Paxillus involutus, the common roll-rim, is a fungus widely distributed
across the Northern Hemisphere; it has also been unintentionally
introduced to Australia, New Zealand, and South America. The brownish
fruit body grows up to 6 cm (2.4 in) high. It has a funnel-shaped cap
up to 12 cm (5 in) wide with a distinctive in-rolled rim and decurrent
gills close to the stalk. Genetic testing suggests that the fungus may
be a species complex rather than a single species. A common mushroom of
deciduous and coniferous woods and grassy areas in late summer and
autumn, P. involutus is symbiotic with the roots of many tree species,
reducing the trees' intake of heavy metals and increasing their
resistance to pathogens. Previously considered edible and eaten widely
in Eastern and Central Europe, the mushroom has been found to be
dangerously poisonous; in 1944, it killed the German mycologist Julius
Schäffer. It can trigger the immune system to attack red blood cells
with potentially fatal complications, including acute renal and
respiratory failure.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paxillus_involutus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1779:
American Revolutionary War: A militia force of Patriots
decisively defeated and scattered a Loyalist militia force that was on
its way to British-controlled Augusta, Georgia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kettle_Creek>
1852:
Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital
in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children, was
founded in London.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Ormond_Street_Hospital>
1943:
World War II: General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim's 5th Panzer Army
launched a concerted attack against Allied positions in Tunisia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sidi_Bou_Zid>
1990:
The Voyager 1 space probe took an iconic photograph of Earth
that later became famous as Pale Blue Dot (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blue_Dot>
2008:
Steven Kazmierczak opened fire into a crowded lecture hall on
the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, killing
5 and injuring 21.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Illinois_University_shooting>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
philematology:
The scientific study of kissing.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/philematology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Love all, trust a few, Do wrong to none.
--All's Well That Ends Well
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/All%27s_Well_That_Ends_Well>
Show replies by date