Clitopilus geminus

Rhodocybe gemina, or Clitopilus geminus, is a species of fungus in the Entolomataceae family. It produces fruit bodies that are fleshy, medium-sized, and cream-coloured when young, colouring brownish when mature.

Clitopilus geminus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Fungi
Division:
Basidiomycota
Class:
Agaricomycetes
Order:
Agaricales
Family:
Entolomataceae
Genus:
Clitopilus
Species:
C. geminus
Binomial name
Clitopilus geminus
(Paulet) Noordel. & Co-David (2009)
Synonyms[1]

Hypophyllum geminum Paulet (1793)
Agaricus geminus (Paulet) Fr. (1838)
Gyrophila gemina (Paulet) Quél. (1886)
Tricholoma geminum (Paulet) Sacc. (1887)
Rhodocybe gemina (Paulet) Kuyper & Noordel. (1987)

Description

The skin of the cap is matte, not slimy or shiny. At first the cap is somewhat umbonate, later becoming irregular and flattened. The gills are adnate to decurrent in attachment and the stem is whitish – often lighter than the gills and relatively short, but always lacking a veil or volva. The spore print is flesh coloured to salmon-pink.

Microscopically the spores are angular when viewed on end; when viewed from the side they are bumpy.[2]

A saprotrophic species, it grows generally in grassland and parks, but some are found in woodlands, both broad leaved and occasionally coniferous.

The mushroom has a pleasant mealy scent, spicy and slightly aromatic, but can taste slightly overpowering when raw. It is described as a choice edible in Germany[3] and is regularly sought after, but is rare in the UK and probably worth protecting.[4]

Naming

This species was also known as Rhodocybe truncata (Gillet) Sing. ex Bon in the past, but this was a mistake and this usage was illegitimate. The specimen originally described as R. truncata (Schaeff.) Singer by Schäffer must have been something else.[5][4]

DNA analysis from 2009 has shown that genus Rhodocybe is polyphyletic, containing the Clitopilus clade embedded within it. Since the name Clitopilus takes precedence (although Rhodocybe was bigger), the two genera have to be merged and the current name of this mushroom is Clitopilus geminus.[2] This is also the current name given by Species Fungorum.[1]

About 20 species of Rhodocybe were documented in Europe, but R. gemina is the commonest and best known.

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References
  1. "Species Synonymy: Rhodocybe gemina (Bull.) P. Kumm., Führ. Pilzk. (Zerbst): 137 (1871)". Species Fungorum. CAB International. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  2. D. Co-David; D. Langeveld; M.E. Noordeloos (Nov 2009). "Molecular phylogeny and spore evolution of Entolomataceae" (PDF). Persoonia. Leiden & Utrecht: National Herbarium of The Netherlands & the CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre. 23 (2): 147–176. doi:10.3767/003158509x480944. PMC 2802732. PMID 20198166. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-27.
  3. Gerhart E. (1997). Der Große BLV Pilzfuehre (in German). BLV Verlagsgesellschaft mbH. ISBN 978-3-405-15147-8.
  4. Marcel Bon (1987). The Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and North-western Europe. 7 Bond Street, St. Helier, Jersey: Domino Books Ltd. p. 188. ISBN 0-340-39935-X.CS1 maint: location (link) Here the name is given as Rhodocybe truncata, but in a later edition of this book the name is corrected to R. gemina and the author mentions that this is a good edible species: Marcel Bon (2004). Champignons de France et d'Europe occidental (in French). Flammarion. p. 188. ISBN 2-0820-1321-9.
  5. "Rhodocybe gemina (Paulet) Kuyper & Noordel. 1987". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
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