Mycena stylobates
Encyclopedia
Mycena stylobates, commonly known as the bulbous bonnet, is a species of inedible mushroom
in the Mycenaceae
family. Found in North America and Europe, it produces small whitish to gray fruit bodies
with bell-shaped caps
that are up to 15 mm (0.590551181102362 in) in diameter. The distinguishing characteristic of the mushroom is the fragile stem
, which is seated on a flat disk marked with distinct grooves, and fringed with a row of bristles. The mushrooms grow in small troops on leaves and other debris of deciduous
and coniferous trees. The mushroom's spore
s are white in deposit
, smooth, and ellipsoid-shaped with dimensions of 6–10 by 3.5–4.5 μm
. In the development
of the fruit body, the preliminary stem and cap structures appear at the same time within the primordium
, and hypha
e originating from the stem form a cover over the developing structures. The mycelia
of the mushroom is believed to have bioluminescent
properties.
in 1801, and sanctioned
under this name by Elias Magnus Fries
. It was later transferred to the genus Mycena
in 1871 by Paul Kummer
when he raised many of Fries' "tribes" to the rank of genus. The species has also been placed in the genera Basidopus by Franklin Summer Earle in 1909, and Pseudomycena by Karel Cejp in 1930; both of those genera have since been subsumed into Mycena.
The Greek word stylobates means "column foundation or base". The mushroom is commonly
known as the "bulbous bonnet". British mycologist Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
called it the "discoid Mycena" in his 1871 Handbook of British Fungi.
of M. stylobates is 3 – in diameter, and depending on its age may range in shape from obtusely conic to convex to bell-shaped to flattened. The structure of the cap margin also depends on the age of the mushroom, progressing from straight or curved inward slightly, to margin flaring or curved backward. The cap surface is smooth, although if viewed with a magnifying glass
, minute spines can be seen. As it ages, the surface becomes smooth, moist and somewhat glistening, and it shows grooves corresponding to the position of the gills underneath the cap. The cap color is evenly pale watery gray. The flesh
is thin, pallid, and has no distinguishable odor or taste.
The gills appear closely spaced in unexpanded caps, but usually more distant in old individuals. Between 8 and 16 gills extend from the margin to the stem; there are additionally one or two tiers of small gills (lamellulae) that do not reach fully from the margin to the stem. The gills are narrow but become ventricose (swelling in the middle) and sometimes very broad in age, and are attached by a line or are very narrowly adnate
. Sometimes the gills split away from the stem while remaining attached to each other; in this way they form a collar around the stem. Gills are pale gray but soon become whitish, with even edges. The stem
is 10 – long, 0.5–1 mm thick, and, above the level of the flat circular disc at the base, is equal in width throughout. The stem is covered with fine white scattered fibrils, or is delicately pruinose (as if covered with a fine white powder), but it later becomes smooth. Its color is bluish-gray when fresh but soon it fades to gray. The basal disc is grooved (from gill impressions) and pruinose or covered with fine minute hairs, but soon becomes smooth. The insubstantial fruit bodies are considered inedible.
s are 6–10 by 3.5–4.5 μm
, narrowly ellipsoid, and faintly amyloid
. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are four-spored, rarely two-spored. The pleurocystidia (cystidia on the gill face) are not differentiated. The cheilocystidium (cystidia on the gill edge) are abundant and variable in structure, usually club-shaped with between two to five thick obtuse projections that arise from near the apex, sometimes more or less covered with numerous protuberances over the enlarged portion and the neck more or less contorted. They measure 26–38 by 8–13 μm, and are hyaline
. The gill flesh is made of greatly enlarged cells, and stains pale vinaceous (red wine color) in iodine. The flesh of the cap has a pellicle which usually gelatinizes in potassium hydroxide
or water mounts prepared for microscopy. The surface hyphae are covered with short rodlike projections. Sometimes some of the hyphae become aggregated into peglike structures that project from the surface, and cause the appearance of scattered coarse spines on the cap when viewed under a 10X magnifying lens. The tissue beneath the pellicle is made entirely of greatly enlarged cells, which appear pale vinaceous in iodine stain.
