Scientific name
Rhodotus palmatus
Description
Rosy veincap mushroom is a delicate and beautiful mushroom with a pinkish hue characterized by the ridged and veined texture of its caps. They change their color which depends on the quantity of light absorbed during the growth phase. Their fruit bodies have a cap and a stalk without a ring. Initially, the cap has a convex shape but becomes flattened somewhat with age and commonly attains widths of about 2- 6 cm. The cap margins are rolled downwards, and the surface of the cap often has a visible network of faintly colored veins or ridges that border deep and narrow channels or pits a condition known technically as reticulate.
They have pink-colored gills that are moderately packed, and adnate to nearly free. From the edge of the cap, their gills do not completely reach the stem. They have light creamy to pink colored spores that are spherical and have warts on their surface. They have a pink-colored stem that is coated in a delicate light pink to white vertical strands or threads. The stem usually develops horizontally from the timber and bends vertically, and it can ‘bleed’ crimson blood drops. It can have a somewhat bulbous base. The skin is light pink and stretchy. it is inedible because it is bitter, unpleasant, and rubbery in texture.
Habitat
Rosy veincap mushroom is saprobic, which means it derives nutrition from decaying organic materials. It grows in tiny groups dispersed or clustered on decaying woods such as hardwood, elm, and maple. They are native to Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. The mushroom prefers logs of low-lying regions that are occasionally wet and get minimal sunshine, including such areas shadowed by the forest canopy. It is a pioneer and dominant species in the fungal families that grow on dead wood, preferring to develop on reasonably undamaged substrates. It is frequently seen growing on pitch-black wood, particularly the dried-out top sections of logs which have shed their bark.
Uses/Importance
Rosy veincap mushrooms is playing important role in an ecosystem as they are saprobic in nature and provide nutrients to plants and soil. These mushrooms also contain chemical compounds that are responsible for the inhibition of many human clinical infectious agents or pathogens. These mushrooms have antibacterial and antifungal potential.
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