Mycena rosea

Description

The Rosy Bonnet, also known as Mycena rosea, is a poisonous mushroom that should not be consumed as it contains the dangerous toxin muscarine. It is larger than its relative, the Lilac Bonnet (Mycena pura), and is commonly found in leaf litter under deciduous trees, as well as in coniferous forests on acidic soil. The gills of the Mycena rosea are phosphorescent and glow in the dark

It can be found in groups or lines close to tree trunks. While it is less common than the Lilac Bonnet, it can be found throughout Britain, Ireland, northern and central mainland Europe, as well as in North America where it is debated whether it is a separate species.

The fruit bodies of Mycena rosea contain two red alkaloid pigments that are unique to this species. Named mycenarubin A, and mycenarubin B, these chemicals are related to the so-called damirones that are found in marine sponges.

Common names: Rosy Bonnet, German (Rosa Rettich-Helmling), Netherlands (Heksenschermpje), Czech Republic (Helmovka narůžovělá), Hungary (Rózsás kígyógomba), Lietuva (Rožinė šalmabudė), Poland (Grzybówka różowa), Sweden (Rosa rättikhätta).

Mushroom Identification

1. Cap

   1.18 to 3.15 inches (3 to 8 cm) in diameter, initially bell-shaped, with a tubercle in the middle, later convex-spreading, spreading. The surface of the cap is smooth, translucent-striped, radially scarred, pink, and yellowish in the center.

2. Gills

   The hymenophore is lamellar. The gills are medium density, wide, accreted, whitish, or light pink.

3. Stem

   1.57 to 3.94 inches (4 to 10 cm) high, 0.15 to 0.39 inches (0.4-1 cm) in diameter, cylindrical, sometimes expanded to the base, fibrous, whitish, or pinkish.

4. Flesh

   The flesh is thin and white, with the smell of radish.

5. Spores

   5-8.5 * 2.5-4 μm, elliptical in shape, with a smooth surface.

6. Spore Print

   White.

7. Habitat

   Grows from the end of May to December, in deciduous and mixed forests, mainly with oaks, lindens, and beeches, on fallen leaves, singly and in small groups.

Look-Alikes

1. Mycena pura

   Very similar, although generally it is slightly smaller and less bulky and is much more of a purple color than a pink (white and yellow forms of Lilac Bonnet also exist).

2. Mycena diosma

   Much smaller, generally lilac or purple and has the scent of tobacco rather than radish.

3. Mycena pelianthina

   Has dark lamellar edges and more purple.

4. Mycena rosella

   Grows under conifers and forms smaller fruiting bodies. Doesn't smell like radish, and has a darker blade edge.

5. Mycena pearsoniana

   Has strongly curved lamellae and inamyloid spores. It is rare and pale colored.

History

Jean Baptiste Francois (Pierre) Bulliard established the name Agaricus roseus in 1783. Later, in 1912, Mycologist Eugen Gramberg (1865 - 1945) reclassified this species and assigned it the name Mycena rosea. The term rosea, derived from Latin, signifies pink or rosy in color.

Synonyms and Varieties

• Agaricus roseus Schumach.

• Agaricus purus var. roseus (Schumach.) Pers., 1801

• Agaricus roseus Bulliard (1783), Herbier de la France, 4, tab. 162, fig. 4 & tab. 507

• Agaricus roseus Schumach., 1803

• Hypophyllum subrubens Paulet (1808) [1793], Traité des champignons, 2, p. 244, tab. 119, fig. 1-6

• Mycena pura f. rosea (Gramberg) J. E. Lange 1936

• Mycena pura f. rosea J.E. Lange (1936), Flora Agaricina Danica, 2, p. 40, pl. 53, fig. H

• Mycena pura var. rosea (J.E. Lange) J.E. Lange (1938), Dansk botanisk Arkiv, 9(6), p. 75

• Mycena rosea f. candida Robich 2003

• Mycena rosea Gramberg, Iconogr. Gen. Pl.: 36 (1912)

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: bjoerns (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Photo 3 - Author: Kai Löhr (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photo 4 - Author: HenkvD (CC BY-SA 4.0)