Calocybe carnea
Encyclopedia
Calocybe carnea is a small pink-capped
mushroom
with white gills that can be found in grassy meadows, fields, or on lawns from spring to autumn in Europe
and North America
. Its common name
s include pink fairhead and pink domecap. Although edible, it is small and thin-fleshed and potentially confused with poisonous species
.
mycologist Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard
in 1792, this small pink mushroom has been through many taxonomical
name changes over many years, and as a result has had many binomial
names. A few of these are listed in the Synonyms section in the box at right. Its current specific epithet, carnea, is derived from the Latin
for "flesh-coloured". The genus
name is derived from the Ancient Greek
terms kalos "pretty", and cubos "head".
is 1.5–4 cm (0.6–1.6 in) in diameter. It is usually pale pink, but can be darker, pinker, or redder. It usually fades with age. At first it is convex, but later flattens, and has a tendency to become wavy. It is smooth and dry. The stem
is up to 4 cm (1.6 in) high and the same colour as the cap, and is smooth, or finely fibrillose; often narrowing towards the base, and often misshapen. The gills are adnexed to almost free; sometimes notched and are white, giving a spore print
of the same colour. They are quite closely spaced initially. The flesh
is white; with very little taste, or smell.
A similar species, Calocybe persicolor (Fr.) Singer, grows in tufts, has a liking for manured ground, and is sometimes recorded as a variety or variant of C. carnea.
, but is unsubstantial, as it is small and thin fleshed. It is also potentially confused with poisonous species.
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
with white gills that can be found in grassy meadows, fields, or on lawns from spring to autumn in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Its common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s include pink fairhead and pink domecap. Although edible, it is small and thin-fleshed and potentially confused with poisonous species
Mushroom poisoning
Mushroom poisoning refers to harmful effects from ingestion of toxic substances present in a mushroom. These symptoms can vary from slight gastrointestinal discomfort to death. The toxins present are secondary metabolites produced in specific biochemical pathways in the fungal cells...
.
Taxonomy
Originally described as Agaricus carneus by the FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
mycologist Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard
Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard
Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard was a French physician and botanist....
in 1792, this small pink mushroom has been through many taxonomical
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
name changes over many years, and as a result has had many binomial
Binomial
In algebra, a binomial is a polynomial with two terms —the sum of two monomials—often bound by parenthesis or brackets when operated upon...
names. A few of these are listed in the Synonyms section in the box at right. Its current specific epithet, carnea, is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "flesh-coloured". The genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
name is derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
terms kalos "pretty", and cubos "head".
Description
The capPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
is 1.5–4 cm (0.6–1.6 in) in diameter. It is usually pale pink, but can be darker, pinker, or redder. It usually fades with age. At first it is convex, but later flattens, and has a tendency to become wavy. It is smooth and dry. The stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
is up to 4 cm (1.6 in) high and the same colour as the cap, and is smooth, or finely fibrillose; often narrowing towards the base, and often misshapen. The gills are adnexed to almost free; sometimes notched and are white, giving a spore print
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
of the same colour. They are quite closely spaced initially. The flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is white; with very little taste, or smell.
A similar species, Calocybe persicolor (Fr.) Singer, grows in tufts, has a liking for manured ground, and is sometimes recorded as a variety or variant of C. carnea.
Distribution and habitat
Calocybe carnea appears in spring, summer, and early autumn (usually after rain). It is frequent in Britain, Europe, Asia, and North America, growing in grassy meadows and fields and on lawns. It is very rarely found in woods, unless a grassy clearing is present. It seems to tolerate agricultural practices, because its fruiting bodies often appear on fertilized farmland.Edibility
This mushroom is edibleEdible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
, but is unsubstantial, as it is small and thin fleshed. It is also potentially confused with poisonous species.