The Dung Roundhead (Stropharia semiglobata) is a common little mushroom of horse, cow and sheep dung. Its pale yellow cap stays neatly hemispherical, like half a ball, and is sticky when wet. The gills turn from grey to dark purplish-black as the spores mature, and the slender pale stem carries a thin ring that is soon stained dark by falling spores and often collapses, with the stem very sticky below it.
It fruits from late spring into early winter on dung and manured grassland. The Egghead Mottlegill (Panaeolus semiovatus) also grows on dung but has an egg-shaped cap and a black spore print. It is now often placed in the genus Protostropharia. It is not recommended for eating.
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Distribution
Widespread and common
Habitat
On dung of horses, sheep, cows etc.
Etymology
Stropharia is from the Greek strophos, 'belt', after the ring on the stem. semiglobata is Latin for 'half-globe', after the rounded cap.
Cap
The cap is 1-4.5 cm across, hemispherical to conical, convex and rarely flattening much. The smooth surface is buff-yellow to cream or white, viscid when wet and shiny when dry.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex, Parabolic, Conical |
| Surface | Smooth |
| Width | 1 - 4.5 cm |
Gills
Crowded, grey at first and becoming dark purplish-black as the spores mature.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Sinuate |
| Spacing | crowded |
Flesh
The flesh is thin, brittle and white, and does not noticeably change colour when cut or bruised. It has no distinctive smell.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Not distinctive |
Stem
With a thin membranous ring which soon collapses. Very viscid below the ring.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Height | 3 - 15 cm |
| Width | 2 - 5 mm |
| Texture | Viscid |
Spores
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Ellipsoid |
| Ornamentation | Smooth |
| Size | 15.5-21 x 9-11.5 μm |
Microscopic Features
Pleurocystidia are present as clavate-mucronate chrysocystidia, and the cheilocystidia are lageniform.
| Cheilocystidia | Lageniform |
|---|---|
| Pleurocystidia | Clavate |
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Agaricales
- ↳ Family: Strophariaceae
- ↳ Genus: Stropharia
Synonyms
- Agaricus semiglobatus Batsch
- Agaricus stercorarius Schumach.
- Agaricus virosus Sowerby
- Coprinus semiglobatus (Batsch) Gray
- Protostropharia semiglobata (Batsch) Redhead, Moncalvo & Vilgalys
- Psilocybe semiglobata (Batsch) Noordel.
- Stropharia semiglobata (Batsch ex Fr.) Quel.
- Stropharia semiglobata var. stercoraria (Schum. ex Fr.) J. Lange
- Stropharia semiglobata var. stercoraria (Schumach.) Bon
- Stropharia semiglobata var. stercoraria (Schumach.) J.E. Lange
- Stropharia stercoraria
- Stropharia stercoraria (Schumach.) Quél.
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
R. Phillips (2006) Mushrooms. Macmillan.
G. Kibby (2021) Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe Vol. 3. Geoffrey Kibby.
Genus Stropharia
No other species found in this genus.
