Entolomataceae | |
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E. sinuatum Piacenza's Appennino, Italy |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Basidiomycota |
Class: | Agaricomycetes |
Order: | Agaricales |
Family: |
Entolomataceae Kotl. & Pouzar (1972) |
Type genus | |
Entoloma (Fr.) P.Kumm.(1871) |
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Genera | |
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Clitopilopsis
Clitopilus
Entoloma
Rhodocybe
Rhodocybella
Rhodogaster
Rhodophana
Richoniella
The Entolomataceae, also known as Rhodophyllaceae, are a large family of pink-spored terrestrial gilled mushrooms which includes the genera Entoloma, Rhodocybe, and Clitopilus. The family collectively contains over 1500 species, the large majority of which are in Entoloma. Genera formerly known as Leptonia and Nolanea, amongst others, have been subsumed into Entoloma. Mushrooms in the Entolomataceae typically grow in woodlands or grassy areas and have attached gills, differentiating them from the Pluteaceae, which have free gills.
The very large family Entolomataceae has a cosmopolitan distribution, and species are common in both temperate and tropical climates. Although the shape of the fruiting body and many microscopic characteristics are very diverse, it forms a well-defined group due to the distinctive spores: the spore print is pink (or brownish or greyish pink) and the spores are ornamented with bumps or ridges, or have a sharp-pointed polygonal cross-section. The spore ornamentation is formed by a unique form of spore-wall thickening, which is called the epicorium.
One notable member is the edible Miller mushroom (Clitopilus prunulus). Many members of the Entolomataceae are poisonous and most are very obscure and difficult to identify properly. Examples are the poisonous type species of Entoloma, Entoloma sinuatum, found in Europe and North America, and E. rhodopolium in Europe and Japan.