Pholiota squarrosa - Shaggy Scalycap

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

Pholiota squarrosa, commonly known as the Shaggy Scalycap, appears at the base of old trees and sometimes on the stumps of felled trees. It is often confused with Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea and similar species)The two groups can be distinguished easily by taking a spore print: Armillaria species produce white spore prints while Pholiota fungi have brown spores.

Despite its attractive appearance, this and other scalycaps are not edible mushrooms.

Identification Guide

	Cap 4 to 12cm 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.
Stem	7 to 15mm in diameter and 6 to 15cm 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.