Pholiota squarrosa

Pholiota squarrosa
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Strophariaceae
Genus:	Pholiota
Species:	P. squarrosa
Binomial name
Pholiota squarrosa (Oeder) Kumm. (1871)
Synonyms[1]
Agaricus squarrosus Oeder (1770)

Species of fungus

Pholiota squarrosa Mycological characteristics
	Gills on hymenium
	Cap is convex or flat
	Hymenium is adnate or sinuate
	parasitic
	Edibility is not recommended

Pholiota squarrosa, commonly known as the shaggy scalycap, the shaggy Pholiota, or the scaly Pholiota, is a species of

The mushroom is typically found growing in clusters at the base of trees and stumps.^[2] Both the cap and the stem are covered in small, pointed scales that are pointed downward and backward. The crowded gills are yellowish, then later rust-brown. The mushroom has an odor that, depending on the author, has been described as resembling garlic, lemon, radish, onion, or skunk. It has a strong taste, resembling radishes. Though edible to some, it may be toxic, especially if consumed in combination with alcohol. The mushroom contains unique chemicals thought to help it infect plants by neutralizing defensive responses employed by them. The very similar P. squarrosoides differs in having a paler cap that is sticky between the scales, and smaller spores.

Taxonomy

The species was first described scientifically as Agaricus squarrosus in 1790 by Georg Christian Oeder, and later sanctioned under this name by Elias Magnus Fries in his 1821 Systema Mycologicum.^[3] It was transferred to the genus Pholiota by the German Paul Kummer.^[4] It is the type species of the genus Pholiota.^[5]

The

Like other Pholiota mushrooms, P. squarrosa has a scaly cap and stem. The cap ranges from 3 to 12 cm (1.2 to 4.7 in) in diameter, and depending on its age, can range in shape from bell-shaped to rounded to somewhat flattened. The cap color is yellowish-brown to tawny in older specimens. The scales on the cap are yellowish to tawny, and recurved.^[10][11]

The stem is 4 to 12 cm (1.6 to 4.7 in) long by 0.5 to 1.5 cm (0.20 to 0.59 in) thick, and roughly equal in width throughout. The partial veil that covers the young gills forms a thick, woolly ring on the upper part of the stem. Above the level of the ring, the stem is bare, while below it is scaly like the cap. The gills are covered by a partial veil when young and have a greenish-brown color; mature gills are rusty brown. They are crowded closely together, attached to the stem (adnate), and usually notched (sinuate).^[10][11]

The

Fruit bodies have an odour described variously as resembling garlic,[7] radish, lemon, onion, or skunk,^[6] and taste like radish.^[12]

Edibility

Although some sources report P. squarrosa as

Pholiota squarrosa is similar in appearance to species in the genus

Other similar species include Pholiota aurivella, P. populnea, and P. terrestris.^[13]

Ecology, habitat and distribution

Pholiota squarrosa is thought to be a

saprobe, and can obtain nutrients by breaking down organic matter in dead wood.^[19]

P. squarrosa is found in North America and Europe.

coniferous forests.^[20] In the Netherlands, P. squarrosa is one of many mushrooms that can regularly be found fruiting on ancient timber wharves.^[21]

The fruit bodies are used as a primary food source by the red squirrel

Sciurus vulgaris, and have a higher protein content than the other mushrooms typically consumed by this species.^[22] Decaying fruit bodies are also used as a food source by fruit flies of the genus Drosophila.^[23]

Chemistry

The fruit bodies contain unique chemical compounds that are derived from

gouty arthritis, and inhibitors of this enzyme are being used clinically to reduce this side effect. The natural function of these compounds may be to quench reactive oxygen species produced by plants as a defensive response to fungal infection.^[24]

See also

• List of Pholiota species

References

1. ^ "Pholiota squarrosa (Oeder) P. Kumm. 1871". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
2. ISBN 9780520271074
   .
3. ^ Fries EM. (1821). System Mycologicum. Vol. 1. Lund: Ex Officina Berlingiana. p. 243. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
4. ^ Kummer P. (1871). Der Führer in die Pilzkunde (in German) (1 ed.). p. 84.
5. ^ "Pholiota (Fr.) P. Kumm. 1871". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
6. ^
   ISBN 0-919433-47-2
   .
7. ^
   ISBN 978-0-88902-977-4
   . Retrieved 2010-10-12.
8. ^ Phillips R. "Pholiota squarrosa". Rogers Mushroom. Archived from the original on 2012-08-11. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
9. ISBN 9788171419807
   . Retrieved 2010-10-12.
10. ^
    JSTOR 2394091
    .
11. ^
    ISBN 978-1-58729-627-7
    . Retrieved 2010-10-12.
12. ISBN 0-7112-2378-5
    . Retrieved 2010-10-12.
13. ^
    OCLC 797915861
    .
14. PMID 14261932
    .
15. ^
    ISBN 978-3-540-67205-0
    . Retrieved 2010-10-12.
16. JSTOR 3753462
    .
17. JSTOR 3760794
    .
18. JSTOR 3757536
    .
19. ^ Kuo M. (2007). "Pholiota squarrosa". MushroomExpert.com. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
20. PMID 4773309
    .
21. ISSN 0929-7839
    .
22. S2CID 28125328
    .
23. PMID 28581130
    .
24. doi:10.1002/ejoc.200700090
    .

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