Macrolepiota & Lepiota

Appears in
Mushrooms

By Roger Phillips

Published 2006

  • About
There have been many taxonomic changes in what used to be the rather composite genus Lepiota. The larger species have moved to Macrolepiota, and amongst the small Lepiotas there have also been many shifts, with some species moving to Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus. The common name Dapperling has been adopted for the majority of species. Typically all the genera in this complex have rings; the large ones have a ring that is easily detachable and will move up and down the stem. The colour and type of scales on the cap are important. The gills are normally free from the stem and white or whitish. Smells are important in some cases, others have flesh that turns red or discolours when cut or bruised.