Parrot Mushroom

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

Parrot Mushroom is small, slimy, waxcap mushroom. It is widespread in North America but not very common in Minnesota. It grows on the ground on damp soil or humus, often on a covering of moss or mossy roadside embankment, in deciduous and coniferous forests. It may be found singly, scattered, or in small groups. It is very slimy, so much so that it may be hard to pluck. It is easy to identify when young, difficult to identify when mature.

The cap is ⅜″ to 13 ⁄16″ in diameter. When it first appears it is bell-shaped to hemispheric; slimy when moist; shiny, even when dry; and dark green to bright green or olive green. As it ages it flattens out and fades to orangish-yellow from the center out. Mature specimens are broadly convex, parasol-like, sometimes with a bump in the middle (umbonate); and orangish-yellow with a thinly-lined darker margin. The flesh is thin and whitish.

The stalk is ¾″ to 19 ⁄16″ long, sometimes longer, and 1 ⁄16″ to 3 ⁄16″thick. It is hollow, slimy when moist, and greenish when young, fading to yellowish-orange as it matures.

There is no universal veil.

The gills are thick, well spaced, waxy, and soft. They are green at first, fading as they age with the cap. They often retain some greenish tint when the cap shows no trace of green. They are broadly attached and may very slightly run down the stalk, but sometimes they pull away from the stalk. The sport print is white.

It is edible but insubstantial and slimy.

Deciduous and coniferous forests

Spring through fall

Sources

4, 7, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

Widespread but not common

Parrot Mushroom was formerly classified as Hygrocybe psittacina and Hygrophorus psittacinus. A molecular phylogenetics study in 2011 determined that it should be placed in the genus Gliophorus. Specimens identified as Gliophorus psittacinus have a very high DNA sequence diversity, indicating that Gliophorus psittacinus is a species group. In Europe, Greenland, and Newfoundland, it is abundant in grasslands. In North America, it is less abundant and is found in forests. Future study may separate this into several species.

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Location: Chanhassen,  MN