Cystoderma amianthinum
species of fungus
Cystoderma amianthinum, commonly called the common powdercap, saffron parasol, the saffron powder-cap, or the earthy powder-cap, is a small orange-ochre, or yellowish-brown, gilled mushroom. It grows in damp mossy grassland, in coniferous forest clearings, or on wooded heaths. It is probably the most common of the small genus Cystoderma. It is not recommended for consumption due to its resemblance to poisonous species.
Taxonomy
Cystoderma amianthinum was first noted by the Italian-Austrian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, who called it Agaricus amianthinus in 1772. The present generic name Cystoderma was erected by Swiss mycologist Victor Fayod in 1889, and is roughly translated as 'blistered skin', and is probably a reference to the appearance of the pellicle (cap skin).
Description
The cap is between 1 and 5 cm (0.5 and 2 in) in diameter, convex to bell-shaped, and later flat with a slight depression around a low umbo (central boss). It is dry and powdery, often with a shaggy or fringed margin (appendiculate), and is saffron-yellow or orange-ochre. The stem is cylindrical, and has a flaky-granular sheath beneath a fleeting, powdery ring. The gills are white initially, and become creamy later.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Cystoderma amianthinum” is species of fungus. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Cystoderma, amianthinum and species, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “species of fungus” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 19, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q470766. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1772 and 1889.
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This entry incorporates text from “Cystoderma amianthinum” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.