Thrive on pine heaths
So far the Japanese fungus has been found on sparse pine heaths and flat-rock forests from Ume to Gllivare in northern Sweden, as well as in Dalarna in the middle of the country. The reason why it did not previously attract attention is partly that it was lumped together with related species, and partly that nobody made the link with hon-shimeji. Finds in Norway and Finland suggest that the fungus is probably found throughout the taiga belt of boreal forest from Scandinavia to China and Japan, and maybe even in other areas with a temperate climate and pine forests, such as Scotland, Canada, the USA and Central Europe.
Season in August
The Swedish hon-shimeji probably forms fruiting bodies from August through to the first frosts. It is similar in appearance to its closest relatives, Lyophyllum fumosum and Lyophyllum decastes, but does not grow in such big clusters and often has a thicker stem which swells towards the base and sparser gills.
Its discovery in Sweden is reported in Sundberg's thesis on systematics and biodiversity at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg, and will be featured in a future issue of Swedish journal Svensk Mykologisk Tidskrift.
Shimeji
Shimeji is an umbrella name for more than 20 different fungi and translates roughly as "mushrooms that grow in deep forest during the rainy season". These include species from several different genera, including Tricholoma, Lyophyllum, Hypsizygus and Clitocybe.
Next to the matsutake, the hon-shimeji is th
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| Contact: Henrik Sundberg hesund@yahoo.se 46-703-943-523 University of Gothenburg Source:Eurekalert |