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