User:Mrb048/Omphalotus olearius
 | This is the sandbox page where you will draft your initial Wikipedia contribution.
If you're starting a new article, you can develop it here until it's ready to go live. If you're working on improvements to an existing article, copy only one section at a time of the article to this sandbox to work on, and be sure to use an edit summary linking to the article you copied from. Do not copy over the entire article. You can find additional instructions here. Remember to save your work regularly using the "Publish page" button. (It just means 'save'; it will still be in the sandbox.) You can add bold formatting to your additions to differentiate them from existing content. |
Article Draft
[edit]Lead
[edit]Omphalotus olearius,[1] commonly known as the jack-o'-lantern mushroom, is a poisonous orange gilled mushroom that to an untrained eye appears similar to some chanterelles. It is notable for its bioluminescent properties. It is found in woodland areas in Europe, where it grows on decaying stumps, on buried roots or at the base of hardwood trees. A similar, but phylogenetically distinct species found in eastern North America is Omphalotus illudens.
Unlike chanterelles, Omphalotus olearius and other Omphalotus species contain the toxin illudin S, and are poisonous to humans. While not typically lethal, consuming this mushroom leads to very severe cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea.[2][3] (Addition of "typically" and added 2 citations for reference.)
Article body
[edit]Description
Omphalotus olearius is an unchanging orange, even when bruised or sliced.[4] Its bioluminescence, a blue-green color, can be observed in fresh specimens in low light conditions once the eye becomes dark-adapted. The whole mushroom does not glow—only the gills do so. This is due to an enzyme called luciferase, acting upon a compound called luciferin, leading to the emission of light much as fireflies do when glowing.[5] As of current date there is no exact reasoning for this to occur in the jack-o'-lantern mushroom.[6]
Identifiable characteristics include true, sharp, decurrent, non-forking gills.[7](taken from the original first sentence of the similar species section, which I got rid of and rearranged.)^ The smell of these mushrooms is non-distinctive. Cap size can range from 4-12 cm in diameter. The jack-o'-lantern stem can vary between 1-2 cm in thickness and 3.5-9 cm in total length from attachment to cap to base of stem.[4]
Distribution and Habitat
Omphalotus olearius are a uncommon find, and can be seen in the summer and fall seasons (July-October), in regions of southern Europe. This includes southern France, the Iberian Peninsula, and other Mediterranean countries.[8] It has also been reported from the Western Cape Province, South Africa. (Taken from the lead section, and moved here.)^
Clusters of jack-o'-lantern mushrooms can be found in forests that are abundant in hardwoods. The buried roots, decaying stumps, and bases of hardwoods are where they grow, especially on the decaying roots of olive trees.[8][4]
Similar Species
Several fungi species that can be confused with the jack-o'-lantern are chanterelles. A distinguishing characteristic is the false gills that chanterelles carry, taking the appearance of blunt ridges instead of sharp, bendable, and paper-like gills.[7] Furthermore, if the jack-o'-lantern's stem is peeled, the inside is the same shade of orange as the outer flesh, while the chanterelle is paler inside the stem.
Omphalotus illudens of eastern North America, and the Western jack-o'-lantern mushroom Omphalotus olivascens common in southern to central California, are both poisonous. The similarly poisonous mushroom Tsukiyotake (Omphalotus japonicus, formerly known as Lampteromyces japonicus, found in Japan and eastern Asia, is also bioluminescent and contains the same poison, illudin).
References
[edit]- ^ Singer R (1948) In: Pap. Mich. Acad. Sci. 32: 133 ('1946').
- ^ Vanden Hoek, T. L.; Erickson, T.; Hryhorczuk, D.; Narasimhan, K. (May 1991). "Jack o'lantern mushroom poisoning". Annals of Emergency Medicine. 20 (5): 559–561. doi:10.1016/s0196-0644(05)81617-8. ISSN 0196-0644. PMID 2024797.
- ^ French, A. L.; Garrettson, L. K. (1988). "Poisoning with the North American Jack O'Lantern mushroom, Omphalotus illudens". Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology. 26 (1–2): 81–88. doi:10.3109/15563658808995399. ISSN 0731-3810. PMID 3290510.
- ^ a b c Kuo, Michael (8 September 2023). "Omphalotus olearius (MushroomExpert.Com)". www.mushroomexpert.com. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ Oliveira, Anderson G.; Desjardin, Dennis E.; Perry, Brian A.; Stevani, Cassius V. (2012-05-01). "Evidence that a single bioluminescent system is shared by all known bioluminescent fungal lineages". Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. 11 (5): 848–852. doi:10.1039/c2pp25032b. ISSN 1474-9092.
- ^ "The Jack-O'-Lantern Mushroom". Yard and Garden. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ a b "Jack-o'-Lantern". Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ a b "Omphalotus olearius, Mushroom identification". www.first-nature.com. Retrieved 2024-11-12.