Pholiota squarrosa

(Vahl) P. Kumm.

Mature caps at the base of birch that lack the distinctly shaggy nature in Epping Forest, Essex.
Young caps complete with a veil that has begun to break on lime in Runnymede, Surrey
The scaly nature of maturing caps at the base of poplar in Basildon, Essex
An upturned young cap with the whitish stipe and scaly nature on false acacia in Basildon, Essex
The brownish gills stained as such by spore release on poplar in Basildon, Essex

Mature caps at the base of birch that lack the distinctly shaggy nature in Epping Forest, Essex.
Young caps complete with a veil that has begun to break on lime in Runnymede, Surrey
The scaly nature of maturing caps at the base of poplar in Basildon, Essex
An upturned young cap with the whitish stipe and scaly nature on false acacia in Basildon, Essex
The brownish gills stained as such by spore release on poplar in Basildon, Essex
Young caps emerging from within a false acacia stump in Laindon, UK.
Side profile of a young cap showing the shaggy cap.
The shaggy stipe and whitish detail on the cap rim.
The gill arrangement and colouration
The white flesh of the cap when cut open.

Common name

Shaggy scalycap

Often found on

An array of broadleaved species.

Sometimes found on

Coniferous species.

Location

Restricted largely to the base of the tree at and around buttresses and the stem base – less frequently emerging from cavities along the stem. Also emerges from stumps.

Description

Annual cap. Distinctly shaggy throughout form – can lose shaggy appearance when in exposed conditions. Rarely emerging singularly – generally in larger clusters. Whitish-brown colourations from inception. Underside of cap emerges with a web that breaks to form a ring on the stem as the cap matures. Spire cinnamon brown that stains the gills as cap matures.

Confused with

Armillaria spp. (white spore and not shaggy after inception); Pholiota aurivella (more strikingly gold-orange)

Significance

Understood to be weakly to moderately parasitic (in addition to being more broadly a saprotroph) upon its host, wherein it is attributed with an intense white rot that begins as a selective white rot. Where colonisations are extensive and encircle the stem base, investigations into the structural stability of the tree might be required. Where crown condition is poor, the presence of this fungus indicates physiological dysfunction often caused by a wider array of issues.