Rhodotus is a genus of just one mushroom species, Rhodotus palmatus, known as the rosy veincap or wrinkled peach. Typically found growing on the stumps and logs of rotting hardwoods, mature specimens may usually be identified by the pinkish color and the distinctive ridged and veined surface of their rubbery caps, though the size, shape, and color can vary depending on the quantity and shades of light received during development. This uncommon species has been collected in eastern North America, northern Africa, Europe, and Asia. Declining populations in Europe have led to its appearance in over half of the European fungal Red Lists of threatened species. First named Agaricus palmatus by Bulliard in 1785, it was reclassified into several different genera before becoming Rhodotus in 1926. The familial placement of the genus Rhodotus within the order Agaricales has also been subject to dispute, and the taxon has been transferred variously to the families Amanitaceae, Entolomataceae, and Tricholomataceae. Molecular phylogenetics analysis has helped determine that Rhodotus is most closely related to genera in the Physalacriaceae. (Full article...)
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