Pholiota squarrosa, commonly known as the Shaggy
Pholiota, appears at the base of old trees and sometimes on the stumps
of felled trees. It is often confused with Honey Fungus.
Cap
|
4 to 12 cm in diameter; yellow-ochre or
straw-yellow; covered in upturned triangular brown scales in more or less
concentric rings.
Convex at first, the caps flatten with age but retain an in-rolled
margin.
The cap flesh is very pale yellow, and it is quite firm. |
Gills
|
The crowded adnate gills are pale yellow at
first, becoming cinnamon as the spores mature.
A cortina-like veil covers the young gills. |
Stipe |
7 to 15 mm in diameter and 6 to 15 cm tall, the stem has a distinctly
scaly ring below which it is covered in scales very similar to those on the
cap. The upper section of the stem above the ring is paler and smooth. |
Spore print |
rusty brown. |
Odour/taste |
Smells and tastes like radish (a bitter
taste). |
Habitat |
In small clusters at the base of stumps or
standing dead broad-leaf trees, particularly beech; also occasionally at
the base of conifer stumps. |
Season |
August to November. |
Occurrence |
Infrequent. |
Similar species |
- Some forms of Armillaria
mellea, the Honey Fungus, are scaly but their spore prints are
white rather than brown and the gills do not darken significantly with
age.
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