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  1. Fungi Including Lichens
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  3. ›Higher Basidiomycetes
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  5. ›Agaricomycetidae
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  7. ›Tricholomatineae
  8. ›Callistosporiaceae
  9. ›Macrocybe
Macrocybe crassa
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Macrocybe crassa

Macrocybe crassa is a species of fungus that is native to Sri Lanka, India (Kerala), Thailand and Malaysia. The large pale cream to brownish mushrooms can weigh up to 1.25 kg and have 40 cm diameter caps. They are widely consumed and highly regarded.

Continue reading on Wikipedia

From the article Macrocybe crassa on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section

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Description

Macrocybe crassa form solid, large mushrooms that can weigh up to 1.25 kilograms (2.8 lb). The cap is from 14–24 centimetres (5.5–9.4 in) across, with rare specimens up to 40 centimetres (16 in) in diameter. Cream-white to yellow- or grey-brown with a darker centre, the cap is initially convex before expanding out and flattening, sometimes with a central boss. The crowded cream to white gills are adnexed to sinuate. The cylindrical stout white stem is 15 to 25 centimetres (5.9 to 9.8 in) high and 1.4 to 5 centimetres (0.55 to 1.97 in) across with a swollen base. The spore print is creamy white, and the oval spores are 5.0–6.5 μm long by 3.7–4.5 μm wide. The flesh is up to 3.5 centimetres (1.4 in) thick under the cap and has a hint of bitterness. It can be distinguished from the related M. gigantea by the latter species' yellow gills and lack of swollen base to its stalk.

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Range & habitat

It is native to Sri Lanka, India (Kerala), Thailand and Malaysia. It is highly regarded in Thailand but expensive as it is generally only available after the rainy season. It can be cultivated on sawdust of rubber trees, however.

Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”

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At the table

M. crassa mushrooms are cooked in mustard oil and spices in West Bengal. They are known in Bengali as dhoodh chhatu, from the word for "milk" as they are said to smell like milk when dried.

Wikipedia: “Edibility”

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Where it lives

Recorded sightings

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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.

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In the stacks

Searching the stacks…

Every page naming Macrocybe crassa in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →

This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 889028.