The mycelia
of M. stylobates, when grown in pure culture, is bioluminescent
, a phenomenon first reported in 1931. The fruit bodies are not known to be bioluminescent.
, or development, of Mycena stylobates fruit bodies has been investigated in detail using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. According to Volker Walther and colleagues, the development can be divided into two phases: in the first, the primordium
is established that contains all the structures of the mature fruit body; in the second stage, the primordial stem elongates rapidly, and the newly exposed hymenium immediately begins spore production. The first detected stage of fruit body formation was an irregularly arranged hyphal structure within the colonized substrate
. After rupturing the surface of the substrate and establishing itself there, the structure develops a layer of wrapping hyphae that covers the entire primordium. The structures of the stem and the cap develop simultaneously. The developing stem, cap, and basal disc together form a secondary ring-like cavity, in which the gills develop. Gill development initiates with a number of small alveolae on the lower side of the cap, which are covered with a hymenophoral palisade (a group of tightly packed, roughly parallel cells). The margins of these alveolae form the primary gills. The hymenophoral palisade spreads from the developing alveolae to the gill edge; the edge of the primary gills is forked in the early stages of its development. The secondary gills (lamellulae) are formed by the ridges folding down from the lower side of the cap. In contrast to the primary gills, they are covered with hymenophoral palisade from the beginning. Spore production begins immediately after the stem elongates.
leaves or coniferous needles, in the spring and summer or early autumn. It is common during warm, wet seasons. Mycena specialist Alexander H. Smith
has collected it in Tennessee
, Michigan
, Idaho
, and Washington in the United States, and in Nova Scotia
and Ontario
in Canada. It is also found in Europe, including Britain, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Sweden, and Turkey. Although it has been reported several times from Australia, mycologist Cheryl Grgurinovic concluded in a 2003 publication that the records "are best regarded as erroneous".
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...
in the Mycenaceae
Mycenaceae
The Mycenaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. According to the Dictionary of the Fungi , the family contains 10 genera and 705 species. This is one of several families that were separated from the Tricholomataceae as a result of phylogenetic analyses...
family. Found in North America and Europe, it produces small whitish to gray fruit bodies
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
with bell-shaped caps
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...
that are up to 15 mm (0.590551181102362 in) in diameter. The distinguishing characteristic of the mushroom is the fragile 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...
, which is seated on a flat disk marked with distinct grooves, and fringed with a row of bristles. The mushrooms grow in small troops on leaves and other debris of deciduous
Deciduous
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...
and coniferous trees. The mushroom's 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...
s are white in deposit
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...
, smooth, and ellipsoid-shaped with dimensions of 6–10 by 3.5–4.5 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...
. In the development
Ontogeny
Ontogeny is the origin and the development of an organism – for example: from the fertilized egg to mature form. It covers in essence, the study of an organism's lifespan...
of the fruit body, the preliminary stem and cap structures appear at the same time within the primordium
Primordium
A primordium , in embryology, is defined as an organ or tissue in its earliest recognizable stage of development. Cells of the primordium are called primordial cells...
, and hypha
Hypha
A hypha is a long, branching filamentous structure of a fungus, and also of unrelated Actinobacteria. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium; yeasts are unicellular fungi that do not grow as hyphae.-Structure:A hypha consists of one or...
e originating from the stem form a cover over the developing structures. The mycelia
Mycelium
thumb|right|Fungal myceliaMycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. The mass of hyphae is sometimes called shiro, especially within the fairy ring fungi. Fungal colonies composed of mycelia are found in soil and on or within many other...
of the mushroom is believed to have bioluminescent
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in...
properties.
Taxonomy
The species was first named Agaricus stylobates by Christian Hendrik PersoonChristian Hendrik Persoon
Christiaan Hendrik Persoon was a mycologist who made additions to Linnaeus' mushroom taxonomy.-Early life:...
in 1801, and sanctioned
Sanctioned name
In mycology, a sanctioned name is a name that was adopted in certain works of Christiaan Hendrik Persoon or Elias Magnus Fries, which are considered major points in fungal taxonomy.-Definition and effects:...
under this name by Elias Magnus Fries
Elias Magnus Fries
-External links:*, Authors of fungal names, Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.*...
