From O.K. Miller’s monograph:
“Pileus 1-8(-12) cm broad, obtuse to convex, in age turbinate to subumbonate, glabrous at first, viscid, marginal area in some obscurely appressed fibrillose, squamulose in age, orange-red, dingy orange-ochraceous, darkening overall to dark yellow-brown “Saccardo’s umber” to “bister.” Context orange in buttons to very pale buff “pale ochraceous-buff” or pale salmon with an “ochraceous salmon” flush over the disk in age. Odor and taste not distinctive. Lamellae subdistant to distant, decurrent, broad, pale dingy ochraceous, dingy orange ,ochraceous, buff or concolorous with the cap, clouded smoky brown with spores in age.
Stipe 5-10 cm long, 0.6-2(-6) cm wide narrowing downward, pale ochraceous, orange-buff to vinaceous red in age with an ochraceous fibrillous dry veil which becomes more orange than the ground color in age, mycelium at base “ochraceous-buff.” Context “orange” to “ochraceous-buff” throughout, becoming spongy and vinaceous red where injured.
Spores 17-23 × 4.5-7.5 µ, elliptical in face view, subfusiform in profile, at first gray-brown in KOH fading with time to near hyaline, in Melzer’s solution yellow to ochraceous.
Hymenium: Basidia 41-57 X 10-15 µ, clavate, hyaline in KOH, in Melzer’s solution hyaline to yellowish becoming ochraceous to weakly dextrinoid near subhymenium in crushed mounts.
Cystidia 112-164 × 13-19.5 µ, fusoid-ventricose, narrowly clavate to narrowly fusiform, thick-walled, (wall reaching 5-7.5 µ at thickest part). thickening toward middle of cystidium, the thickened wall light to dark amyloid in some cystidia but in KOH hyaline to yellow-brown. Caulocystidia absent, scattered or abundant, 60-76 X 12-14.5 µ, narrowly clavate, with somewhat thickened walls, in KOH hyaline, incrusted with dark brown material. Tissues: Cuticle of pileus of appressed, gelatinous, hyaline hyphae 6-7 µ in diam, and light yellow-brown in KOH; scattered weakly amyloid hyphae. Trama of pileus of interwoven hyphae 6-14 µ in diam, darkly amyloid throughout (in crushed mounts light yellow-brown within but with amyloid walls.) Gill trama hyaline flecked with yellow-brown in KOH, the hyphae darkly amyloid, but as observed in crushed mounts with yellow-brown content and amyloid walls. Subhymenium in Melzer’s solution ochraceous to weakly dextrinoid, in crushed mounts some hyphae hyaline, others with weakly amyloid walls. No clamp connections seen on hyphae of the carpophores. Amyloid hyphae present around buttons.
Habit and Habitat. Terrestrial, solitary to gregarious or sometimes cespitose, recorded under Pinus radiata, P. taeda, P. banksiana, P. contorta, P. monticola, P. murrayana, P. resinosa, P. rigida, and P. virginiana. Other conifer such as Tsuga heterophylla, Pseudotsuga taxifolia, Thuja plicata, Picea sp., and Larix laricina have also been in many habitats. Throughout most of its range fruiting occurs from late August through early October. In northern California, however, it fruits from late July to April. This is the longest fruiting period known for any member of the Gomphidiaceae.
Distribution. Widespread in USA and Canada, from Maine to Washington,south to California, Utah, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina.
Observations. This is one of two species which have amyloid trama, viscid pileus cuticle, and thick-walled cystidia. It differs from C. jamaicensis in having slightly longer spores, somewhat wider cuticular hyphae, and somewhat thicker cystidial walls.
Fresh material of Chroogomphus vinicolor Pk. ssp. californicus Singer from California has been carefully examined. Aside from the larger size of the carpophores as is well illustrated by comparing the two collections pictured in FIG. 3, the other characters mentioned by Singer (1949) were not substantiated. In particular it was noted that the cystidia, though numerous, varied considerably but were not any more abundant than on very small carpophores (e.g., 0. K. Miller 2083) collected in northern Montana under Pinus contorta. Variation in size is not uncommon in the species of the genus Chroogomphus and with no other consistent differences apparent after close macroscopic and microscopic examination, this subspecies has not been retained. The high rainfall and long growing season along the California and Oregon coast is known to produce relatively large carpophores of many species of agarics."
