
Friday 25 January
Kingdom | Fungi |
Phylum | Basidiomycota |
Class | Basidiomycetes |
Order | Agaricales |
Family | Agaricaceae |
Genus | Agaricus (1) |
This widespread species is a close relative of the species of mushroom that is typically sold in shops (Agaricus bisporus) (3). The field mushroom has a creamy-white cap and stem, and bright pink or chocolate-brown coloured gills (2). The cap takes on a brownish tinge as it ages, and becomes more flattened in shape (3). Although edible, this species is easily confused with the deadly poisonous fungus the destroying angel (Amanita verna) when in the 'button' stage (3).
WARNING: Many species of fungus are poisonous or contain chemicals that can cause sickness. Never pick and eat any species of fungus that you cannot positively recognise or are unsure about. Some species are deadly poisonous and can cause death within a few hours if swallowed.
Fungi are neither plants nor animals but belong to their own kingdom. They are unable to produce their own food through the process of photosynthesis, as plants do; instead, they acquire nutrients from living or dead plants, animals, or other fungi, as animals do. In many larger fungi (lichens excepted) the only visible parts are the fruit bodies, which arise from a largely unseen network of threads called 'hyphae'. These hyphae permeate the fungus's food source, which may be soil, leaf litter, rotten wood, dung, and so on, depending on the species (4).
The field mushroom has been known since Greek and Roman times, and methods of cultivation were described in the seventeenth century (3). It is sold in northern India as a medicinal fungus. It grows in groups from August to November in Europe and from July to October in North America, and is particularly frequent after rain (3).
This cosmopolitan species has a wide distribution; it occurs in temperate parts of Europe, and is also known from Afghanistan, South Africa, Australia, China, northern India, Japan, southern Canada and the USA (3).
A common, widespread species (3).
No conservation action has been targeted at this species.
For information on the conservation of fungi see Peter Marren's article 'waxcaps and woodland mushrooms' from Plant Talk on-line, available at:
http://www.plant-talk.org/stories/26fungi.html
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