Deer Shield
A large mushroom that grows from dead wood with a dark cap and noticeable radish-like smell.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Deer Shield (EN), Tarian Carw (CY), Drobnołuszczak Jeleni (PL), Barna Csengettyűgomba (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Pluteus cervinus |
| Synonyms | Pluteus atricapillus |
| Season Start | Apr |
| Season End | Nov |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 5-10 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 3-14 |
Cap:
Bell-shaped at first then convex, later flattening with a broad umbo. Pale to dark brown, sepia to dark umber with radiating streaks. Viscid when moist, shiny when dry.
Gills:
Crowded, free from the stem and fairly deep. Whitish at first turning pink, later dull to dark flesh pink.
Stem:
Cylindrical, more or less straight, slightly swollen at the base. Whitish, greyish white, pale brownish, becoming streaked with dark brown fibres. It is easily removable from cap.
Flesh:
Thin, soft and juicy in cap, fibrous in stem, white.
Habitat:
On dead wood of hardwoods, and rarely on conifers, sometimes on wood chips and sawdust. Growing solitary
Taste / Smell:
Taste and smell like radish (raphanoid).
Frequency:
Common and widespread all over the UK.
Spores:
Pink. Broadly ellipsoid, smooth, thin walled.