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Agaricales, or GILL FUNGI, an order of fungi (division Mycota) of the subclass Homobasidiomycetidae (class Basidiomycetes) with more than 4,000 widespread species including mushrooms and boletes. Gill fungi, sometimes known as agarics, produce spores (basidia) on gills or in plates on the undersides of fleshy fruiting bodies (basidiocarps).
The genus Agaricus (Psalliota) has more than 60 species of mushrooms including the edible field or meadow mushroom (A. campestris) and the cultivated mushroom (A. bisporus).
Collybia, a cosmopolitan genus of fungi, contains 70 species. The oak-loving C. dryophila has a tan cap and white gills underneath. Edible, it is found in woods during summer and autumn. C. velutipes causes sapwood rot of living hardwoods. A genus similar to Collybia is Psilocybe, consisting of about 40 species of common and widespread mushrooms. It is one of several genera (e.g., Stropharia, Lycoperdon) commonly known as hallucinogenic fungi for their cerebral effects. The active principle is psilocybin (see psilocin and psilocybin). P. mexicana is eaten by Mexican Indians for its hallucinogenic effects. The caps of Psilocybe flatten when mature and are found on decaying wood or lawns in early summer.
Cortinarius, a genus containing about 400 species, includes the dark brown C. cmnamomeus and the dark violet C. violaceus. Both grow in moss of old forests in the autumn and are edible. Among the 250 species of the cosmopolitan genus Clitocybe, C. illudens, the jack-o-lantern fungus, grows in clusters, is orange-yellow, has gills on the underside of the cap, and glows in the dark when young. Poisonous, it is found in the woods on tree stumps in summer and autumn. Hygrophorus is a genus of about 250 widespread species, especially in north temperate regions. H. russula, an edible fungus of grassy woods and found in the fall, is first white, then gradually turns wine-red.
The fruiting structures of many of the 275 cosmopolitan species of Russula are brightly coloured. R. virescens, an edible species, is found in hardwood forests and on grassy plains in summer and early autumn. The dry, brittle cap has patches. About 120 species of Lactarius are known. L. deliciosis, the milk fungus, is so-called because of its milk-like carrot-coloured juice.
This edible fungus is found in pine forests and woods in summer or autumn. Lepiota has 150 widespread species. The parasol mushroom (L. procera) is one of several edible species. Found in the woods during midsummer and autumn, its cap and stalk are covered with wood-brown spots or scales.
Mycena, a genus of about 200 cosmopolitan species, produces small mushrooms on decaying wood. These inedible mushrooms appear in very early spring, often following melting snow. The genus Pholiota contains about 50 species; some cause heartwood rot of trees. P. squarrosoides, an edible mushroom, produces a cap covered with scales and slimy threads. It is found on tree trunks in late summer and autumn in woods. Armillaria is a genus with about 40 cosmopolitan species. The honey mushroom (A. mellea) causes serious root rots in trees and other plants. Its caps are honey-yellow to rusty when young. Edible, they are found clustered about trees or stumps in late summer. Pleurotus species are cosmopolitan, especially on wood. The oyster cap (P. ostreatus), edible when young, damages wood. Found in early summer and autumn, it is cultivated on stumps in Europe.
The 90 cosmopolitan species of Tricholoma are found during autumn in the woods. T. pardinium has gray, hairy scales on a white cap and is very poisonous. The edible T. personatum (Lepista saeva) is commonly called blewits. T. matsutake, known as natsu-take, is an important edible species in Japan.
There are 19 cosmopolitan species of Lepista. L. nuda and L. saeva are edible species. A variable mushroom, it is found mostly in forests in late summer and autumn. Among the 25 species of Hebelotna, which resemble Tricholoma, is H. crustuliniforme, the poison pie fungus, so called because the colour of the cap resembles a baked pie crust. Drops of water form on the gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap when the mushroom is fresh and moist. It is found on open ground in fall.
The 80 species of Hypholoma, which also resemble Tricholoma, are found especially on wood. H. fasciculare, commonly known as sulfur tuft fungus, is inedible and occurs on old tree stumps in autumn. Its yellow cap becomes greenish with age.
