Synonyms: Agaricus parasiticus, Agaricus pilipes, Agaricus umbratus, Fungus pilipes, Gymnopus parasiticus, Gymnopus pilipes, Merulius parasiticus, Nyctalis parasitica.
Common name: silky piggyback.
Russian name: Asterofora parazitnaya.
Extract from Wikipedia article: Asterophora parasitica, commonly known as the parasitic Asterophora or the Russula parasite, is a species of fungus that grows as a parasite on other mushrooms. The fruit bodies are small, with silky fibers on the surface of grayish caps and thick, widely spaced gills. Mushrooms fruit in clusters on the decaying remains of Lactarius and Russula species, particularly those in the Russula nigricans group. Found primarily in temperate zones of Europe and North America, the fungus is widespread but not common.
Asterophora parasitica is a species of fungus that grows on other mushrooms, particularly species of Russula and Lactarius. In St. Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast, and north-western Russia, it has been found in coniferous and mixed forests, typically fruiting from July to October. The fungus forms small, white to cream-colored caps with a felty or powdery surface, and its stipe is slender and often curved. Records from the region indicate that Asterophora parasitica is not uncommon, with collections reported from various localities, including the suburbs of St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad Oblast.
Asterophora parasitica mushrooms growing on a rotten cap of brittlegill mushroom in area of Old Sylvia in Pavlovsk Park. Pavlovsk near Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 28, 2016
Беседка великому князю Вячеславу Константиновичу, Rozovopavilyonnaya al., Pavlovsk, g. Sankt-Peterburg, Russia, 196621
Asterophora parasitica mushroom on a rotten cap of Russula mushroom near Orekhovo, north from Saint Petersburg. Russia, August 13, 2016Unnamed Road, Leningradskaya oblast', Russia
Asterophora parasitica mushrooms on a rotten cap of Russula near Dibuny, north-west from Saint Petersburg, Russia, September 3, 2018Leninskaya Tropa, Pesochny, Sankt-Peterburg, Russia
Close up of Asterophora parasitica mushrooms on a rotten cap of Russula near Dibuny, north-west from Saint Petersburg, Russia, September 3, 2018Leninskaya Tropa, Pesochny, Sankt-Peterburg, Russia
Asterophora parasitica mushrooms on a rotten cap of Russula in Kuzmolovo, north from Saint Petersburg. Russia, August 9, 2024Бывшая узкоколейка, Город Всеволожск, Всеволожский район, Ленинградская область, Северо-Западный федеральный округ, 188663, Россия
Young Asterophora parasitica mushrooms on a rotten cap of Russula in Kuzmolovo, north from Saint Petersburg. Russia, August 9, 2024Бывшая узкоколейка, Город Всеволожск, Всеволожский район, Ленинградская область, Северо-Западный федеральный округ, 188663, РоссияAsterophora parasitica was observed growing on rotten caps of brittlegill and Russula mushrooms in various locations in Leningrad Oblast and north-western Russia. In Pavlovsk Park, it was found on a brittlegill mushroom near Old Sylvia. Near Orekhovo and Dibuny, it was observed on rotten Russula caps, with multiple mushrooms growing together. Similar observations were made in Kuzmolovo, where both mature and young Asterophora parasitica mushrooms were found on Russula caps. The fungus was spotted in different years, including 2016 and 2018, and as recently as 2024, indicating its presence in the region over an extended period. The observations suggest that Asterophora parasitica is a common parasite of Russula and brittlegill mushrooms in this part of Russia.
Russian web-forums Planeta Gribov, V Kontakte, and Griby Sredney Polosy for learning names of local mushrooms.
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