Gomphidius vinicolor n. sp.
Pileus thick, fleshy, convex or nearly plane, viscid, dark red, becoming blackish in drying; lamellae distant, decurrent, olive brown or blackish when mature; stem subequal, glabrous, solid, vinous red, paler within; spores oblong-fusiform, .0007 to .0008 in. long, .00024 to .0003 broad.
Pileus 1 to 2.5 in. broad; stem 1.5 to 2.5 in. long, 2 to 4 lines thick.
Under pine trees. Lake Mohonk. October.
This species is closely related to Gomphidius roseus, from which it differs in the color of the stem, lamellae and flesh. The gluten of the pileus becomes blackish in drying and sometimes separates in a radiating manner, revealing the reddish color of the surface of the pileus. The mature lamellae appear velvety when viewed by the aid of a lens. This is due to the abundance of the prominent spores that cover their surfaces.
Gomphidius vinicolor Peck, 51 Rep. State N. York 1898, p. 291. — Pileo crasso, carnoso, convexo vel subplano, viscido, obscure rubro, in sicco nigrescente; stipite subæquali, glabro, solido, vinicolore, intus pallidiore; lamellis distantibus, decurrentibus, olivaceo-brunneis v. in maturitate nigrescentibus; sporis oblongo-fusiformibus, 18-21 × 6-8.
Hab. add terram sub Pinis, Lake Mohonk Amer. bor. — Pileus 4-6½ cm. longus, ½-1 cm. crassus. G. roseo valde affinis, differt colore stipitis et lamellarum.
Chroogomphus ochraceus
Chroogomphus rutilus
Chroogomphus jamaicensis
Edible.
Chroogomphus vinicolor, commonly known as the wine-cap Chroogomphus or the pine spike, is a species of mushroom in the family Gomphidiaceae. Found in North America and the Dominican Republic, mushrooms grow on the ground under pine trees. Fruit bodies have reddish-brown, shiny caps atop tapered stems. The gills are thick, initially pale orange before turning blackish, and extend a short way down the length of the stem. Although the mushroom is edible, and sold in local markets in Mexico, it is not highly rated. Distinguishing this species from some other similar Chroogomphus species is difficult, as their morphology is similar, and cap coloration is too variable to be a reliable characteristic. C. vinicolor is differentiated from the European C. rutilus and the North American C. ochraceus by the thickness of its cystidial walls.
The species was first described as Gomphidius vinicolor in 1898 by American mycologist Charles Horton Peck, based on specimens collected near Lake Mohonk in Ulster County, New York. Peck noted a resemblance to Gomphidius roseus, which he thought was closely related.[2] It was transferred to the newly created genus Chroogomphus by Orson K. Miller, Jr. in 1964.[3]
Molecular analysis of internal transcribed spacer DNA sequences shows that C. vinicolor groups in a clade with the closely related C. jamaicensis and C. pseudovinicolor. All of these species feature darkly-amyloid flesh and thick-walled cystidia. Based on this analysis, Miller considered C. jamaicensis to be insufficiently distinct genetically from C. vinicolor to warrant designation as a separate species; however, as of 2012, both MycoBank and Index Fungorum list it as a valid species.[4][5]
The specific epithet vinicolor means "wine-colored". It is commonly known as the "wine-cap Chroogomphus" or the "pine spike".[6]
The fruit body of C. vinicolor has caps that are initially conical to convex before later flattening out, sometimes developing a small umbo, or a central depression; the caps measure 2–10 cm (3⁄4–3+7⁄8 in) wide.[7] Its color is highly variable, ranging from wine-red to reddish-brown to orange-brown or yellow-brown.[6] Wine-red stains develop where the surface has dried or become rotten.[7] The smooth cap surface is shiny, somewhat sticky when wet, and often radially streaked. The flesh is thick and orangish to ochraceous in color; its taste and odor have been variously described as "not distinctive"[6] or "pleasant".[8] The thick gills are decurrent (attached to and extending a short ways down the stem), well spaced, ochraceous buff to pale orange when young, but turning to blackish after the spores mature.[6] In his original description, Peck noted that the gills, when viewed with a hand lens, "appear velvety due to the abundant spores".[2] The fruit bodies are initially covered with a thin, web-like partial veil that soon disappears as the cap expands. The cylindrical stem measures 2.5–15 cm (1–6 in) long by 0.2–2 cm (1⁄8–3⁄4 in) thick, and taper towards the base.[7] It is ochraceous to wine red or reddish-brown with a dry, smooth to fibrillose surface. The partial veil sometimes leaves an indistinct, thin fibrous ring on the upper stem.[6]
