Asterophora lycoperdoides

Description

Asterophora lycoperdoides is a rare inedible species of fungus in the Lyophyllaceae family. It can be distinguished by its white to light brown cap that becomes powdery in age and lack of well-defined gills.

Grows as a parasite on other mushrooms, mainly those in the genus Russula. Asexual spores are produced on the mushroom cap which enables the organism to clone itself easily. This form of reproduction is not uncommon throughout the fungal kingdom, as thousands upon thousands of species produce asexual spores. Although this species does produce sexual spores from basidia on its gills, chlamydospores are its main dispersal method.

Common names: Powdery Piggyback, Stäubender Zwitterling (German), Poederzwamgast (Netherlands), Rovetka Pýchavkovitá (Czech Republic).

Mushroom Identification

1. Cap

   4–20 mm across; convex or nearly round; dry; at first whitish and a little bit roughened or lumpy, becoming covered with dense, orangish-brown powder.

2. Gills

   Attached to the stem; thick; distant; sometimes poorly formed or vein-like; whitish or grayish; eventually covered with orangish-brown powder.

3. Stem

   4–30 mm long; 2–5 mm thick; more or less equal; dry; bald or finely fuzzy; whitish to brownish; eventually covered with orangish-brown powder; basal mycelium white.

4. Flesh

   White; unchanging when sliced.

5. Odor

   Mealy.

6. Spore Print

   Dust white.

7. Season

   Summer to Winter (in warmer climates).

8. Habitat

   Parasitic on species of Russula and Lactarius (especially Russula dissimulans, Russula densifolia, and closely related blushing russulas); growing alone or gregariously; usually appearing when the victim has begun to blacken and decay; found in a variety of forests since the victims are mycorrhizal with both hardwoods and conifers; originally described from France, and found throughout Europe; widely distributed in North America but more common east of the Great Plains; also known from Central America, northern Africa, and Asia.

9. Microscopic Features

   Basidiospores 5–6 x 4–5 µm; ellipsoid; smooth; hyaline in KOH; inamyloid. Basidia 25–28 x 3–6 µm; subclavate; 4-sterigmate. Cystidia not found. Hyphae near the cap surface 3–9 µm wide; walls 0.5 µm thick; smooth; hyaline in KOH; occasionally clamped at septa; contextual hyphae similar but inflated up to 18 µm wide. Chlamydospores 16–20 x 14–17 µm including ornamentation; nodulose-spiny (stellate) but otherwise smooth; hyaline to faintly yellowish in KOH.

History

The species was first named as Agaricus lycoperdonoides by French mycologist Jean Baptiste Francois Pierre Bulliard in 1784.

In 1809 German mycologist L. P. Fr. Ditmar transferred this species to the genus Asterophora.

Asterophora means from the Greek words "a'ster" (star) and "phor-" a form of "phero" (bear or carry).

The specific epithet lycoperdoides refers to Lycoperdon which means 'wolf's flatulence', and the suffix -oides simply implies similarity to Lycoperdon.

Synonyms

• Merulius lycoperdoides (Bull.) Lam. & DC., 1805

• Agaricus lycoperdoides Bull. (1784)

• Agaricus lycoperdoides Sowerby (1803)

• Artotrogus asterophora Fr. (1849)

• Artotrogus lycoperdoides (Bull.) Kuntze (1898)

• Asterophora agaricicola Corda (1840)

• Asterophora agaricoides Fr. (1817)

• Asterophora lycoperdoides (Bull.) Ditmar (1809) var. lycoperdoides

• Asterophora lycoperdoides Fr. (1817)

• Asterophora lycoperdoides var. lycoperdoides (Bull.) Ditmar 1809

• Asterophora lycoperdoides var. trichoides (Fr.) Fr. (1829)

• Asterophora nauseosa Weinm. (1836)

• Asterophora trichioides Fr. (1817)

• Asterotrichum ditmarii Bonord., 1851

• Hypolyssus lycoperdoides (Bull.) Kuntze (1898)

• Merulius lycoperdoides (Bull.) Lam. & DC. (1805)

• Nyctalis agaricoides (Fr.) Bon & Courtec. (1989)

• Nyctalis agaricoides f. nauseosa (Weinm.) Bon (1995)

• Nyctalis asterophora f. major J.E. Lange (1933)

• Nyctalis asterophora Fr. (1838)

• Nyctalis lycoperdoides (Bull.) J. Schröt. (1889)

• Nyctalis nauseosa (Weinm.) Fr. (1874)

• Nyctalis asterophora Fr.

Photo sources:

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

Photo 2 - Author: Björn S... (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Photo 3 - Author: Björn S... (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Photo 4 - Author: Holger Krisp (CC BY 3.0)

Photo 5 - Author: Björn S... (CC BY-SA 2.0)