A small to medium, slimy, reddish brown to orange Pholiota that fruits in clusters on burned ground and charred wood in the years after a fire. It is the most widely distributed of the fire-loving Pholiota species in North America.
Edibility unknown. Not recommended; fire-site Pholiota species are difficult to tell apart.
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Habitat
Saprobic in clusters at the bases of charred trees, on burned wood and on burned soil, appearing in the years following forest fires. Spring through fall, and winter in California.
Distribution
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Widely distributed in North America (records from New York and Maryland to Florida, Texas, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific states); also in Europe, where it has long been called Pholiota carbonaria.
Characteristics
Cap: 2-6 cm, slimy when fresh, reddish brown to orange, fading to pale pinkish brown. Gills: close, pale becoming cinnamon brown. Stem: 3-10 cm, usually under 1 cm thick, with scaly zones and usually a ring zone. Flesh: pale yellow; taste mild to unpleasant or radish-like. Spore print: cinnamon brown. Microscopy: spores 6-8 x 4-4.5 µm, smooth, elliptical, with a tiny apical pore.