The spore print is greyish-black. The spores are narrowly elliptical to spindle-shaped, smooth, and measure 17–23 by 4.5–7.5 μm.[6] The cystidia are somewhat spindle-shaped or narrowly club-shaped, and measure 112–164 by 13–20 µm. They have characteristically thick walls, up to 7.5 µm wide in the middle portion.[9]
Although the mushroom is edible, and is often free of insect damage, it is not highly recommended,[10] "except as "fillers" to include with the more flavorful species".[6] The flavor may improve with drying.[10][11] C. vinicolor mushrooms are sold in local markets at Tetela del Volcan in the state of Morelos, Mexico.[12] There is a report of this species causing a contact sensitivity, in which an individual who had handled the mushroom developed a burning sensation in the eyes and an itchy rash on the eyelid after rubbing the eyes.[13][14]
Two other Chroogomphus species with a morphology and coloration similar to C. vinicolor include C. rutilus and C. ochraceous. C. vinicolor is most reliably distinguished from these on the basis of having thick-walled cystidia (up to 5–7.5 μm at the widest part).[9] The other two species have been separated on the basis of color, with C. ochraceous having brighter colors (yellowish-orange to ochraceous) than C. rutilus. Molecular analyses of European and North American collections suggest that C. rutilus is restricted to Europe, C. ochraceous only occurs in North America, and that cap coloration cannot be reliably used for species determination.[15]
Another nearly identical species is C. jamaicensis, found in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the Greater Antilles. It is distinguished microscopically by its slightly smaller spores measuring 17–20 by 4.5–6 μm, cystidia with more uniformly thickened walls up to 5 μm thick, and cuticular hyphae that measure 2–5 μm wide.[16] The fruit bodies of C. pseudovinicolor are more robust, with wooly or scaly reddish stems up to 5 cm (2 in) thick. Further, this species tends to produce spore prints that are greener than those of C. vinicolor.[17] Another similar-looking species is C. tomentosus.[17]
Some toxic Cortinarius species are similar in appearance, but can be recognized by their rusty brown spores.[17]
The mycorrhizal fungus sometimes fruits singly, but more often in scattered or groups on the ground under pines and other conifers. Fruiting usually occurs in the cooler weather of later summer and autumn.[6] In coastal California, however, fruiting occurs in winter.[9] It is often found near Suillus luteus and Suillus brevipes,[6] and is known to parasitize the mycelium of both those and the truffle-like Rhizopogon species.[17] Chroogomphus vinicolor has a widespread range in North America,[18] extending south to Mexico.[12][19] It has also been recorded from the Dominican Republic.[20]
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) Chroogomphus vinicolor, commonly known as the wine-cap Chroogomphus or the pine spike, is a species of mushroom in the family Gomphidiaceae. Found in North America and the Dominican Republic, mushrooms grow on the ground under pine trees. Fruit bodies have reddish-brown, shiny caps atop tapered stems. The gills are thick, initially pale orange before turning blackish, and extend a short way down the length of the stem. Although the mushroom is edible, and sold in local markets in Mexico, it is not highly rated. Distinguishing this species from some other similar Chroogomphus species is difficult, as their morphology is similar, and cap coloration is too variable to be a reliable characteristic. C. vinicolor is differentiated from the European C. rutilus and the North American C. ochraceus by the thickness of its cystidial walls.
