Slimy spike-cap

Appearance

Said to resemble a child's top, the mushroom has a dark brownish or greyish cap up to 12 cm in diameter; it has a central boss and an inrolled margin, and is initially convex and later flattens and may develop blackish markings. As with other members of the genus, the whole mushroom is often covered with slimy or sticky veil when young. The fungus tears free of the veil as it grows, leaving some strands and an indistinct ring. The stipe is 3.5–10 cm high and 1–2 cm wide, and is white with a greyish tint and often flushed yellow at the base. The whitish flesh may have a wine-coloured tinge and has little taste or smell. The widely spaced decurrent gills are waxy in texture, with a hairy surface from the cystidia. Sometimes branched, they are initially whitish, then grey and later blackening with spores, and the spore print is brownish-black. The large spores are spindle-shaped and measure 17–20 μm long by 5.5–6 μm wide.

Brownish specimens may be mistaken at a glance for ''Suillus luteus'', but a quick look under the cap will see there are gills rather than pores. Another similar species is ''Hygrophorus hypothejus'', found in similar habitat though with yellow gills which do not separate from the cap.

Distribution

''Gomphidius glutinosus'' is found in Europe & North America where it occurs in autumn under pine and fir trees, both in natural woods and plantations, generally singularly or scattered. Fruiting bodies sprout in the autumn.

Habitat

''Gomphidius glutinosus'' is found in Europe & North America where it occurs in autumn under pine and fir trees, both in natural woods and plantations, generally singularly or scattered. Fruiting bodies sprout in the autumn.Like other members of the family Gomphidiaceae, ''Gomphidius glutinosus '' has been thought to be ectomycorrhizal, forming symbiotic relationship with their host trees. However, there is now evidence that many species in this group are parasitic upon ectomycorrhizal boletes, in relationships that are often highly species-specific, such as ''Gomphidius roseus'' upon ''Suillus bovinus''.

Two specimens of ''Gomphidius glutinosus'' were found in Brechfa Forest on the 25th Of July 2009. The only boletus to be found in the vicinity was ''Suillus grevillei''.

''G. glutinosus'' is a "hyper-accumulating" fungus that absorbs and concentrates elements such as cesium more than 10,000-fold over background levels. This property can be used to decontaminate sites contaminated with radioactive cesium-137.