Cystogomphus Singer
Fruitbodies with chroogomphoid outline with hymenophore of gills. Veil fugacious composed of spherocysts, leaving scaly remnants on the cap surface and ring on the stipe. Cystidia large, up to 150 μm long.
Cystogomphus humblotii Singer
Description
Fruitbodies with fugacious veil, its remnants seen on the cap surface and on the upper part of the stipe. Cap up to 6 cm, globose when young, then convex to depressed in old fruitbodies, creamy orange to cinnabar red, dry, covered with granular remnants of the veil. Stipe cylindrical to spindle-shaped, similarly coloured as the cap, with a ring. Flesh whitish, darkening in the lower part of the stipe when exposed to air. Gills purplish, with whitish margin. Smell of aniseed. Taste bittersweet. Spores 18–21 × 6–7 μm.
Habitat. In stands of exotic conifers, mycorrhizal association unknown.
Distribution. Known only from the type collection from France (Vincennes near Paris, gardens of the race tracks).
Similarity. Similar to the species of Chroogomphus, but recognized by the veil composed of rounded cells (spherocysts).
Note. Enigmatic bolete showing unique combination of characters in Gomphidiaceae. It has been found only once (12.10.1924) in the above locality and never seen since, neither in Europe nor in any other continent. In addition the type specimen is likely extant. New collections are desperately needed. Should such new findings occur they must be carefully preserved and reported.
Photographs
No photographs of this bolete are known at all. Colour illustration is published by Humblot (1926) and line drawings appear in Horak (1968), the later reproduced also in Watling (2009).
Important literature
Horak, E. 1968. Synopsis generum Agaricalium. – Beiträge zur Kryptogamenflora der Schweiz 13: 1–741.
Humblot, M.R. 1926. Note sur deux espèces américaines récoltées aux environs de Paris. – Bulletin Trimestriel de la Société Mycologique de France 42: 75–80.
Miller, O.K. 1971. The genus Gomphidius with a revised description of the Gomphidiaceae and a key to the genera. – Mycologia 63: 1129–1163. (available online)
Singer, R. 1942. Das System des Agaricales. II. – Annales Mycologici 40: 51–59.
Watling, R. 2009. A manual and source book on the boletes and their allies. – In: Synopsis Fungorum. Vol. 24. Pp. 1–248. Fungiflora, Oslo.