Cystodermella cinnabarina
Encyclopedia
Cystodermella cinnabarina is a basidiomycete
fungus
of the genus Cystodermella
. Its fruiting body
is a small agaric
bearing a distinctive reddish-coloured grainy cap
. It occurs in coniferous and deciduous forests throughout the world. Prior to 2002, this species belonged to genus Cystoderma
, subsection Cinnabarina, under the name Cystoderma cinnabarinum which is still sometimes applied. Another often used synonym is Cystoderma terreyi.
and the American Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1805. The species has also been known variously as Agaricus terreyi (Berkeley
and Broome
, 1870), Armillaria cinnabarina (Kauffman, 1922), Lepiota cinnabarina (Karsten, 1914), and Cystoderma terreyi (Harmaja, 1978).
is hemispherical in shape at first, becoming convex and finally flat with maturity, and reaching a diameter of up to 8 cm (3.1 in). The cap cuticle
is cinnabar
, brick-red or rusty orange and densely covered with fine granules. The flesh
is white to pallid, with a mild fungoid taste and barely discernible smell. The gills are white to cream, dense and emarginate or adnate. A finely cottony partial veil
covers the gills in immature specimens, tearing away to leave behind a delicate ring
. The stem
is white above the ring, and scaly below, with dark orange squamules. The stem is up to 6 cm (2.4 in) tall and 1.5 cm (0.590551181102362 in) in diameter, sometimes bulbous in the base and hollow.
s are oval, hyaline
, and non-amyloid
, with dimensions of 3.5–5 by 2.5–3.5 µm
. The spore print
is white. The basidia (spore
-producing cells) are club-shaped, and 17–24 by 4–5 µm. C. cinnabarina always has cells called cheilocystidia—cystidia that are present on the edges of gills, which in this species are spear-shaped. This microscopic feature may be used to help distinguish it from the similar-coloured C. adnatifolia and C. granulosa, which also bear non-amyloid spores, but lack cystidia.
Species of Cystoderma
(including orange-capped species such as Cystoderma amianthinum
) have amyloid spores, in comparison to non-amyloid spores in C. cinnabarina and species of Cystodermella
in general. This is determined by staining tissue with chemicals in the amyloid reaction
—all Cystodermella
species show a negative reaction (spores remain colourless).
forests, on ground among moss, grass and litter
. Being a saprotrophic fungus, it decays dead organic matter. It has been recorded under pine (Pinus nigra, Pinus pinea), oak , spruce (Picea orientalis), fir (Abies cephalonica) and chestnut
(Castanea sativa) in Greece
and Turkey
. Fruiting bodies appear solitary or in small groups, during the summer and autumn. It is widely distributed around the world on continents including Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, though in many places it is uncommon. The preliminary red data list
of threatened British fungi lists Cystodermella cinnabarinum under the IUCN "Near Threatened
" status.
.
Basidiomycota
Basidiomycota is one of two large phyla that, together with the Ascomycota, comprise the subkingdom Dikarya within the Kingdom Fungi...
fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
of the genus Cystodermella
Cystodermella
Cystodermella is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae.The genus comprises approximately 12 species, noted for producing agaric fruiting bodies, bearing a cap, white gills and stem with a fine, ephemeral ring...
. Its fruiting body
Sporocarp (fungi)
In fungi, the sporocarp is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne...
is a small agaric
Agaric
An agaric is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe , with lamellae on the underside of the pileus. "Agaric" can also refer to a basidiomycete species characterized by an agaric-type fruiting body...
bearing a distinctive reddish-coloured grainy cap
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...
. It occurs in coniferous and deciduous forests throughout the world. Prior to 2002, this species belonged to genus Cystoderma
Cystoderma
Cystoderma is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae.The name probably comes from the Greek kýstis meaning pouch and derma meaning skin.-List of species:Below is an incomplete list of Cystoderma species....
, subsection Cinnabarina, under the name Cystoderma cinnabarinum which is still sometimes applied. Another often used synonym is Cystoderma terreyi.
Taxonomy
The species was first described as Agaricus granulosus var. cinnabarinus by German botanist Johannes Baptista von AlbertiniJohannes Baptista von Albertini
Johannes Baptista von Albertini was a German botanist and clergyman of the Moravian Church. He was born in the town of Neuwied....
and the American Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1805. The species has also been known variously as Agaricus terreyi (Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology....
and Broome
Christopher Edmund Broome
Christopher Edmund Broome was a British mycologist.-Background and education:C.E. Broome was born in Berkhamsted, the son of a solicitor. He was privately schooled in Kensington and in 1832 was sent to read for Holy Orders with the curate of Swaffham Prior in Cambridgeshire...
, 1870), Armillaria cinnabarina (Kauffman, 1922), Lepiota cinnabarina (Karsten, 1914), and Cystoderma terreyi (Harmaja, 1978).
