Sculpted knight (Tricholoma scalpturatum)
Index Fungorum Tricholoma scalpturatum (Fr.) Quél.
MycoBank Tricholoma scalpturatum (Fr.) Quél.
Silvery knight, Engraved knight.
Scalptūrātus, -a, -um — carved, engraved. From scalptura, -ae f. 1) carving, engraving; 2) carved work, carving + -ātus.
Agaricus chrysites Jungh., Linnaea 5: 388 (1830)
Tricholoma chrysites (Jungh.) Quél., Hyménomycètes: 98 (1874)
Tricholoma argyraceum subsp. chrysites (Jungh.) Sacc., Syll. Fung. 5: 104 (1887)
Agaricus argyraceus var. chrysites (Jungh.) Cooke, Illustrations of British Fungi (Hymenomycetes) 8: No. 1119, tab. 947 (1891)
Gyrophila argyracea var. chrysites (Jungh.) Quél., Enchiridion Fungorum in Europa media et praesertim in Gallia Vigentium: 13 (1886)
Agaricus flavorufus Pers., Mycologia Europaea 3: 180 (1828)
Sculpted knight refers to a whole group of closely related species; at the amateur level, reliably distinguishing them is impossible, and few people actually need to.
3–9 cm in diameter, rounded; convex in young mushrooms, becoming flattened with a small central umbo in mature specimens. In overmature specimens, the cap becomes completely flat, with margins slightly curving upward. Margins wavy; undulations become more pronounced with age; cracks and tears may occur in overmature mushrooms. The cap is covered with small scales that differ in shade from the flesh and form fine dark streaks on the surface. In wet weather, the cap becomes slightly sticky and shiny; in dry weather, matte and velvety. Color light gray, sometimes grayish-brown or silvery-brown. Small lemon-yellow spots may appear on the light surface.
Gills frequent, broad, fragile and brittle, adnate with a tooth. In young mushrooms, light-colored: silvery-gray or dirty whitish. With age, the gills begin to yellow near the center; in overmature specimens, the spore-bearing layer is covered with large, irregular yellowish-brown spots.
4–6 cm long, 0.4–1 cm in diameter, cylindrical, without thickening, often curved, solid (without hollows). Surface covered with fine, clearly visible fibers, appearing silky and matte. Small flap-like remnants resembling a veil are often visible on the stipe. Color light gray or dirty white; with age, the stipe darkens and develops spots.
In the cap: brittle, fragile; in the stipe: dense, fibrous. Becomes tough with age.
Rather strong, floury-"dusty", sometimes with a resinous note, sharp.
Spore print white. Spores broadly ellipsoid.
Terrestrial-litter mycorrhiza-former with coniferous trees. Grows in scattered or dense groups, sometimes in tight clusters, often forming "fairy rings", on soil among grass in forests, at forest edges, along clearings and roadsides; also occurs in parks and urban areas. Rather common. Distributed almost everywhere.
Earthy knight (Tricholoma terreum) is a variable species, whose light-colored forms resemble T. scalpturatum. It is a species with high ecological plasticity, and the habitats of these two species often overlap. It differs by a less pronounced floury odor, generally darker cap coloration (up to asphalt-gray), and sometimes grayish gills. Microscopically, it is well distinguished by spore size.
Pointed knight (Tricholoma virgatum) is usually a larger mushroom with a distinctly sharp central umbo on the cap.
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