Gomphidius roseus
Description
Gomphidius roseus is a gilled mushroom found in Europe. Although it has gills, it is a member of the order Boletales, along with the boletes. It is a coral pink-capped mushroom that appears in pine forests in autumn.
Like other members of the family Gomphidiaceae, Gomphidius roseus has been thought to be ectomycorrhizal, forming a symbiotic relationship with their host trees. However, it is found exclusively with the related Jersey cow mushroom (Suillus bovinus), and is now thought to be parasitic upon its mycelium.
Common names: Rosy Spike-Cap, Pink Gomphidius, Rosenslemskivling (Sweden), Sliziak Ružový (Slovakia), Rožsārtā Zeltkāte (Poland), Мокруха Розовая (Russian).
Mushroom Identification
Cap
Often rosy red when young, the caps of Gomphidius roseus turn brick red as they mature. Irregular and occasionally lobed, the caps range from 3 to 5cm across and retain turned-down margins even when fully expanded.
In wet weather, the caps are viscid, becoming smooth and shiny when dry.
Beneath the cuticle, the flesh is white and firm.
Gills
Although a boletales species, Gomphidius roseus has thick gills rather than pores. Deeply decurrent, the gills are pale grey, eventually turning mouse grey (as seen in the picture on the left) as the fruitbody ages.
Stem
The dirty-white stem has an often poorly-defined glutinous ring, but the ring zone becomes more obvious when it becomes stained with black spores as the fruitbody ages; the lower part of the stem and is often tinged pink but with a yellowish zone near to the base. 3 to 7cm long and typically 5 to 10mm in diameter, most of the stem is buried in grass or pine needles so that the cap appears to be almost flush with the ground. Usually, the stem tapers inwards towards the base. Firm and solid, the stem flesh is white shading to dirty yellow at the base.
Spores
Subfusiform, smooth, 16-20 x 5-8μm.
Spore Print
Black.
Odor and Taste
Not distinctive.
Habitat & Ecological Role
Under coniferous trees, and particularly pines; invariably in the presence of the bolete Suillus bovinus, upon whose mycelium it might be parasitic.
Similar species
Chroogomphus rutilus is a purple-brown species and is usually a much larger gilled member of the order Boletales; it also occurs mainly beneath pines.
History
The Rosy Spike was described scientifically in 1838 by the Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries, who gave it the binomial scientific name Gomphidius roseus.
Synonyms of Gomphidius roseus include Agaricus glutinosus ß roseus Fr., and Gomphus glutinosus var. roseus (Fr.) P. Kumm.
Gomphidius comes from the Greek 'gomphos', a large conical (wedge-like) nail or bolt with a large head, made of either metal or wood and used mainly in ship-building. The conical shape of the fruitbodies means that they look somewhat like those ancient bolts.
The specific epithet roseus hardly needs explaining, but for completeness, it comes from Latin and means rosy (red).
Photo sources:
Photo 1 - Author: Grażyna Drzewiecka (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo 2 - Author: Jerzy Opioła (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo 3 - Author: Björn S... (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo 4 - Author: Pethan (CC BY-SA 3.0)
