European Matsutake

Appearance

Cap: 4–11 cm across; convex at first, becoming broadly convex or nearly flat; dry; streaked with brown over a whitish ground color; with age becoming somewhat fibrillose-scaly; the margin often adorned with fibrillose white veil material when young, and not becoming lined at maturity.

Gills: Narrowly attached to the stem, or notched; close or nearly crowded; short-gills frequent; white to creamy, becoming a little yellowish or brownish with old age; when young covered by a white, fibrillose partial veil.

Stem: 4–8 cm long; 1–2 cm thick; more or less equal above a tapered base; white and very finely shaggy-zoned above the ring; sheathed with a streaked to scaly brown covering below the ring; dry; ring sturdy, flaring, with a white upper edge and a brownish lower edge.

Flesh: White in the cap but often grayish to gray in the stem with age; not changing on exposure.

Odor and Taste: Odor not distinctive; taste bitter, or not distinctive.

Naming

The name caligatum (Latin: 'boot') refers to the appearance of the mushroom, which looks like it is wearing a boot due to the presence of dark fibrils on the lower portion of the stem.

Distribution

Tricholoma caligatum is a European and North African species. North American reports of this fungus likely represent a different species.

Habitat

Mycorrhizal with hardwoods, especially oaks; growing scattered or gregariously in autumn