces strobilaceus
-
Strobilomyces strobilaceus 
S. strobilaceus from Forest 44, Missouri, USA Scientific classification Kingdom: Fungi Division: Basidiomycota Class: Agaricomycetes Order: Boletales Family: Boletaceae Genus: Strobilomyces Species: S. strobilaceus Binomial name Strobilomyces strobilaceus
(Scop.) Berk.Synonyms Strobilomyces strobilaceus Mycological characteristics
pores on hymenium 
cap is convex 
hymenium is adnate 
stipe has a ring 
spore print is blackish-brown
to black
ecology is mycorrhizal 
edibility: edible Strobilomyces strobilaceus, also called Strobilomyces floccopus and commonly known as Old Man of the Woods,[1] is a species of fungus in the Boletaceae family. It is native to Europe and North America. Fruit bodies are characterized by very soft dark grey to black pyramidal and overlapping scales on the cap surface.
Contents
Taxonomy and naming
Strobilomyces strobilaceus is classified in the section Strobilomyces of the genus Strobilomyces. Species in this section are characterized by having spores that may be either smooth or with short spines or warts, ridges or reticulations. The ornamentation is reduced or absent in the suprahilar region—a depressed area near the hilar appendage.[2]
It was first described scientifically by the Italian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1770.
Description
The caps of the fruit bodies are between 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 3.9 in) wide, with a convex shape and a villous, involute margin. The cap surface is covered with dark grey to black erect scales. The stem is up to 14 cm (5.5 in) long and 2 cm (0.8 in) thick.[3] It is coloured like the cap and has a wolly surface and a thick, ascending annulus. The pores on the underside of the cap are hexagonal, coloured dirty white or grey. The flesh is thick and initially white, but will stain pink and then slate grey and black after exposure to the air.
The dark brown to black spores are 9–15 by 8–12 μm, short elliptic and are covered with a mesh-like ornament.[1][4]
Strobilomyces floccopus tubes
Similar species
Strobilomyces confusus has a slightly smaller cap with smaller and stiff scales. Its spores have irregular ridges that resemble a partial mesh. The cap of Strobilomyces dryophilus is coloured a dull grey pink to pinkish tan and produces spores with a complete mesh.[1]
Habitat and distribution
S. strobilaceus is found solitary or in groups in deciduous as well as coniferous forests in low mountain ranges and alpine areas of Europe and North America. It is less common in lowlands.[3] The fungus appears between August and October and young specimens are edible.[4]
External links
- Images of S. strobilaceus by Jim Lindsey, retired Professor of Biostatistics
References
- ^ a b c Bessette, Alan; William C. Roody, Arleen Rainis Bessette (2000). North American boletes: a color guide to the fleshy pored mushrooms. Syracuse University Press. pp. 225–226. ISBN 978-0815605881. http://books.google.com/books?id=geiwy6Jf_ZcC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=scopoli+Strobilomyces&source=bl&ots=hV3uOSxva7&sig=4AhY-SJh1AV7eJxknJrd-CwEO0Y&hl=de&ei=1u9NTLbsI4eBON20hJYD&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=scopoli%20Strobilomyces&f=false.
- ^ Singer R. (1986). The Agaricales in Modern Taxonomy (4th ed.). Koenigstein: Koeltz Scientific Books. p. 802. ISBN 3-87429-254-1.
- ^ a b Bon, Marcel (1987). The Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and North Western Europe. Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-39935-X.
- ^ a b Pegler, David N. (1981). Pocket Guide to Mushrooms and Toadstools. London: Mitchell Beazley Publishing. p. 94. ISBN 978-0855333669.
Categories:- Boletales
- Fungi of Europe
- Fungi of North America
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