. It was later transferred to the genus Mycena
Mycena
Mycena is a large genus of small saprotrophic mushrooms that are rarely more than a few centimeters in width. They are characterized by a white spore print, a small conical or bell-shaped cap, and a thin fragile stem. Most are gray or brown, but a few species have brighter colors. Most have a...
in 1871 by Paul Kummer
Paul Kummer
Paul Kummer was a priest, teacher, and scientist in Zerbst, Germany, known chiefly for his contribution to mycological nomenclature. Earlier classification of agarics by pioneering fungal taxonomist Elias Magnus Fries designated only a very small number of genera, with most species falling into...
when he raised many of Fries' "tribes" to the rank of genus. The species has also been placed in the genera Basidopus by Franklin Summer Earle in 1909, and Pseudomycena by Karel Cejp in 1930; both of those genera have since been subsumed into Mycena.
The Greek word stylobates means "column foundation or base". The mushroom is commonly
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...
known as the "bulbous bonnet". British mycologist Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
Mordecai Cubitt Cooke was an English botanist and mycologist.Cooke came from a mercantile family in Horning, Norfolk, and worked as an apprentice to a fabric merchant before becoming a clerk in a law firm, but his chief interest was in botany. He founded the Society of Amateur Botanists in 1862...
called it the "discoid Mycena" in his 1871 Handbook of British Fungi.
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...
of M. stylobates is 3 – in diameter, and depending on its age may range in shape from obtusely conic to convex to bell-shaped to flattened. The structure of the cap margin also depends on the age of the mushroom, progressing from straight or curved inward slightly, to margin flaring or curved backward. The cap surface is smooth, although if viewed with a magnifying glass
Magnifying glass
A magnifying glass is a convex lens that is used to produce a magnified image of an object. The lens is usually mounted in a frame with a handle ....
, minute spines can be seen. As it ages, the surface becomes smooth, moist and somewhat glistening, and it shows grooves corresponding to the position of the gills underneath the cap. The cap color is evenly pale watery gray. 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 thin, pallid, and has no distinguishable odor or taste.
The gills appear closely spaced in unexpanded caps, but usually more distant in old individuals. Between 8 and 16 gills extend from the margin to the stem; there are additionally one or two tiers of small gills (lamellulae) that do not reach fully from the margin to the stem. The gills are narrow but become ventricose (swelling in the middle) and sometimes very broad in age, and are attached by a line or are very narrowly adnate
Adnation
Adnation in plants is the "union of unlike parts; organically united or fused with another dissimilar part, e.g. an ovary to a calyx tube, or stamens to petals". This is in contrast to connation, the fusion of similar organs....
. Sometimes the gills split away from the stem while remaining attached to each other; in this way they form a collar around the stem. Gills are pale gray but soon become whitish, with even edges. 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 10 – long, 0.5–1 mm thick, and, above the level of the flat circular disc at the base, is equal in width throughout. The stem is covered with fine white scattered fibrils, or is delicately pruinose (as if covered with a fine white powder), but it later becomes smooth. Its color is bluish-gray when fresh but soon it fades to gray. The basal disc is grooved (from gill impressions) and pruinose or covered with fine minute hairs, but soon becomes smooth. The insubstantial fruit bodies are considered inedible.
Microscopic characteristics
The sporeSpore
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...
s are 6–10 by 3.5–4.5 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...
, narrowly ellipsoid, and faintly 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...
. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are four-spored, rarely two-spored. The pleurocystidia (cystidia on the gill face) are not differentiated. The cheilocystidium (cystidia on the gill edge) are abundant and variable in structure, usually club-shaped with between two to five thick obtuse projections that arise from near the apex, sometimes more or less covered with numerous protuberances over the enlarged portion and the neck more or less contorted. They measure 26–38 by 8–13 μm, and are 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...