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 hemispherical in shape at first, becoming convex and finally flat with maturity, and reaching a diameter of up to 8 cm (3.1 in). The cap cuticle
Pileipellis
thumb|300px||right|The cuticle of some mushrooms, such as [[Russula mustelina]] shown here, can be peeled from the cap, and may be useful as an identification feature....
is cinnabar
Cinnabar
Cinnabar or cinnabarite , is the common ore of mercury.-Word origin:The name comes from κινναβαρι , a Greek word most likely applied by Theophrastus to several distinct substances...
, brick-red or rusty orange and densely covered with fine granules. 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 to pallid, with a mild fungoid taste and barely discernible smell. The gills are white to cream, dense and emarginate or adnate. A finely cottony partial veil
Partial veil
thumb|150px|right|Developmental stages of [[Agaricus campestris]] showing the role and evolution of a partial veilPartial veil is a mycological term used to describe a temporary structure of tissue found on the fruiting bodies of some basidiomycete fungi, typically agarics...
covers the gills in immature specimens, tearing away to leave behind a delicate ring
Annulus (mycology)
An annulus is the ring like structure sometimes found on the stipe of some species of mushrooms. The annulus represents the remaining part of the partial veil, after it has ruptured to expose the gills or other spore-producing surface. An annulus may be thick and membranous, or it may be cobweb-like...
. 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 white above the ring, and scaly below, with dark orange squamules. The stem is up to 6 cm (2.4 in) tall and 1.5 cm (0.590551181102362 in) in diameter, sometimes bulbous in the base and hollow.
Microscopic characteristics
The basidiosporeBasidiospore
A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia. In grills under a cap of one common species in the phylum of...
s are oval, hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
, and non-amyloid
Amyloid (mycology)
In mycology the term amyloid refers to a crude chemical test using iodine in either Melzer's reagent or Lugol's solution, to produce a black to blue-black positive reaction. It is called amyloid because starch gives a similar reaction, and that reaction for starch is also called an amyloid reaction...
, with dimensions of 3.5–5 by 2.5–3.5 µm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
. The 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...
is white. The basidia (spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
-producing cells) are club-shaped, and 17–24 by 4–5 µm. C. cinnabarina always has cells called cheilocystidia—cystidia that are present on the edges of gills, which in this species are spear-shaped. This microscopic feature may be used to help distinguish it from the similar-coloured C. adnatifolia and C. granulosa, which also bear non-amyloid spores, but lack cystidia.
Species of Cystoderma
Cystoderma
Cystoderma is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae.The name probably comes from the Greek kýstis meaning pouch and derma meaning skin.-List of species:Below is an incomplete list of Cystoderma species....
(including orange-capped species such as Cystoderma amianthinum
Cystoderma amianthinum
Cystoderma amianthinum, commonly called the saffron parasol, the saffron powder-cap, or the earthy powder-cap, is a small orange-ochre, or yellowish-brown, gilled mushroom. It grows in damp mossy grassland, in coniferous forest clearings, or on wooded heaths. It is probably the most common of the...
) have amyloid spores, in comparison to non-amyloid spores in C. cinnabarina and species of Cystodermella
Cystodermella
Cystodermella is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae.The genus comprises approximately 12 species, noted for producing agaric fruiting bodies, bearing a cap, white gills and stem with a fine, ephemeral ring...
in general. This is determined by staining tissue with chemicals in the amyloid reaction
Amyloid (mycology)
In mycology the term amyloid refers to a crude chemical test using iodine in either Melzer's reagent or Lugol's solution, to produce a black to blue-black positive reaction. It is called amyloid because starch gives a similar reaction, and that reaction for starch is also called an amyloid reaction...
—all Cystodermella
Cystodermella
Cystodermella is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae.The genus comprises approximately 12 species, noted for producing agaric fruiting bodies, bearing a cap, white gills and stem with a fine, ephemeral ring...
species show a negative reaction (spores remain colourless).
Habitat and distribution
Cystodermella cinnabarina is found fruiting in coniferous and deciduousDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
forests, on ground among moss, grass and litter
Plant litter
Plant litter, leaf litter or tree litter is dead plant material, such as leaves, bark, needles, and twigs, that has fallen to the ground. Litter provides habitat for small animals, fungi, and plants, and the material may be used to construct nests. As litter decomposes, nutrients are released to...
. Being a saprotrophic fungus, it decays dead organic matter. It has been recorded under pine (Pinus nigra, Pinus pinea), oak , spruce (Picea orientalis), fir (Abies cephalonica) and chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
(Castanea sativa) in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Fruiting bodies appear solitary or in small groups, during the summer and autumn. It is widely distributed around the world on continents including Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, though in many places it is uncommon. The preliminary red data list
Regional Red List
A Regional Red List is a report of the threatened status of species within a certain country or region. It is based on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, an inventory of the conservation status of species on a global scale...
of threatened British fungi lists Cystodermella cinnabarinum under the IUCN "Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
" status.
Edibility
Cystodermella cinnabarina has been variously described as inedible, though harmless, and even edible regionally, for example, in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.