Rhodocollybia maculata

Description

Rhodocollybia maculata is a species of fungus in the mushroom family Marasmiaceae. This small to medium-sized mushroom is recognized by its whitish cap, which develops cinnamon spots and stains as it matures; it is very crowded, attached gills. Fruiting most often in small groups or clusters, this very attractive litter-rotting fungus is not a fussy feeder: it occurs under conifers (particularly under pines) and much less often under deciduous hardwood trees.

Though nonpoisonous, this species is inedible due to its toughness and unpalatability; it is usually bitter.

Common names: Spotted Toughshank.

Mushroom Identification

1. Ecology

   Saprobic; decomposing the deadwood or litter of conifers; spring (in warmer climates), summer, and fall; widely distributed in North America.

2. Cap

   2–6 cm across; convex, becoming broadly convex or nearly flat, with an inrolled margin; dry; bald; white to whitish, developing cinnamon spots with age, or sometimes very pale tan; the margin not lined.

3. Gills

   Narrowly attached to the stem; very crowded; short-gills frequent; white; sometimes developing rusty spots with age.

4. Stem

   5–7 cm long; 0.5–1 cm thick; equal, with a tapered rooting portion; bald; white; sometimes developing cinnamon to rusty spots with age; basal mycelium white.

5. Flesh

   White; unchanging when sliced.

6. Odor and Taste

   Odor sweetish, or not distinctive; taste slightly to moderately bitter.

7. Chemical Reactions

   KOH negative on cap surface – or dull olive on darker caps.

8. Spore Print

   White or, in a very thick, fresh print, slightly pinkish.

9. Microscopic Features

   Spores smooth; 4–6 x 4–5 µm; subglobose to very widely ellipsoid; with a prominent apiculus; smooth; hyaline in KOH; some inamyloid, but at least a few (often many) usually dextrinoid. Basidia 4-sterigmate. Pleurocystidia not found. Cheilocystidia 20–35 x 3–5 µm; cylindric to clavate or irregular, with branching or subdigitate processes; smooth; thin-walled; hyaline in KOH. Pileipellis at maturity a cutis of cylindric, clamped elements 2.5–5 µm wide; smooth; hyaline in KOH; exserted ends cylindric with rounded apices.

Look-Alikes

1. Rhodocollybia distorta

   Is a much less common species with a dry, red cap and a more swollen base below a twisted stem; its gills are not spotted.

2. Rhodocollybia butyracea

   Is usually darker and has a very greasy cap; its gills are not spotted.

History

The Spotted Toughshank was described scientifically in 1805 by German-American mycologists Johannes Baptista von Albertini (1769 - 1831) and Lewis David von Schweinitz (1780 - 1834), who gave it the binomial name Agaricus maculatus. The currently accepted scientific name of the Spotted Toughshank was established in 1939 when German-born mycologist Rolf Singer transferred this species to the genus Rhodocollybia.

Synonyms of Rhodocollybia maculata include Agaricus maculatus Alb. & Schwein., Collybia maculata Alb. & Schwein.) P. Kumm., Collybia maculata var. maculata (Alb. & Schwein.) P. Kumm., Agaricus maculatus var. immaculatus Cooke, Collybia maculata var. immaculata (Cooke) Massee, and Rhodocollybia maculata var. maculata (Alb. & Schwein.) Singer.

The synonym Collybia maculata still appears in many modern field guides, but this fairly common woodland mushroom now seems to be comfortably settled in its new genus home Rhodocollybia, along with the Butter Cap and a few other former members of the former Collybia toughsank gang.

The pinkish tinge to the gills provides a clue to the genus name Rhodocollybia, as the prefix Rhod- means pink (as in Rhododendron). The second part of the generic name -collybia is also Latin and means a small coin. The nickname Pink Penny comes to mind, therefore, although as I made it up it is perhaps now best forgotten.

The specific epithet maculata means spotted (just as immaculate means spotless).

Rhodocollybia maculata Legal Salvia Like Psychedelic

In recent years, the κ-opioid receptor (κOR) has become an attractive Therapeutic target for the treatment of several disorders including depression, visceral pain, and drug addiction. A search for natural products with new scaffolds targeting κOR has been Intensive. Here, we report the Discovery of a Natural Product (Colly) from the Collybia maculata fungus as a new scaffold that contains a furyl-δ-lactone core structure similar to that of Salvinorin A, another natural product isolated from mint Salvia divinorum. We show that Colly functions as a κOR agonist with antinociceptive and antipruritic activity. Interestingly, Colly exhibits biased agonistic activity, suggesting that it could be used as a backbone for the generation of new Therapeutics targeting κOR with reduced side effects.

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Jimmie Veitch (jimmiev) (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo 2 - Author: James Lindsey (CC BY-SA 2.5)

Photo 3 - Author: vjp (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo 4 - Author: Jerzy Opioła (CC BY-SA 4.0)