Macrolepiota clelandii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Macrolepiota clelandii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Agaricaceae |
| Genus: | Macrolepiota |
| Species: | M. clelandii |
| Binomial name | |
| Macrolepiota clelandii Grgur. (1997) | |
Macrolepiota clelandii, commonly known as the slender parasol or graceful parasol, is a species of mushroom-forming fungus in the family Agaricaceae. The species is found in Australia and New Zealand, where it fruits singly or in small groups on the ground in eucalypt woodlands, parks, and roadsides. It is a tall mushroom up to roughly 20 cm (8 in), with a broad cap covered with distinctive rings of dark brown scales. The whitish gills on the cap underside are closely spaced and free from attachment to the slender stipe, which has a loose ring on its upper half, and a bulbous base. The edibility of the mushroom is not known with certainty, but closely related parasol mushrooms are edible and some are very sought after.
The fungus, first documented by naturalist John Burton Cleland in the early 20th century, was initially assumed to be the close relative Macrolepiota procera, a European species now known to be absent from Australia. Australian mycologist Cheryl Grgurinovic recognized Cleland's collections as a distinct species, officially describing it in 1997. The fungus has been referred to by several names: M. konradii, M. gracilenta, and M. mastoidea. Else Vellinga showed using molecular phylogenetic analysis that these names refer to European species and were misapplied by Australian authors.
Macrolepiota clelandii was officially described by mycologist Cheryl Grgurinovic in her 1997 work Larger Fungi of South Australia. Before this, Australian naturalist John Burton Cleland had referred the fungus to Macrolepiota procera,[1] a widespread, common species that is now known to not occur in Australia.[2] Grgurinovic identified Cleland's taxon, characterised by having two-spored basidia, as a distinct species.[3] The type collection was made by Cleland in 1912, near Hawkesbury River in New South Wales.[1] The specific epithet clelandii honours Cleland's early work in documenting the species several times in the early 20th century.[1] The mushroom is commonly called the slender or graceful parasol fungus.[4] "Bush parasol" is a proposed common name for use in New Zealand.[5]
Molecular analysis of DNA sequences from Australian collections labeled Macrolepiota konradii,[6] M. gracilenta, M. mastoidea,[7] and M. procera has shown that they are the same species as Macrolepiota clelandii.[3] Similarly, several New Zealand collections were historically misidentified as Macrolepiota dolichaula.[8] These names, given originally to European species, were erroneously applied to Australian collections. Else Vellinga subsequently emended the species concept of Macrolepiota clelandii to include specimens with four-spored basidia and pale fruitbody colouring.[3] Phylogenetically, M. clelandii is in a clade with closely related species such as M. procera, M. dolichaula, and M. mastoidea. This clade is sister to a group containing Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus species.[9] The presence of clamp connections in the hyphae place M. clelandii in the section Macrolepiota of genus Macrolepiota.[1]
