Tricholoma fracticum
Species of fungus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tricholoma fracticum is a sturdy mushroom of the agaric genus Tricholoma with a red-brown cap and a harshly bitter taste. It is mycorrhizal with conifers, primarily of the genus Pinus, and can be found in California.
| Tricholoma fracticum | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Tricholomataceae |
| Genus: | Tricholoma |
| Species: | T. fracticum |
| Binomial name | |
| Tricholoma fracticum | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| Tricholoma fracticum | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
 | Gills on hymenium |
 | Cap is convex |
 | Hymenium is subdecurrent |
 | Stipe has a ring |
 | Spore print is white |
 | Ecology is mycorrhizal |
 | Edibility is inedible |
Taxonomy
First described as Agaricus fracticus by German mycologist Max Britzelmayr in 1893,[2] it was transferred to the genus Tricholoma in 1984 by Hanns Kreisel.[3] Though it has been occasionally listed as a synonym of the European species Tricholoma batschii, T. fracticum possesses larger spores and 2-spored basidia in contrast with T. batschii's 4-spored basidia;[4] they are currently considered separate species.[1]
Description
The red-brown cap is more or less smooth, with an initially inrolled margin, 3–15 centimetres (1+1⁄4–6 in) in diameter,[5] broadly convex and flattening slightly in maturity. It becomes viscid when wet. The gills are whitish, attached, and notched to subdecurrent.
The stem is sturdy, 2–8 cm (3⁄4–3+1⁄4 in) long, 1–2.5 cm thick, whitish near apex, orange-brown below, with a flimsy but usually present ring. The flesh is white, not bruising or changing upon exposure. The odor is indistinct. The flesh has a sharp, bitter taste, which is always present in this species. The spore print is white.[6]
Similar species
Tricholoma fracticum is distinguishable with relative ease by noting the combination of a red-brown cap that becomes slimy when wet, and a quickly disappearing partial veil that leaves a flimsy ring or sometimes only a delineation in stipe color up towards the gills. No other Tricholoma in California has both of these features.[4]
T. aurantium has a blander, mealy taste. T. muricatum has a mealy or cucumber-like scent, and T. ustaloides grows with oak.[5]
Habitat and distribution
It is mycorrhizal with conifers, primarily of the genus Pinus,[6] and can be found in California from October to January.[5]