. The gill flesh is made of greatly enlarged cells, and stains pale vinaceous (red wine color) in iodine. The flesh of the cap has a pellicle which usually gelatinizes in potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula KOH, commonly called caustic potash.Along with sodium hydroxide , this colorless solid is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications. Most applications exploit its reactivity toward acids and its corrosive...
or water mounts prepared for microscopy. The surface hyphae are covered with short rodlike projections. Sometimes some of the hyphae become aggregated into peglike structures that project from the surface, and cause the appearance of scattered coarse spines on the cap when viewed under a 10X magnifying lens. The tissue beneath the pellicle is made entirely of greatly enlarged cells, which appear pale vinaceous in iodine stain.
The mycelia
Mycelium
thumb|right|Fungal myceliaMycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. The mass of hyphae is sometimes called shiro, especially within the fairy ring fungi. Fungal colonies composed of mycelia are found in soil and on or within many other...
of M. stylobates, when grown in pure culture, is bioluminescent
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in...
, a phenomenon first reported in 1931. The fruit bodies are not known to be bioluminescent.
Similar species
There are several species of Mycena that have a basal disc similar to M. stylobates. Mycena mucor is usually smaller than M. stylobates, and grows on fallen, decaying leaves of oak. It has different cheilocystidia, with very slender excrescences. Also, the margin of the basal disc is not ciliate like M. stylobates. M. bulbosa, a species that grows on woody stalks in wet habitats, has nonamyloid spores, and gill edges that contain a tough-elastic, gelatinous thread. M. pseudoseta, described as a new species from Thailand in 2003 forms smaller fruit bodies with differently shaped cheilocystidia and cap hyphae.Fruit body development
The ontogenyOntogeny
Ontogeny is the origin and the development of an organism – for example: from the fertilized egg to mature form. It covers in essence, the study of an organism's lifespan...
, or development, of Mycena stylobates fruit bodies has been investigated in detail using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. According to Volker Walther and colleagues, the development can be divided into two phases: in the first, the primordium
Primordium
A primordium , in embryology, is defined as an organ or tissue in its earliest recognizable stage of development. Cells of the primordium are called primordial cells...
is established that contains all the structures of the mature fruit body; in the second stage, the primordial stem elongates rapidly, and the newly exposed hymenium immediately begins spore production. The first detected stage of fruit body formation was an irregularly arranged hyphal structure within the colonized substrate
Substrate (biology)
In biology a substrate is the surface a plant or animal lives upon and grows on. A substrate can include biotic or abiotic materials and animals. For example, encrusting algae that lives on a rock can be substrate for another animal that lives on top of the algae. See also substrate .-External...
. After rupturing the surface of the substrate and establishing itself there, the structure develops a layer of wrapping hyphae that covers the entire primordium. The structures of the stem and the cap develop simultaneously. The developing stem, cap, and basal disc together form a secondary ring-like cavity, in which the gills develop. Gill development initiates with a number of small alveolae on the lower side of the cap, which are covered with a hymenophoral palisade (a group of tightly packed, roughly parallel cells). The margins of these alveolae form the primary gills. The hymenophoral palisade spreads from the developing alveolae to the gill edge; the edge of the primary gills is forked in the early stages of its development. The secondary gills (lamellulae) are formed by the ridges folding down from the lower side of the cap. In contrast to the primary gills, they are covered with hymenophoral palisade from the beginning. Spore production begins immediately after the stem elongates.
Habitat and distribution
The fruit bodies of Mycena stylobates grow scattered or in groups on oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
leaves or coniferous needles, in the spring and summer or early autumn. It is common during warm, wet seasons. Mycena specialist Alexander H. Smith
Alexander H. Smith
Alexander Hanchett Smith was an American mycologist known for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi, especially the agarics.-Early life:...
has collected it in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, and Washington in the United States, and in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
in Canada. It is also found in Europe, including Britain, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Sweden, and Turkey. Although it has been reported several times from Australia, mycologist Cheryl Grgurinovic concluded in a 2003 publication that the records "are best regarded as erroneous".
External links
- Botany.cz Several photographs