Leucoagaricus leucothites

Leucoagaricus leucothites
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Agaricaceae
Genus:	Leucoagaricus
Species:	L. leucothites
Binomial name
Leucoagaricus leucothites (Vittad.) Wasser (1977)
Synonyms
Agaricus leucothitesVittad. (1835) Lepiota holosericea(J. J. Planer) Gillet (1874) Leucoagaricus naucinus [1] Singer Leucocoprinus holosericeus(J. J. Planer) Locq. (1943)

Leucoagaricus leucothites Mycological characteristics
	Gills on hymenium
	Cap is convex or flat
	Hymenium is free
	Stipe has a ring
	Spore print is white
	Ecology is saprotrophic
	Edibility is unknown

Leucoagaricus leucothites, commonly known as the smooth parasol, woman on motorcycle, ^[2] ma'am on motorcycle, ^[3] white dapperling, or white agaricus mushroom, is a species of agaric fungus found in disturbed areas in North America.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described as Agaricus leucothites by Carlo Vittadini in 1835, and bears similarity to species of that genus. ^[4] Solomon Wasser transferred it to Leucoagaricus in 1977. ^[5]

Description

The mushroom's cap is 4 to 15 centimetres (1+1⁄2 to 6 in) wide, ^[6] is granular, white or gray-brown in color then sometimes grayish or pinkish. ^[4] The flesh may bruise yellowish and the gills reddish. ^[4] The stipe is 5 to 12 cm long, commonly with a wide base, and bruising yellow or brown. ^[6] A ring is usually present. ^[4] The spores are white, smooth, and elliptical. ^[6] They produce a white spore print. ^[7]

It could be confused for Agaricus species as well as the deadly Amanita ocreata . ^{[2] [6]}

Distribution and habitat

It can be found in North America, ^[7] generally in disturbed, grassy areas such as gardens and parks, and sometimes in forests. ^[4]

Edibility

While sometimes regarded as edible, ^[6] the species is suspected of being poisonous due to gastric-upset-causing toxins. ^[8] It could also be confused with a deadly Amanita. ^{[2] [6]}

See also

• List of Leucoagaricus species

References

1. Wood, Michael; Stevens, Fred. "California Fungi: Leucoagaricus leucothites". MykoWeb. Archived from the original on 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
2. Arora, David (1986) [1979]. Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. pp. 299–300. ISBN   978-0-89815-170-1.
3. Arora, David (February 1, 1991). All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms. ISBN   9780898153880.
4. Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 76. ISBN   978-0-88192-935-5.
5. Wasser SP. (1977). "New and rare species of Agaricaceae Cohn. family (in Russian)". Ukrainskiy Botanichnyi Zhurnal (in Russian). 34 (3): 305–8.
6. Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 89–90. ISBN   978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC   797915861.
7. Audubon (2023). Mushrooms of North America. Knopf. p. 568. ISBN   978-0-593-31998-7.
8. Miller Jr., Orson K.; Miller, Hope H. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, CN: FalconGuide. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-7627-3109-1.

External links

• Mushroom Poisoning: Destroying Angel vs. what's called a Lookalike that many Experts Avoid Eating