(Even more dangerous is the superficially similar Cortinarius rubellus, which has been responsible for many deaths.) Identification guideħ to 20cm across initially convex with an inrolled margin, flattening and eventually developing an upturned wavy margin smooth bright orange to yellowish orange.ĭecurrent non-forking colour as cap. Poisoning by this species is not usually fatal, but great care must be taken when gathering edible orange-coloured mushrooms such as Chanterelles to avoid accidentally including Jack o' Lantern. Jack o' Lantern and other members of the genus Omphalotus are seriously poisonous toadstools that contain the toxin muscarine when eaten they cause gastric upsets that can last for several days. ( Omphalotus illudens is more easily confused with the deceptively similar Omphalotus olearius, which occurs nearly always with olive trees in southern Europe.) Toxicity Whether the latter is a reference to the fact that many people have been deceived into eating these toxic toadstools in the mistaken belief that they are Chanterelles remains unclear. The genus name Omphalotus means umbilicate (in the form of a navel), and refers to the central depression in mature caps, as seen in the picture above, while the specific epithet illudens means 'deceiving'. Valid synonyms of Omphalotus illudens include Agaricus illudens Schwein., and Clitocybe illudens (Schwein.) Sacc. In Britain this mushroom has been incorrectly referred to as Omphalotus olearius, but that name belongs to a closely-related species that has not been confirmed as occurring in Britain. (Most gilled fungi were initially placed in a giant Agaricus genus, now redistributed to many other genera.) The currently accepted scientific name Omphalotus illudens dates from a 1979 publication in Sydowia 8: 106 by mycologists Andreas Bresinsky (born 1935) and Helmut Besl, both of Regensburg University, Germany. This saprobic mushroom was described in 1822 by American botanist-mycologist Lewis David von Schweinitz (1780 - 1834), who gave it the binomial scientific name Agaricus illudens. (The conservation status of Omphalotus illudens is Near Threatened on the 2006 Red Data List authored by Shelly Evans et al.) This species is also found in many parts of central and southern mainland Europe and in of North America, where according to mushroom expert Michael Kuo this species is common east of the Rocky Mountains. In Britain this is a very rare species, and according to the British Mycological Society's Checklist of Fungi of the British Isles only about 20 official records have been authenticated, all in southeast England. Pictures on this page were taken in Pennsylvania by Dan Moore, with whose permission they are shown. In a very dark environment, when your eyes have had time to adjust, the gills of Jack o' Lantern can sometimes be seen glowing a ghostly green.) (A few gilled mushrooms and several other kinds of fungi are known to emit light. It's dual claim to fame is that it is a poisonous mushroom whose gills are (weakly!) bioluminescent. Jack o' Lantern is a striking, bright orange mushroom that usually grows in dense tufts from the decaying underground roots of deciduous trees or from dead stumps and, less commonly fallen branches. Phylum: Basidiomycota - Class: Agaricomycetes - Order: Agaricales - Family: Marasmiaceaeĭistribution - Taxonomic History - Etymology - Identification - Toxicity - Reference Sources Omphalotus illudens (Schwein.) Bresinsky & Besl - Jack o' Lantern
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