Calocybe carnea

Calocybe carnea is a species of fungus in the family Lyophyllaceae. It has small pink-capped mushrooms with white gills and can be found in grassy meadows, fields, or on lawns from spring to autumn in Europe and North America. Its common names include pink fairhead^[1] and pink domecap.^[2]

Calocybe carnea
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Lyophyllaceae
Genus:	Calocybe
Species:	C. carnea
Binomial name
Calocybe carnea (Bull.) Donk (1962)
Synonyms
List Agaricus carneus Bull. (1792) Tricholoma carneum (Bull.) P.Kumm (1871) Gyrophila carnea (Bull.) Quél. (1886) Calocybe carnea (Bull.) Kühner (1938) Lyophyllum carneum (Bull.) Kühner & Romagn. (1953) Rugosomyces carneus (Bull.) Bon (1991) Gyrophila carnea var. mammosa Quél. (1890) Collybia readii G. Stev. (1964) Calocybe readii (G. Stev.) E. Horak (1971)

Calocybe carnea Mycological characteristics
	Gills on hymenium
	Cap is convex or flat
	Hymenium is adnexed or sinuate
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is white
	Ecology is saprotrophic
	Edibility is edible but not recommended

Taxonomy

Originally described as Agaricus carneus by the French mycologist Pierre Bulliard in 1792, this small pink mushroom has been through many taxonomical name changes over many years, and as a result has had many binomial names. Its current specific epithet, carnea, is derived from the Latin for "flesh-coloured".^[3] The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek terms kalos "pretty", and cubos "head".^[4]

Description

The cap is 1.5–4 cm (0.59–1.57 in) in diameter. It is usually pale pink, but can be darker, pinker, or redder. It usually fades with age. At first it is convex, but later flattens, and has a tendency to become wavy. It is smooth and dry. The stem is up to 4 cm (1.5 in) high and the same colour as the cap, and is smooth, or finely fibrillose;^[5] often narrowing towards the base, and often misshapen. The gills are adnexed to almost free; sometimes notched and are white, giving a spore print of the same colour. They are quite closely spaced initially. The flesh is white; with very little taste, or smell.

A similar species, Rugosomyces persicolor (Fr.) Singer, grows in tufts, has a liking for manured ground, and is sometimes recorded as a variety or variant of C. carnea.

Distribution and habitat

Calocybe carnea appears in spring, summer, and early autumn (usually after rain). It is frequent in Britain, Europe, Asia, and North America, growing in grassy meadows and fields and on lawns. It is very rarely found in woods, unless a grassy clearing is present. It seems to tolerate agricultural practices, because its fruiting bodies often appear on fertilized farmland.^[1]

Edibility

This mushroom is edible,^[6] but is unsubstantial, as it is small and thin fleshed. It is also potentially confused with poisonous species.^[5]

References

1. Thomas Laessoe (1998). Mushrooms (flexi bound). Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-0-7513-1070-2.
2. Roger Phillips (2006). Mushrooms. Pan MacMillan. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-330-44237-4.
3. Simpson DP (1979). Cassell's Latin Dictionary (5 ed.). London: Cassell Ltd. p. 883. ISBN 978-0-304-52257-6.
4. Nilson S & Persson O (1977). Fungi of Northern Europe 2: Gill-Fungi. Penguin. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-14-063006-0.
5. David Arora (1986). Mushrooms Demystified. Ten Speed Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-89815-169-5.
6. Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-55407-651-2.