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- ›Squamanitaceae
- ›Cystoderma
Golden Cap
Cystoderma aureum
Phaeolepiota is a genus of fungi in the family Squamanitaceae. The genus is monotypic, containing the single species Phaeolepiota aurea. Commonly known as Alaskan gold, Alaska gold, golden bootleg or golden cap, P. aurea is an agaric (gilled mushroom) found throughout North America and Eurasia – often in groups and next to nettles.
From the article Phaeolepiota on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The mushroom is large and golden, and its stem has a skirt-like ring. The cap is up to 20 centimetres (8 in) wide and the stem up to 20 cm long. It has a mild smell. The spores are brown, producing a tannish spore print.
Similar species. It can resemble Cystoderma fallax, C. granosum, Gymnopilus spectabilis, and Agrocybe praecox.
Range & habitat
It is found throughout North America and Eurasia – often in groups and next to nettles.
Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”
At the table
The fruit bodies have been considered edible and are eaten in Russia and China. It is not, however, recommended for consumption as it is known to cause gastrointestinal upset. Studies have shown that this fungus contains unacceptable amounts of both cadmium and cyanide compounds. Cooking reduces the concentration of the cyanide compounds present, which may be the reason why it has been consumed in some countries.
Wikipedia: “Edibility”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Cystoderma aureum in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 790781.