Tricholomas of North America by Alan E. Bessette

Author:Alan E. Bessette
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: 2012-03-20T16:00:00+00:00

T. luteomaculosum TN

Tricholoma magnivelare (Peck) Redhead

MATSUTAKE, PINE MUSHROOM, AMERICAN MATSUTAKE, WHITE MATSUTAKE

CAP: 5–20 cm wide, convex when young, becoming broadly convex to plane; margin cottony and inrolled initially; surface dry, white to whitish and nearly smooth at first, soon developing flattened fibers which aggregate into squamules; squamules becoming yellowish brown to reddish brown, especially on the disc.

FLESH: white; very firm, dense; odor variously described as aromatic, spicy-sweet like cinnamon Red Hots candy, like old gym socks, or a mix of the above; taste mild.

GILLS: slightly sinuate to adnexed, crowded to close; white to whitish, often staining brownish in age; covered by a thick, white, cottony-membranous partial veil when young.

STALK: 4–15 cm long, 1.3–5 cm thick, nearly equal or often tapered downward, usually with a pointed base, dry, solid, sheathed by a white veil from the base up to a thick cottony ring, veil breaking into patches and becoming reddish brown as cap expands; ring white on the upper surface, reddish brown below.

MICROSCOPIC FEATURES: spores 5–7 × 4.5–5.5 μm, broadly elliptic.

OCCURRENCE: solitary, scattered, or in groups under conifers, usually on nutrient-poor soils such as dune sands; widely distributed in North America but is most common on the West Coast where it occurs in quantities large enough to support commercial harvesting.

EDIBILITY: edible and considered choice by many, but mediocre by others.

COMMENTS: Tricholoma magnivelare is one of the more widely sought-after fungi in the West, both as a recreational and commercial commodity. Formerly known as Armillaria ponderosa Peck, it is recognized by the stocky stature, overall white color, often with brown fibrils or scales on cap and lower stalk, thick stalk that usually tapers to a pointed base and bears a large cottony ring, and firm flesh with a characteristic spicy odor. The very similar T. matsutake (S. Ito and S. Imai) Singer is enormously popular in Japan and large quantities of matsutake collected in western North America are imported to satisfy the demand, creating an important conservation and sociological issue there. The volatile spicy odor (famously described by David Arora as a cross between cinnamon Red Hots candy and dirty socks) demands that the mushroom be used in simple dishes and not over-cooked. Results of molecular studies (Chapela and Garbelotto 2004) suggest that there are three main evolutionary lineages comprising the matsutakes: one from the western United States and Canada, one from Mexico (perhaps extending into Central America), and a third extending from the eastern United States and Canada across Europe and into Asia. Thus, it is possible that three or more species of matsutake exist in North America. Matsutake is most likely to be confused with T. caligatum (p. 50), which usually is smaller and more slender, has darker brown colors, usually lacks the spicy to fragrant odor, and often has a bitter taste; or with Catathelasma imperiale and C. ventricosum, both of which are pale colored and have white spores, prominent (double) rings, very firm texture, and pointed stalk bases. However, both of the latter species lack matsutake’s spicy odor and have an overall coloration with more gray than warm brown tones.

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